Summer is over and winter is here! No, of course not. But in ecommerce, it’s essential that you plan ahead for the big sale events. And it doesn’t get much bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Prepare properly, and you could be in store for some big profits. Read on to see how you can get yourself ready.

What, when and where?

Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving in the US. It’s been a tradition for over 60 years, regarded as the day Christmas shopping begins – and an ideal time to get most of it out of the way. Partly due to massive online platforms like Amazon, the tradition has made its way over to the UK, despite no Thanksgiving Day beforehand.

Cyber Monday, on the other hand, is a marketing term coined by the US National Retail Federation. The idea was to get more people to shop online. And, after over a decade, it too has become something of a tradition. The two days fall around the same weekend each year, with 24^th and 27^th November set in stone for 2017.

While Cyber Monday – as the name suggests – is based online, Black Friday was originally based in-store. Of course, back in the 1950s, there was nobody logging on to check the latest online deals. But over the last ten years, retailers have taken advantage of both days as an ecommerce opportunity. So, consumers don’t have to push and pull at their nearest shopping centre to get their hands on a great deal

Preparing for the big weekend

For ecommerce merchants, Black Friday and Cyber Monday brings a whole weekend of opportunity. The question is: is your site ready? These are no normal shopping days. Your site needs to be able to cope with extra traffic, and a lot more transactions. Check the data from big shopping days in the past – and special sales you have done previously – to see what you can expect.

Got your estimates? It’s time to put your site to the test. Load testing allows you to measure your site’s response under certain conditions. It’s the best way to identify its limits, as well as determining where problems are occurring. Make sure you get these bumps smoothed out well before Black Friday – because any problems on the day means lost visitors and eventually lost sales.

Spread the word

It’s not just about your site. You also need to put in an extra effort to get people there. Invest time in social media and email marketing. Consider investing money too – in search engine optimisation and Google adverts. Now is the time for a great return on investment.

E-commerce that sells

Need to optimise your site ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Bing Digital can help. We create high-performing Magento ecommerce sites for a wide range of businesses. With our special combination of expertise, experience and creative flair, you simply can’t fail. Get in touch with us to see how we can help you make the most of the big sales weekend.

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