As Black Friday 2024 rapidly approaches, the pressure is on. For ecommerce leaders, this is the Super Bowl of retail – a day when months of preparation can make or break your year. The stakes have never been higher, and the window for getting everything right is quickly closing. Having a solid Black Friday ecommerce strategy in place is crucial for success.
The ecommerce landscape: What’s happening now?
The ecommerce market is more competitive than ever. With online sales predicted to reach £152 billion in the UK alone by 2025, the importance of standing out during peak shopping events like Black Friday cannot be overstated. Consumers are increasingly savvy, with high expectations for seamless, fast, and secure shopping experiences across all devices. But with so much traffic expected, even the most well-prepared sites can struggle under the pressure.
Recent reports highlight just how critical it is to be prepared. Last year, Currys faced major issues on Black Friday, with their website experiencing significant downtime and customer complaints pouring in. Shoppers reported being placed in queues and encountering server errors just when they were ready to make purchases. Currys, a high street retailer and tech giant, was forced to respond to these issues on social media, reassuring customers but ultimately facing the backlash of lost sales and frustrated consumers. This incident underscores the risks of not being fully prepared. Keeping an eye on Black Friday ecommerce trends and having a Black Friday ecommerce checklist can help avoid these pitfalls.
The perils of last-minute preparation
Every year, we see the same story unfold: ecommerce sites scrambling at the eleventh hour to bundle products, apply discounts, and tweak their front-end content. While these last-minute changes are often necessary, they come with a hidden cost. Rushing to implement changes without thorough testing can introduce bugs that go unnoticed until it’s too late – when your customers are the ones finding them.
Imagine a customer, ready to make a purchase, only to be met with a slow-loading page, a broken link, or a malfunctioning checkout process. In an instant, you’ve lost a sale and potentially a customer for life. Worse still, these errors can quickly compound, leading to a cascade of lost revenue, tarnished reputation, and customer frustration. On Black Friday, these problems aren’t just inconveniences—they’re disasters. Analysing Black Friday ecommerce stats from previous years can also inform better decision-making and preparation.
Why early preparation is key
Preparation is everything. By addressing potential issues now, you can avoid the panic that comes with discovering a bug when it’s already costing you money. A thorough health check of your website and apps is the best way to uncover hidden problems before they become catastrophic. This isn’t just about ensuring your site doesn’t crash, though that’s important, it’s about making sure every element of the customer journey is smooth, intuitive, and fast. This is an essential part of your overall Black Friday ecommerce strategy.
At Digivante, we’ve seen first-hand the difference that early preparation can make. In one instance, our Black Friday Ecommerce Readiness Audit helped accessories retailer Claire’s increase conversions by 35% in just four weeks. Similarly, House of Fraser saw a 9% jump in conversions immediately after fixing the issues we identified. These success stories aren’t outliers – they’re the result of meticulous preparation and a commitment to getting things right before it’s too late.
The cost of getting it wrong
Conversely, those who neglect early preparation often pay the price. Currys’ Black Friday debacle is a stark reminder of what can go wrong. The retailer’s website issues not only disrupted the shopping experience but also led to a significant loss of sales and customer trust. A slow-loading page or a broken checkout button can drive customers away faster than a steep discount can attract them. The result? Cart abandonment rates skyrocket, sales plummet, and your brand’s reputation takes a hit. In the worst-case scenario, your website could crash entirely, leaving you with nothing to show for months of hard work.
For more on how to prepare effectively, explore our blog Unlocking Black Friday success: A 20-step strategy for ecommerce leaders. This comprehensive guide provides actionable steps to ensure you’re fully ready for the big day.
Get ahead of the curve
As we count down the days to Black Friday 2024, now is the time to ensure your ecommerce site or app is ready to shine. Don’t leave it to chance – conduct a comprehensive Black Friday Ecommerce Readiness Audit identify and prioritise issues before they can impact your sales. With Digivante’s expertise, you can be confident that your site will deliver the seamless experience your customers expect, even under the intense pressure of Black Friday sales.
Black Friday is coming. The question is, will your site or app be ready?
