Insider Black Friday E-Commerce Tips from Forbytes’ DevOps

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Andy Williams may sing about Christmas, but for retailers, Black Friday brings a similar excitement – and for good reason.

Black Friday isn’t just another sales event. It’s a golden opportunity for businesses to tackle issues and make a lasting impact on annual revenue. In 2023 alone, global Black Friday sales reached a staggering $70 billion. Impressive, right?

But Black Friday also comes with unique challenges, such as handling surges in traffic and competing with other retailers. For businesses whose systems aren’t prepared, this can mean performance drops, slowdowns, and traffic spikes that overwhelm their apps.

With the right Black Friday strategy, you can turn these pitfalls into opportunities to boost visibility and drive vital conversions. From optimizing deals to planning seamless customer journeys, a thoughtful Black Friday approach can transform challenges into wins.

Ready to unlock your retailer’s potential? Dive in for Black Friday e-commerce tips from our DevOps team and discover how to make this sales season fruitful.

Why Black Friday Is a Special Day for E-Commerce

Black Friday has become a global shopping sensation, reshaping how people shop and businesses sell. In 2023 alone, U.S. e-commerce sales for Black Friday hit an astonishing $9.8 billion, with online traffic breaking records as shoppers rushed to find the best deals. This incredible revenue is one of the main reasons why retailers can’t afford to overlook this event.

Approximately 230 million shoppers participated in Black Friday deals across the USA. This encourages retailers to tap into countdown timers, personalized notifications, and seasonal marketing to capture attention and keep the excitement high.

According to a recent report, on Black Friday, 51,1% of purchases were made on mobile phones, while 48,9% were on desktops. For retailers, this period offers a golden opportunity to engage customers and maximize every interaction across websites and apps.

Top retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy make the most of Black Friday. From offering an extensive range of deals to early access sales, they do their best to retain their clients’ attention and reinforce their market dominance.

So, why not follow their example and show your full potential on this special day?

Get in touch with the Forbytes team to discover how to make your Black Friday a success.

Preparing for Black Friday: 6 Features That Can Boost Your Sales

Colin Powell said: “There are no secrets to success. It results from preparation, hard work, and learning from mistakes.” Black Friday is an important event when you can’t do everything at the last minute. Success during Black Friday comes from strategic preparation.

Let’s take a look at six key features your online store should have to connect with your target audience and boost sales this Black Friday.

1. Early banner announcements

Get your customers excited by announcing your Black Friday deals in advance. Use eye-catching banners on your website and social media to build anticipation. These announcements highlight your discounts and connect with your audience, encouraging them to come back on the big day.

2. Intuitive checkout processes

Make the checkout process as simple as possible to reduce cart abandonment, especially during busy times like Black Friday. Ensure it’s easy for customers to complete their purchases quickly. Features like guest checkout, autofill forms, and clear progress indicators can really improve their experience and help manage increased traffic.

3. AI-driven product recommendations

Use AI technology to suggest products based on what customers have browsed or purchased. By showing related items, you can encourage them to buy more, which increases your average order value and keeps customers happy. This personalized touch helps shoppers discover new products and boosts your sales.

4. Diverse payment options

Offer a variety of payment methods like credit cards, digital wallets, and buy now, pay later options. This flexibility makes it easier for customers to complete their purchases. Providing different payment choices can enhance their shopping experience and increase conversion rates.

5. Site backups and analytics

Be ready for anything by ensuring your site has strong backup solutions and real-time performance monitoring. Site backups protect your data in case of crashes during busy shopping periods. Meanwhile, real-time analytics help you track customer behavior and sales patterns, allowing you to make quick adjustments if needed.

6. Effective customer support

During busy events like Black Friday, having good customer support is crucial for keeping shoppers happy and preventing lost sales. Use chatbots or live support to give instant help to customers with questions or issues navigating your site. Quick responses can build trust, encourage purchases, and ensure a smooth shopping experience.

By adding these features to your online store, you can improve the shopping experience, connect with your target audience, and drive more sales this Black Friday.

How to Optimize Your Website for E-Commerce Black Friday

Preparing your website for Black Friday’s demands is essential to ensure a flawless shopping experience for your customers. A fast, secure, and user-friendly site can make the difference between high conversions and lost sales.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to optimizing your e-commerce site. We hope these Black Friday e-commerce tips will assist you.

Step 1: Use automation testing tools

Run automation tests to identify potential performance drops and fix them ahead of time. Test your site at least one to two weeks before Black Friday to ensure it can handle high traffic without a hitch. Automated testing will help spot bugs and check site functionality. After this, you can guarantee a smooth shopping experience for users.

Step 2: Scale up your architecture

Prepare for increased traffic by scaling your architecture. Monitor systems closely and consider manual scaling options, such as adding more server resources, to manage the high volume. Scaling effectively will help avoid downtime and keep your site running seamlessly during peak hours.

Step 3: Boost site speed

Site speed is critical – every second counts during Black Friday. Studies show that even a one-second delay can decrease conversions significantly. Optimize images, use a content delivery network (CDN), and compress files to ensure your site loads quickly, delivering a better experience and keeping customers engaged.

Step 4: Strengthen security measures

During Black Friday, the risk of cyberattacks rises as traffic surges. Enhance your cybersecurity by implementing strong encryption, running security audits, and using firewall protection. Prioritize securing your payment gateway and safeguarding customer data to maintain trust and protect against potential breaches.

Step 5: Focus on mobile optimization

With mobile shopping on the rise, it’s crucial to ensure a mobile-friendly experience. Optimize your site for mobile-first shopping by simplifying navigation, using responsive design, and offering one-click payment options. Making your site easy to use on mobile devices will attract more customers and drive conversions.

Step 6: Adhere to code freeze

Avoid making last-minute changes to your site’s code before Black Friday. A code freeze helps prevent unexpected errors or system crashes, which could disrupt sales. Instead, finalize and test all updates well in advance, so you can focus on monitoring performance without the risk of instability.

With these steps in place, your e-commerce site will be ready to handle Black Friday’s traffic and deliver a high-quality shopping experience that keeps customers coming back.

Elevate your site’s performance with our Black Friday optimization package and prepare to make the most of this sales season with the Forbytes team.

Extra Black Friday E-commerce Tips: Insights from Forbytes

Ready to elevate your Black Friday game? Our team at Forbytes has crafted some simple, proven Black Friday e-commerce tips to help you make the most of this big shopping day. Let’s dive in!

• Look back to moving forward: Analyze last year’s Black Friday performance. Check what worked, what didn’t, and where there’s room for improvement. Reviewing customer behavior, sales trends, and conversion rates will give you powerful insights to fine-tune your strategy and avoid repeating past mistakes.
• Collaborate for consistency: Your software and marketing teams need to be on the same page. Ensure that promotions align across all channels – email, social media, and in-app notifications. Working together helps create a consistent, impactful message that keeps your brand front and center, no matter where customers are shopping.
• Extend your Black Friday deals: Consider keeping the deals rolling through the weekend or even into Cyber Monday. Extended offers allow more customers to shop, keep engagement high, and help you avoid traffic overload on the big day.

By following these expert insights, you’ll create a memorable shopping experience for your customers and make the most of Black Friday’s incredible potential.

How Forbytes Boosted TradeMax’s Success on Black Friday

We would like to share a compelling story about our client Trademax, one of Nordic’s largest online furniture and interior design stores, operating in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. TradeMax was eager to take full advantage of Black Friday’s potential. To do this, they set out to optimize sales and revenue, requiring meticulous planning to avoid traffic spikes and performance issues.

Preparing for the big event

Knowing the high stakes of Black Friday, we started our preparations well in advance. In the initial stages of our collaboration, our focus was on refining TradeMax’s technical infrastructure.

We used automated testing tools to detect and resolve performance issues quickly and scaled up their architecture, combining automated and manual processes to keep the website running seamlessly.

Speed optimization and enhanced security were also critical at this stage, ensuring both a fast user experience and protection against potential cyber threats.

Enhancing the customer experience

Once the technical foundation was set, we worked closely with TradeMax’s marketing team to ensure the site’s features aligned with their promotional strategies.

We created announcement banners to build anticipation, integrated multiple payment options to reduce purchase friction, and streamlined the checkout process for a more intuitive user journey.

These improvements were designed to maximize TradeMax’s reach and engagement on Black Friday, giving them an edge in capturing customer attention and driving conversions.

Results that speak volumes

Our teamwork delivered great results! TradeMax saw a 10% boost in traffic, and overall traffic rose by about 25% during Black Friday thanks to targeted optimizations. The streamlined checkout process also cut down cart abandonment, making it easier for customers to finish their purchases.

Not only did TradeMax achieve a highly successful Black Friday, but with Forbytes’ expertise, they now have the tools and insights needed to make data-driven decisions and maintain these improvements year-round.

TradeMax’s story is a powerful example of how strategic planning and targeted enhancements can turn a major sales event into a catalyst for ongoing success.

Black Friday E-Commerce Checklist: Set Your Store Up for Success

Preparing for Black Friday isn’t something to leave until the last minute. The earlier you start, the better prepared you’ll be to handle the surge in traffic, orders, and customer expectations. Coordinated efforts across teams are key, so make sure your developers, marketers, and support staff are all on the same page.

Here’s a checklist to help you get your store Black Friday ready:

• Early coordination with marketing: Start by syncing up with your marketing team to align promotions, banners, and customer outreach strategies. A well-coordinated approach ensures your messaging is consistent across all platforms and reaches the right audience at the right time.
• System performance testing: Avoid last-minute surprises by running automated tests early. This will help you identify and fix potential performance issues before traffic surges.
• Optimized user experience: Work with your team to streamline checkout, enhance navigation, and ensure product pages load quickly. The goal is a seamless shopping journey that keeps customers engaged.
• Clear communication: Share progress and insights across teams. Staying aligned on updates and any changes to the plan will ensure a smooth Black Friday experience.
• Focus on security and stability: With high traffic, security becomes crucial. Strengthen cybersecurity measures and have backup plans in place to handle any unexpected issues.
• Observability: A good monitoring system helps keep track of performance during busy times. By looking at past data, you can spot patterns and be ready for heavy loads, making it easier to handle any issues.

Starting early and staying coordinated are essential steps to ensure a successful sale. With our Black Friday e-commerce tips, you’re more prepared and know how to fuel your online store for a better result.

Get Your Store Ready for Black Friday with the Forbytes Team

Black Friday isn’t just a one-day event – it’s a chance to make lasting upgrades that benefit your store all year. By improving site speed, enhancing security, and making the shopping experience smoother, you’ll set up your store for long-term success, not just a single busy day. These changes will keep your site running smoothly during peak times and give you a strong foundation for steady growth.

Hope our Black Friday e-commerce tips will be helpful for you. At Forbytes, we help build and improve e-commerce websites, providing solutions that tackle challenges and meet user needs. We’re here to get you fully ready for the biggest sales of the year.

Want to make the most of Black Friday and build on that success? Contact Forbytes today, and let’s transform your store into a high-performing e-commerce platform.