Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year for e-commerce and Shopify businesses. And if you want to get a piece of the pie, then you need to be prepared.

According to a study by Queue.it, Black Friday online sales grew 3.5% to $65.6 billion globally in 2022. And online sales across Cyber Week grew 2% YoY, reaching $281 billion globally. Additionally, across the 2022 Black Friday Cyber Monday weekend, Shopify merchants collectively made $7.5 billion sales in 2022, which is 12% more than in 2021.

Online sales in for Black Friday Cyber Monday 2023 are predicted to be larger than ever.

This means businesses have a lot of growth potential during these two shopping holidays. But it also means that the competition will be fierce. So you need to make sure you’re prepared if you want to boost your sales and stand out from the crowd.

So let’s get started! You must begin preparing now for Shopify Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023. By following the tips in this blog post, you’ll be able to make the most of these two big shopping days and boost your sales.

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Start planning now

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Just like for many things in life, the earlier you start, the better prepared you’ll be. You’ll want to make sure your store is ready to handle a high amount of orders. Planning ahead, you will have more time to create promotional materials, choose the right products, stock up on inventory, and develop a successful marketing plan. This way, during the shopping season, all focus can be on selling, fulfilling orders and shipping. It will be a lot of work!

Bear in mind that customers are beginning to shop earlier each year. According to Deloitte, 70% of shoppers started buying before the end of October. “With early deals in October, consumers were not waiting around for discounts on big shopping days like Cyber Monday and Black Friday,” said Taylor Schreiner, director, Adobe Digital Insights.

So, if you wait until the last minute, you’re likely to miss out on sales and end up frustrated. Start planning now and make this holiday season your best yet.

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Launch a mobile app for your Shopify store

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Yes, there is still time to create and launch your very own mobile app for your Shopify store. In 2022, almost half of the online sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday were made through a mobile device (48%).

Customers tend to bounce and leave the website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. And then the sale is lost. On mobile apps, however, pages load instantly, leading to increased conversion rates and an overall better shopping experience for customers.

By having a mobile app for your Shopify store, you’ll make it easier for customers to shop from their phones and boost your sales. Another great benefit of mobile apps is the possibility of sending push notifications, an exclusive marketing channel to reach shoppers.

Push notifications have an open rate 10x higher than e-mail, and they pop up on smartphone screens even if the app is closed. They’re all about persuasive words, like “free,” “save,” “discount,” and “sale.” During #BFCM, however, it is crucial to create a sense of urgency, including words such as “now,” “soon,” and “last chance.” Be sure to include a call-to-action (CTA) in your materials. This is a phrase that tells people what you want them to do, such as “click here,” “buy now,” or “sign up today.”

Creating a sense of urgency makes shoppers jump into buying, and push notifications are absolutely fantastic for that. Customers who feel like they’re running out of time are more likely to make a purchase. In fact, over half of the purchased on Black Friday Cyber Monday 2022 were impulse buys (51%).

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StoreLab provides you with access to the best mobile app builder for your Shopify store. You can build and launch your very own Shopify mobile app in just two weeks for as little at $79 per month. Learn more about our pricing plans here, or book a free discovery call with a member of our team.

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Know your goals

- What are you hoping to achieve from Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

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Making more sales is undoubtedly any store’s ultimate goal during these dates. However, there are other objectives to be considered. With a proper marketing plan in place, it is possible to drive brand awareness and make the store a go-to place in the next holiday (remember: Christmas will be just around the corner!).

If a customer’s shopping experience goes smoothly, they will undoubtedly come back and purchase more in the future. Lastly, getting app downloads leads to more conversions and, evidently, more sales. It is a whole new marketing channel to be explored, and push notifications have a proven record of increasing engagement and converting sales.

You can learn more about how to increase your Black Friday sales with push notifications in this article.

By setting and measuring your goals, you’ll be able to see what’s working and what’s not. This way, you can change your strategy as needed and continue improving your results.

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Get your promotions sorted

- What deals are you going to offer?

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The deals offered during these holidays are the same as usual: free shipping, buy-one-get-one, huge discounts, and early bird specials. However, shoppers expect to find them all in a short period and, obviously, heavily discounted. And they will scan physical and online stores to ensure they’re getting the best bargain in the market. Your offer is what’s going to entice customers to buy from you instead of your competition. So it’s essential to make sure your offer is attractive and irresistible.

This doesn’t mean stores should do anything to complete sales. After all, businesses need not only to generate revenue but also to be profitable. One way of doing that may be to lower the profit margin in some products, grabbing the shopper’s attention and bringing them to your Shopify mobile app or online store, where they can find other items they would be interested in.

That is why it is so important to think about product selection. You want to ensure you offer products that customers want to buy. They might even have the items on their wish list or shopping cart, just waiting for the price to drop. Take some time to research and determine which items are selling well and which are popular among your target audience. You can use this information to create a curated selection of products that appeal to your customers and help you boost sales.

Sale efforts should also be placed on seasonal items. For instance, many people take the opportunity to start buying Christmas gifts. It is an excellent opportunity to mark down products that you have a large quantity on the inventory.

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Prepare your marketing materials

- What content are you going to create?

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Once you’ve decided on your promotions and product selection, it’s time to start creating marketing materials. This could include creating a landing page on your website, advertising your brand new app, and designing social media posts. You’ll want to make sure your marketing materials are eye-catching and well-written. They should also be aligned with your overall branding.

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People are visual creatures, and they respond well to graphic assets. In fact, studies have shown that people are more likely to remember information if it’s accompanied by images and videos. This will help grab people’s attention and make your materials more memorable.

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When it comes to a campaign launch, it is best not to wait until the last minute. Start planning and creating your materials well in advance. This way, you can make sure everything is ready to go when the big day arrives.

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But what's involved in creating an effective content marketing strategy for your Shopify store? Find the answer to that question here.

Prepare your fulfilment centre

- Make sure you can handle the influx of orders

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During these dates, orders will be placed one after the other (fingers crossed). So it’s important to take some time to prepare your fulfilment centre. Ensure that you have enough staff on hand to handle the increase in volume. It also means making sure you have enough inventory to meet demand. According to Bluecore, brands struggle to convert shoppers on any item if what they were specifically looking for is out of stock. Overall, 69% simply abandon the brand and go somewhere else.

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It is necessary to have a contingency plan in place for dealing with any shipping delays or other issues that might arise. Although the best interest at the moment is to make as many sales as possible, a smooth shopping experience will likely foster customer loyalty.

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Get social media savvy

- Use social media to reach more customers

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Social media works throughout the year and is no different during #BFCM. As they’re all about images and videos, prepare the graphic assets that will be used in advance. Short videos, like TikToks or Reels for Instagram, are doing great on organic reach, but they may take time to be produced. Get them sorted ahead of time.

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Be sure to include keywords that relate to your product or service. And try to keep your headlines under 60 characters, so they’re easy to read.

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Some examples of great headlines include “Get 50% Off Your First Purchase,” “Free Shipping on All Orders Over $50,” and “Buy One Get One Free.” You can create a sense of urgency by setting expiration dates on your offers and using countdown timers. This will encourage customers to buy from you before it’s too late.

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Remember, customers, take to social media to ask about a product, shipping information - and also to complain. Thus, these channels serve not only to promote sales and specials but also to provide the best customer service possible - other potential customers are watching!

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Some tips for using social media on Black Friday and Cyber Monday include:

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Creating a hashtag – This will help you promote your sale and make it easy for people to find your content.

Posting often – Be sure to post frequently on all of your social media channels.

Engaging with your audience – Respond to comments and questions in a timely manner.

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If you're interested in improving your social media strategy further, here are 14 organic social media tips to skyrocket your Shopify sales.

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Analyse, adjust, and repeat

– Keep track of your results and make changes for next year

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It’s crucial to analyse your results after Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday 2023. This way, you can see what worked well and what didn’t. You can then make changes for next year. This will help you improve your performance and grow your business.

You can track your sales, website traffic, conversion rate, app downloads, and e-mail open rates. By monitoring your results, you’ll be able to fine-tune your strategy and boost your sales.

The same goes for your marketing efforts. You can use a few different metrics to see its success, such as sales figures, website traffic, and social media engagement. This information will be valuable for planning future campaigns - and not just next year, especially on social media. You can start shifting whatever did not work immediately.

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Black Friday Cyber Monday is just around the corner, so it’s time to start preparing your store to make the most of them. These holidays can be highly profitable for businesses if they take the necessary steps to prepare. Implementing even a few of these suggestions can help increase traffic and sales for your business.

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If you're looking to take your business to the next level this holiday season, consider building a mobile app for your Shopify store with StoreLab. Our platform makes it easy to create and manage your app, with no coding required. So don't wait - get started today and see how StoreLab can help you succeed.

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FAQs

What is Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday?

Black Friday is one of the largest shopping events of the year, attracting a huge, varied number of shoppers looking for big deals and discounts.

It's an event that holds so much potential for small businesses as it provides them with a window to easily gain visibility and increase sales.

Cyber Monday is the Monday following Black Friday, and traditionally, is focused more on online sales opposed to in-store sales. Though, the majority of Black Friday sales occur online. The full weekend is often referred to as Black Friday Cyber Monday.

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When is Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday 2023?

Black Friday always occurs the day after Thanksgiving, a U.S. holiday.

This year, Black Friday is on Friday 24th November 2023, and Cyber Monday is on Monday 27th November 2023.

However most brands run an early access sale for their customers, often on the Wednesday or even the previous Monday. If you'd like to learn how to effectively run an early access Black Friday sale, you can do so by reading the article, 4 Shopify Black Friday Ideas for Small Businesses + Tips.

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