8 Last-Minute Ways to Boost Sales on Black Friday & Cyber Monday

A store owner has a lot going on day to day and we know that as an entrepreneur, you have a mind full of ideas for your business...usually too many ideas to execute all at once. Although there’s always a list of things to do as a business owner, there is a major holiday coming up that you simply can’t ignore: holiday shopping.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are pivotal times for most retailers -- but we know these deadlines are approaching fast, and you may not have had time to fully plan out a perfect marketing campaign or strategically plan out your offers. Don’t panic - we have good news! If you missed our last blog, Boost Sales & Stand Out! 5 Ways to Maximize Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales, and you’re feeling late to the game, we have eight ways to boost your sales for Cyber Monday...last minute! All of these ideas are easy to execute (even on a quick turnaround) and sure to boost your sales.

1. Gift Bundles & Gift Guides

With holiday shopping in full swing, customers are always looking for “gift ideas.” Get creative and feature gift bundles or a gift guide so that your customers get excited about the products you’re offering. When you show people what’s popular and what items would make a good gift, they are able to visualize who they could buy it for. Not to mention, it takes the hard part out of holiday shopping for your customers.

2. BOGO Deals

The buy-one-get-one deal is always a customer favorite and it’s simple to put together. It’s also a great tool that can help you get rid of your slow selling inventory more quickly and maintain profitability at the same time. Shoppers love BOGO deals too because the products seem to have no extra cost and are a more valuable deal, especially when shopping for two similar people -- maybe two daughters, two friends, two nieces, etc. If executed properly, you can see higher sales, bigger orders, and better conversion rates.


3. VIP Deals

If you haven’t been able to market a wide variety of Cyber Monday sales, then specifically target your loyal customers. Send a coupon code, free gift with purchase, or small gift card in an email to your most loyal customers. Not only will this make them feel like a valued customer, but you'll be sure to gain some sales from those you know love your brand. To get a little more creative, you could even create a private Facebook event and invite your most loyal customers to shop deals before anyone else!

4. Time-Sensitive Deals

To create some urgency, Lightning Deals or Deals of the Hour are great promotions to use. It can be hard for smaller e-commerce stores to compete with big businesses like Amazon who have sales year-round, so these kind of deals help give you a competitive advantage and give your customers something to get excited about. A deal of the hour creates a sense of urgency and keeps all eyes on you! However, you have to make sure these deals aren’t like a regular deals -- these are super awesome deals. These are deals on items that almost never go on sale. They’re deals on items that are some of the most popular items of the year. And they won’t last long, so customers must buy now! If you decide to run these sales, be sure to advertise on social media and post some type of schedule for each lightning deal, or deal of the day.

5. Extending Return Periods

Customers always appreciate this, especially around the holidays. It’s a way to boost sales, because if shoppers are on the fence, but know they’ll have the opportunity to return it if needed, they’re more likely to take the chance and buy it.When shopping for gifts, people often ask: Will they like it? Will it fit them? Do they already have it? Although it may seem like a hassle, extending return policies or having a special “Holiday Return Policy” really just gives customers piece of mind during their gift shopping.

Take a look at Amazon’s holiday return policy for reference:
“Items shipped by Amazon.com between November 1 and December 31 of this year, may be returned until January 31 of the following year for a full refund, subject to our other return guidelines listed below. For more details on policies for items not shipped by Amazon.com, see Seller Returns Policies below.”

6. Free Shipping

Shipping costs are one of the huge differences between shopping online or shopping in store. Customers are almost guaranteed to buy from your business, and buy more, if there is free or discounted shipping. With this promotion you’ll just need to make sure you have clear parameters. For example, free US shipping only, free shipping for 1 day only, or free shipping on orders $50 and above.

7. Coupons at Checkout

You can always do “mystery” promotions as well -- again, as long as you advertise it in some shape or form. Revealing coupon codes at checkout is a great way to close a sale. Oftentimes, when customers are shopping online, they’ll have multiple tabs open perusing for the best deal. Majority of the time, a customer will go to look for third party coupon codes or see where they can get a better sale. Your customer has now left your site and is looking elsewhere. How do you get them to stay? Offer your coupon codes at checkout by using a pop up window. This takes very little time and could also boost your conversion rate, help with your Cost of Sale, and decrease those pesky abandonment rates.

8. Provide Additional Discounts

Don’t let the deals stop there -- keep encouraging your customers to come back. Chances are, your customers didn’t get all of their holiday shopping done in one day. After your customer makes a purchase, provide them with an additional discount code that becomes activated on 12/7 and lasts through 12/15 (or any dates you choose). Or give the customer a coupon code that is good the first week of January and promote it as a “gift to themselves” for surviving the holiday madness. Just make sure that you clearly state when the code can be used and when that particular code sale ends

BONUS: Cart Abandonment Emails

Having automated abandoned cart emails during the holiday season is critical. It’s not uncommon for e-commerce stores to see a higher than average abandoned cart rate on Cyber Monday. Customers load up their cart, but abandon their checkout process last minute to search for lower-priced options, or they get distracted and forget to complete their order. If you haven’t already, learn how to set up an automated abandoned cart email in our previous blog, How to Set up an Automated Abandoned Cart Email on Your Shopify Store.

BONUS: Ask Your Customers

Create some buzz -- and conduct a little market research at the same time -- by asking your customers what kind of promotions they would like to have on Cyber Monday. You can do this via email, or utilizing the social surveying features on Facebook and Instagram. Ask your followers what kind of deals they’d like to see, what kind of products they are interested in, or who they’ll be shopping for on Cyber Monday.

The Bottom Line

These next few weeks are only the start of an exciting shopping season. Be it Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or a Cyber Monday, one thing is for sure -- shoppers are going to be spending big money this holiday season and you can’t pass up this opportunity to gain loyal customers! However, you don’t have to do it all alone, even Santa has some help! SheCommerce will be here for you through the Holiday season and all year round. Join our Facebook group to hear from like-minded female entrepreneurs for tips, advice and support. Having a community behind you can really help during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season!

Have questions for us? Send us an email!
[email protected]