Black Friday 2023: how marketing can increase your online sales

Of course, as payment service provider we always recommend updating your integrations, optimizing your checkout and protecting your site from fraud. These are essential prerequisites for successful growth. However, on events like Black Friday, these prerequisites need to be supported by some marketing actions to reach your goals. Today, we want to talk about that.

How to increase ecommerce sales during Black Friday: 12 marketing tips 

Get comfortable, get ready to take notes, and discover the tips that our Marketing team has collected to help you make the most of the upcoming Black Friday (and all the ones that will follow).  

Let's get started! 

#1 Get creative  

Black Friday will be one of the year's highlights for your sales. Celebrating it with something unique and creative that gives visibility to your products and promotions might be worth it. For instance, how about creating a dedicated landing page to attract more visitors to your site and encourage them to buy? You could use it to present discounted products, or to provide valuable advice related to your industry to your customers. If you run a blog, you could use the landing page as a "content hub" to showcase your most relevant content (and new content created specifically for Black Friday). See what we did: our Black Friday dedicated landing page provides merchants with valuable tips to optimize their purchasing process, offering solutions tailored to their goals. 

Will you be creating additional graphics and special messages for Black Friday? Make sure they are consistently presented across all your touchpoints and communication channels, including your website, social media, newsletters, and physical banners in your store. This will help ensure that your promotional and marketing efforts are clear to both your current customers and potential ones. 

#2 Play with different offers   

Ideas abound in this case as well. For Black Friday, you could promote specific products from your catalog (for instance, your best sellers) at a special price. With enough foresight, you could also launch a limited-edition product line specifically for the craziest sales day of the year.   

The classic "buy two, get one free" always works: when the consumer is particularly inclined to make a purchase, finding two products for one price encourages them to add more items to the cart. The same applies to related products, where the second chosen item is offered at an even further discounted price. Or, for a minimum number of products purchased, consider offering the one with the lowest price for free. 
Are you looking for something that people really can’t resist? We suggest not giving up the appeal of time-limited, unbeatable offers. It is better if displayed in a dedicated and well-visible banner on your homepage! 

#3 Harness the power of email marketing  

If you've gathered a significant number of contacts over time and now have a database of diverse targets, don't miss the opportunity to send them tailored offers for Black Friday. You could use email marketing to run upselling campaigns and offer products similar to those previously purchased at advantageous costs compared to regular pricing. Or, notify your customers that the costs of products they've previously viewed on your site have been reduced. You can also "think bigger" and plan a campaign in which informative messages alternate with strictly commercial ones to educate your customers on topics of interest. This is also a way to care for your customers, pique their curiosity, and draw them into your world. 

#4 Reward loyal customers  

If they deserve it, why not? So, reward their loyalty by sending them super personalized offers based on their previous purchases or the products they've viewed on your site. You could also create exclusive promotions just for them. To win over your most loyal customers, you could give them a tasty preview by sending Black Friday discounts to their email inbox a few days (or weeks) in advance. 

#5 Make sure you get found online with the right keywords  

If your website is well-indexed on search engines, it means you've done a great job with SEO. In preparation for peak moments like Black Friday, Christmas, or Valentine's Day, you'll need to put in a bit more effort. The advice is to dedicate yourself to thorough research of strategic keywords and use them to plan relevant content aligned with what your target users are searching for online. The continuous and strategic management of a blog will significantly help you attract new visitors to the site organically. Similarly, ensure that your Black Friday dedicated landing page, as well as the main product offer and catalog pages, are perfectly optimized from an SEO perspective. 

#6 Get more visibility with SEA advertising campaigns 

SEO allows you to achieve good long-term results (in terms of visits) at meager costs. However, if you want to boost your results quickly during Black Friday, we suggest investing in SEA campaigns (Search Engine Advertising) and planning advertisements with Google Ads. A strategy that will be useful, especially if you operate in a competitive industry. 

You can create ads targeting specific audiences with precise goals, such as lead generation, increasing website traffic, or boosting your sales. Your Black Friday promotions will gain greater visibility (as paid ads are more prominent than organically ranked content), and, most importantly, they will do so quickly. This is ideally suited for a short-term event like Black Friday. 

#7 Leverage on your social media channels 

Do you want to give visibility to the products you'll be offering while benefitting from an easy and quick interaction with users who want more information? Then, you already know which channels to focus on. In addition, social media are particularly suitable for creating a sense of "anticipation." So, have fun planning creative and "mysterious" posts a few weeks in advance (including a countdown until Black Friday or the start of the offers) to pique your audience's curiosity about your initiatives and promotions. And, of course, take advantage of the many opportunities available to companies looking to invest in advertising campaigns and sponsored posts. 

Furthermore, if you use Facebook and Instagram shops, don't miss the chance to create an online storefront dedicated to your Black Friday discounted products. While browsing on these social platforms, users can view prices and product descriptions. The direct link to your website from the product page on the social shop will enable them to proceed quickly with their purchases. 

#8 Be kind... Give something!  

Do you want to give your customers an additional incentive to shop on your site and also return in the future? Give them something! In addition to offering discounts and promotions, you could consider the idea of a small (and valuable) gift when they reach a certain spending threshold. Another idea is to provide them with a gift card for their future purchases. One thing customers will undoubtedly appreciate is free shipping; high shipping costs are often one of the leading causes of cart abandonment.  

By increasing your sales, you can easily offset shipping costs. For instance, you could offer free shipping within your national borders. Or, if you also sell abroad, you could offer it for cross-border shipments when a certain spending threshold is reached.  

Free shipping will make a difference for your customers and incentivize them to increase the number of products in their cart, thus increasing the average order value. 

#9 Extend the Black Friday effect  

To enjoy the lasting impact of Black Friday and build a higher number of loyal customers, extend your promotional efforts for a few more days (or weeks). Keep in mind that Black Friday falls precisely one month before Christmas, a period when consumers are generally more inclined to buy.  

You could extend discounts for specific product categories or offer customers who have already made a purchase a coupon to use in the ten days following Black Friday. Moreover, as a nice surprise, inform all the users who have shown interest in a specific product but still need to complete the purchase that it will be on sale for a few more days. A kind gesture that your consumers will surely appreciate? Contact your bigger spenders and ask them if they are satisfied and what you can do to improve. It's a way to get to know them better, make them feel their opinion matters, and gain their trust. If they're happy, they'll come back! 

#10 “Chase” your users and follow up on abandoned carts  

We've mentioned this several times: there can be various reasons why customers abandon their carts. No matter how well you prepare your site for Black Friday, there will always be some users who give up their purchase just before the final click. However, this doesn't mean you can't try to "recover" lost customers. A follow-up action inviting them to reconsider what they had placed in their cart is essential. In this regard, we'll reveal a little secret: Second Chance emails we provide to our merchants are one of the most effective tools for recovering abandoned carts and increasing conversions. They are personalized reminders sent automatically to customers to remind them that their cart on your site awaits them. 

#11 Inform customers about your return policy  

Returns management is one of the most challenging aspects for the merchant. Getting ready for Black Friday also means handling this sensitive issue properly. First and foremost, your customers should clearly understand your returns policy. They should have easy access to this information, such as in a dedicated section on your site or on some main pages (e.g., the catalog and checkout pages). This way, they will feel more at ease making their purchases. For Black Friday, you could facilitate them by offering free returns for products they wish to exchange. 

#12 Boost your customer service  

Customer service is key at any time of the year and for any business. However, in moments like Black Friday, you should expect a significant increase in customer questions. They may contact your support service for more information about products of interest or after purchasing, especially if something goes wrong. Your customer service should handle all requests promptly, resolving any issues quickly and efficiently. Moreover, given the extra workload, more courtesy and patience will be necessary: prepare your team and never stop training them to handle your business's "hot" moments effectively. It will be worth it: a satisfied customer is your best calling card. 

Warm up your engines for Black Friday 2023 with MultiSafepay!  

We hope this brief guide on increasing your ecommerce sales has inspired you to take your next steps. But that's not all. Check out our dedicated Black Friday landing page to get all the latest insights on the perfect customer journey and achieve better results! 

I want to sell more on Black Friday