Ready for Shopify Black Friday 2024? 20 Tips for Your Store

With shopping being an all-time necessity, smart businesses often gear up to take advantage of major events like Shopify Black Friday. It's one of the year's biggest shopping days, after all!

And if you're not sure how to get your store ready — or why it's such a huge opportunity in the first place — don't worry; we've got you covered. In this article, we'll walk you through:

• An overview of Shopify Black Friday
• 20 tips to prepare your store
• Whether Shopify offers any Black Friday deals for merchants

Without further ado, let's get started!

Shopify Black Friday: An Overview

If you are a seasoned seller, then you must be already familiar with Shopify Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But for those still new to the industry, it's totally normal to feel a bit lost on why they matter so much. Don't sweat it; we're here to clear it up for you:

What is Shopify Black Friday?

Black Friday refers to the big shopping event that kicks off the day after Thanksgiving, which signals the start of the holiday shopping season. It's a golden opportunity for eCommerce businesses to draw in customers with special promotions, discounts, exclusive programs, and more.

And as the leading eCommerce solution, Shopify takes center stage on this important day. It provides the platform for thousands of online merchants to get ready for the rush and turn the surge in traffic into major sales.

Why preparing for Black Friday

As mentioned in our Shopify review, we all know Shopify reigns as the top eCommerce platform (you can also check out other best eCommerce platforms here). At the same time, Black Friday is the biggest shopping frenzy of the year. These two reasons alone are more than enough to explain why businesses are racing to cash in on this golden opportunity.

As seen in the chart above, the numbers from Shopify Black Friday 2023 say it all. Shopify merchants shattered records with $9.3 billion in sales — a dramatic 24% surge from 2022 ($7.3 billion)! More than 61 million shoppers worldwide flocked to Shopify-powered brands, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some more standout stats:

• Shoppers spent an average of $108.12 per cart.
• Cross-border orders made up 15% of all global sales.
• Shop Pay usage skyrocketed, with a 60% increase in sales made through the platform year-over-year.
• Over 17,500 entrepreneurs made their very first sale on Shopify.

And if that wasn't impressive enough, more than 55,000 merchants celebrated their highest-selling day ever.
Even more shocking is that Shopify's infrastructure handled 967,000 requests per second during the rush. (That's an insane 58 million requests per minute!). You can check out even more impressive stats here. If these numbers do not tell you about Shopify's Black Friday success, it's hard to imagine what else would.

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Shopify Black Friday Checklist: 20 Tips for Your Store

As you can see, Shopify Black Friday can be a huge win for your business. But real success only comes if you're fully prepared, so don't let this golden chance pass you by! To help you get ready for Black Friday, we have gathered some powerful tips as follows:

Before Shopify Black Friday

Needless to say, you shouldn't expect to start selling on the big day without any prep work. A successful Shopify Black Friday campaign takes careful planning and strategy, often starting weeks or even months in advance! Of course, it's impossible to cover every detail of this process in just one section, but we hope the tips below will set you on the right path:

Organize your upcoming sales

First of all, you definitely need to set the store up for a smooth, stress-free event where you can make the most of the busy season. That way, there's no need to scramble to restock sold-out items or deal with confused staff when the big day comes. Instead, you can focus your best on keeping customers happy and driving all the big sales numbers!

To ensure you're fully prepared, check out some of these practical tips:

• Running out of popular items is a surefire way to lose customers, so make sure you order your bestsellers in bulk and coordinate with suppliers early. You'll be ready for the rush, and your shelves will stay full when it matters most.
• BFCM can put a lot of pressure on your logistics. Hence, don't forget to double-check that your suppliers, shipping partners, and fulfillment processes are ready to handle the influx.
• Always have a backup plan (plan B) in case of stock issues, website crashes, or other unexpected problems. Also, you need to confirm everyone on your team knows their role and is equipped to handle the busy days ahead.
• Most importantly, don't reinvent the wheel! Look at last year's performance and pinpoint what worked and what didn't. From there, adjust your strategy accordingly based on real results to give yourself a head start this year.

Create a hard-to-resist BFCM offer

To deliver a successful Shopify BFCM sales offer, one cannot just slap on a discount and hope for the best. You need to make it compelling enough to stop customers in their tracks – something that gets them excited and ready to buy right away! Only then can you capture their attention and stand out in a very crowded, competitive marketplace.

Here's how you can create offers that customers can't resist:

• People love free shipping almost as much as they love discounts. When you pair a price cut with free shipping, you're making the deal even sweeter — and more likely to lead to a purchase.
• Encourage bigger orders by offering larger discounts as customers spend more. It's one of the easiest ways to increase your average order value while still giving customers a great deal.
• Offer a discounted bundle of related products that go well together. The strategy is a win-win: you move more inventory, and the customer feels like they're getting extra value.
• Short, time-limited flash sales build urgency and drive customers to make quick decisions. Remember to announce them in advance (preferably about 1 month ahead) so people are ready to jump on the deal when the clock starts ticking.

• Sweeten the deal with something extra, such as free gift wrapping or access to future sales. Small as they are, these little perks can make a big difference and set your offer miles apart from all the other discounts out there.

Leverage data for promotion

As we briefly mentioned above, you should never rely on guesswork when deciding what products to promote during BFCM Black Friday. Instead, let data guide you! The sales trend and customer behavior will give you a clear picture of which products are likely to fly off the shelves and which might need a little push.

Some effective ways to make data work for you:

• Your top-selling items from previous months or last year's BFCM are proven winners. Remember to feature them prominently in your marketing and discounts to drive repeat success.
• Use the BFCM sale excitement to discount and sell off older or slower-moving inventory. This approach will help you clean up your stockroom and free up space for new products in the new year.
• And we strongly recommend tailoring your promotions to different customer segments! For instance, loyal customers might get early access or bigger discounts, while first-time buyers could be tempted with amazing introductory deals.

Planning your email marketing campaigns early

Despite the constant release of new marketing tools over the years, email remains one of the most powerful ways to generate buzz and sales during BFCM.

Nevertheless, timing and personalization are everything. Waiting until the last minute means you will miss out on big opportunities to build anticipation and keep your brand on top of people's minds:

• Send out teaser emails 2-3 weeks before BFCM, giving exciting sneak peeks of what's coming (e.g., tease discounts or build some anticipation).
• Not all customers are the same, so why should your emails be? Segment your audience by behavior, preferences, and purchase history to deliver personalized offers that resonate with each group.
• Incorporate countdown timers in your emails to generate a sense of urgency. When customers know they have limited time to act, they're very likely to make a purchase.
• Tired of all the manual effort? Automation is the key. You can set up email sequences (reminders, abandoned cart follow-ups, etc.) that hit customers' inboxes at just the right time without constant interference.

Planning for a long sales period

One of the biggest beginner mistakes is to assume Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday is a one-day event. In fact, more and more big brands are stretching their sales over several days — or even weeks —to increase the overall sales window. Not to mention, a longer sales period also takes the pressure off your team and allows for more marketing touchpoints.

Consider these tips to maximize all the potential of a longer BFCM season:

• Give your most loyal customers (VIPs) early access to your best deal. These special treatments will very likely encourage them to shop early before the general sale begins.
• Instead of offering the biggest discounts right away, why not start with smaller discounts? You can ramp them up as the sales period progresses to keep customers coming back for more.
• Don't forget to change up your offers each day. Promoting different product categories or featuring flash sales (for a limited time), for instance, can easily keep customers excited.

Double down on your best sales channels

Contrary to some popular belief, you don't need to spread yourself too thin during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Instead, the point here is to work smarter, not just harder. You should identify the platforms that consistently bring you the most sales (social media, influencer partnerships, or email marketing) and double down on them:

• Run tests on your ads and emails in the weeks leading up to BFCM to figure out what's working best. That way, you'll be able to fire on all cylinders when the D-day comes.
• Once you know which platforms are bringing in the best results, don't be afraid to put more money behind them. When you invest more in what's already working, you maximize your ROI during the most important sales period of the year.
• Team up with influencers who fit your brand's vibe to get in front of new audiences. You can even give them special discount codes to share with their followers.
• Last but definitely not least, keep your branding, messaging, and promotions in sync across ALL channels. A consistent look and feel not only builds trust but also makes your brand instantly recognizable – no matter where your customers see it.

Retarget previous customers and visitors

Another important tip to keep in mind: Shopify Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to win back customers who showed interest in your products but didn't pull the trigger!

These customers are already familiar with your brand, so you're not starting from scratch. All you need to do is give them a little nudge, and you'll see them come back ready to shop.

Let us show you how to reel them in:

• One of the easiest ways to bring back potential customers is through cart abandonment emails. A quick reminder, paired with a limited-time offer, usually pushes them to complete their purchase.
• Sometimes, customers just need a reminder of the great products they were looking at. Use dynamic ads to showcase items they viewed recently and keep those products top of mind.
• Free shipping can be an amazing game-changer for customers sitting on the fence. Why not promote it in your retargeting ads to give them that extra incentive to finalize their order?
• Aside from retargeting, you may consider using lookalike audiences — new shoppers who share similar characteristics with your current customers. It's an incredibly convenient way to reach fresh leads who are likely to be interested in your products.

Update your homepage with seasonal creative

In most cases, the homepage is the first thing customers see; you will want to make sure it reflects the festive, high-energy vibe of the season. Use it to grab their attention with seasonal banners, holiday-themed imagery, and strong calls-to-action (CTAs) that guide them straight to your best deals:

• Make sure you have created clear paths to product categories, sales, checkout, and other homepage sections. The easier you make it for customers to find what they're looking for, the more likely they are to buy. Keep your homepage fresh by changing your banners throughout the sale. Also, highlight different promotions or flash sales to keep customers coming back to see what's new.
• During Shopify Black Friday, always use heat mapping tools to see where visitors are clicking on your homepage. From there, you can figure out where to place your best offers and ensure they're getting maximum visibility.

Set your strategy for holiday shipping

Since it's the holiday, customers clearly expect fast, reliable (and often free) shipping. If your shipping options don't meet their expectations, they're likely to abandon their carts and look elsewhere!

Here's how to nail your shipping strategy:

• Make it crystal clear what your shipping options are — whether it's free shipping, expedited options, or delivery cut-off dates. Display these details prominently on your site so customers know exactly what to expect.
• Regular updates and delivery estimates help reduce customer service inquiries (meaning less work for you during the busy seasons). So don't forget to keep your customers informed about their order status with automated emails.
• Do you know that some last-minute shoppers are willing to pay more to get their orders fast? Make sure you offer expedited shipping for those customers who need their purchases in a hurry.
• Very important: Be transparent about any potential delays due to the high-volume holiday season. When setting realistic expectations, you're much less likely to face negative reviews or complaints from frustrated customers.

Assess the site's mobile-friendliness

According to Shopify Black Friday stats for 2023, over 70% of transactions happened on mobile devices. Simply put, if your site isn't optimized for smartphones, you're basically leaving money on the table! Always make sure it loads quickly, feels easy to navigate, and offers a smooth checkout experience:

• Before launching, test the entire customer journey on various mobile devices – from product browsing to checkout – to confirm everything works smoothly.
• Since mobile shoppers value convenience, you should reduce the number of steps in your checkout process. Another great approach is to provide guest checkout or mobile payment options like Apple Pay or Google Pay.
• The menu should be kept clean with large buttons, clear categories, and few to zero pop-ups. If possible, implement a PWA (progressive web app) to give your mobile site an app-like feel.

Optimize fulfillment and order workflows

We all know that Shopify Black Friday is an extremely hectic period. If you don't have a solid system in place, irreversible delays and mistakes could really harm your business during one of the biggest shopping days of the year!

Let's have a quick look at some tips to make sure your workflows are properly optimized:

• To cut down on human errors and speed up fulfillment, try to automate repetitive tasks if possible. There are plenty of tools to help you manage routing orders, updating inventory, printing shipping labels, and more.
• A barcode scanning system is highly recommended, especially when your team is rushing to fulfill a flood of orders during the Black Friday rush. It ensures the products are picked, packed, and shipped to the right customers.
• Instead of processing orders one by one, group similar orders together based on product type, shipping method, or destination. That way, your team can reduce significant time spent moving around the warehouse and handling each order.
• Some orders may have faster shipping deadlines or higher values. Therefore, you should set up clear rules to prioritize such orders and ensure your most important customers have a pleasant, bumpless experience.

Serve customers in person with a POS system

Since Shopify Black Friday deals attract shoppers both online and in-store, having a robust POS system will make a huge difference for your business! With the right setup, you'll be able to keep up with the hustle and provide excellent service to every shopper who walks through your door:

• Make sure that your inventory stays up-to-date in real time. Simply put, what customers see online must be the same as what's available in-store. Otherwise, you will end up disappointing shoppers with incorrect stock information.
• For customers who want to get their purchases faster, local pickup and curbside delivery are great options. It's a win-win situation: customers receive their items on time, while you can take some pressure off your shipping process.
• Most POS systems gain you access to a broad range of customer data, from purchase history down to their niche preferences. You should use this to create better, more personalized recommendations or promotions that cater well to each shopper.

During Black Friday

If you have crushed the preparation stage discussed above, then you're on track for a successful Shopify Black Friday! But to really make sure everything goes off without a hitch, here are a few more tips to help you nail it:

Use Buy Now, Pay Later to Increase Conversion

Although Black Friday shoppers are on the hunt for deals, a killer offer sometimes isn't enough to close the sale. Enter Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), which lets customers split their payments over time and make it easier for them to say “yes” to bigger purchases:

• Shoppers obviously won't use the BNPL option if they don't even see it in the first place. Therefore, you should make it impossible to miss! We suggest placing it front and center on your product pages or right near the price.
• If your BNPL provider offers interest-free installments, make sure that part is clearly highlighted. A zero-interest option sweetens the deal for those on the fence, giving them one less reason to abandon their carts.
• Even if they didn't notice BNPL on the product page, give them one last reminder at checkout. A gentle “You can spread your payments over time” could be all it takes to get them over the finish line. After all, they've already got items in their cart, and this reminder can help seal the deal!

Leverage chatbots for conversion

Usually, Shopify Black Friday means one thing: your website is going to be buzzing with activity. But with all that traffic, how do you make sure every potential customer gets the attention they need?

That's where chatbots come in! These digital helpers can guide customers through their shopping experience, answering questions, making product recommendations, and even giving a little nudge when someone's about to bounce.

• Don't just sit back and wait for customers to ask questions. If someone's been browsing for a while, let the chatbot jump in with a message like, “Need help choosing? Let me know!”
• Black Friday shopping doesn't just happen on your site. Customers are scrolling through social feeds, too, so bring your chatbot onto platforms like Facebook Messenger or Instagram. That way, you're ready to assist them wherever they are and keep the buying journey uninterrupted.
• On Black Friday, shoppers are always in a rush to grab the best deals. Hence, your chatbot should be lightning-fast and provide instant answers to prevent frustration. The quicker your chatbot can resolve queries, the sooner customers will hit “buy.”
• After a customer interacts with your chatbot, send them a little nudge a few hours later. “Still thinking about that jacket? It's selling fast — don't miss out!” This little personalized reminder shows customers that you're paying attention, and it can actually push them to complete the purchase (if they haven't already done so).

Provide instant and thorough customer support

Having a fast, reliable chatbot is helpful, but it's just the beginning. What really makes or breaks customer loyalty is the quality of your direct support. Get that right, and customers will stick around; get it wrong, and they'll head straight to your competitors!

Of course, speed is crucial, but so is the personal touch. Customers who feel valued are more likely to complete their purchase and become repeat buyers, after all:

• Train your customer support team to deal with common issues quickly while still adding a personal touch. Also, remember to offer support across multiple channels (live chat, email, phone, etc.) to ensure customers can get help where and when they need it.
• Again, automation can be your life-saver here. If someone has a shipping issue, for instance, your system can direct them to the appropriate agent without wasting time. Customers won't be left waiting for hours in frustration!
• Aside from direct support, you should also anticipate customer concerns beforehand and offer a thorough FAQ section. Since anyone can find answers to common questions on their own, it will save time for both you and your current/ future customers.

Monitor real-time analytics

Black Friday is a whirlwind, but there's one thing that can keep you grounded: your analytics. They give you all the necessary insights to adapt on the fly, whether adjusting an underperforming campaign or doubling down on best-sellers:

• Watch your traffic in real-time to see what's working and what's not. If a promotion is driving tons of traffic but few sales, it's time to adjust. On the flip side, if something's converting fast, consider amplifying it with extra marketing efforts to capitalize on the momentum.
• Analytics will also show you which product pages are gaining more popularity. When certain items are flying off the shelves, you might want to feature them more prominently or add complementary products to increase the basket size.
• A high cart abandonment rate can kill your Black Friday buzz; assess the data to figure out where customers are dropping off. Maybe the shipping cost is too high, or the checkout form is too complicated. Fix these pain points as soon as possible, and you'll likely see a jump in completed purchases.

After Black Friday

The big day may be behind you, but your business journey is far from over! To keep the momentum going and ensure your store keeps growing (at least until the next Shopify Black Friday rolls around), here are some tips to keep in mind:

Offer easy returns

No matter how well-planned your strategy is, returns are inevitable after Black Friday. However, how you handle them is what matters the most here; people are much more likely to trust and buy from you again if returning a product is painless. Plus, it also shows customers you truly care about their experience – even after they've already hit “purchase”:

• Nobody likes digging through pages to understand a return policy, so keep it simple, clear, and right in front of your customers. They should know at a glance how long they have to return an item and what condition it needs to be in.
• One of the biggest pain points for returns is shipping costs. Hence, it would be best if you could offer low-cost (or even free) return shipping. Show your customers their satisfaction is more important to you than squeezing every last penny!
• Just because someone returns an item doesn't mean they won't buy from you again. Offer a little sweetener, like a discount on their next purchase, to encourage them to come back.

Turn seasonal buyers into year-round shoppers

Although Black Friday brings in the crowds, your real goal should be to keep those customers around long after the sale ends. The key is to go past the initial purchase and create a connection that keeps them coming back, again and again:

• Don't let the relationship end with the purchase. Send a follow-up email thanking them for shopping with you, and throw in some personalized recommendations based on what they bought.
• People love feeling special, so reward your Black Friday shoppers with exclusive discounts or sneak peeks at new products. This sense of exclusivity often makes customers feel valued and encourages them to return for more.
• Social media is a fantastic tool to keep your seasonal shoppers engaged long after Black Friday is over! Encourage them to follow you for fun content, behind-the-scenes peeks, or future deals. You can even create a vibrant online community to make it easy for customers to stay connected.
• If you sell products that lend themselves to repeat purchases, consider offering a subscription service. That way, your customers can stick around without any extra effort – a win-win for everyone involved!

Is There A Shopify Black Friday Deal for Merchants?

Our team has just discussed how to prepare your business for Black Friday. Now, here's another question we get asked often: Does Shopify throw out special deals for store owners during the big event?

Well, the answer is no. But don't let that throw you off! Shopify always offers an annual plan that can save you a solid 25% compared to monthly (you can check out our Shopify pricing review here).

Plus, as already mentioned, your Black Friday planning must start weeks (if not months) ahead of time. That's why no smart business would wait until Black Friday just to grab a discount on Shopify; it could actually hurt their chances of success!

Shopify Black Friday: FAQs

Final Words

As you can see, Shopify Black Friday is a huge goldmine that could totally skyrocket your business profits. So, if your store is on another platform and you are now ready to make the switch, don't sweat it; LitExtension has your back. With 12+ years of experience and over 300,000 successful store migrations, we will make sure your transition to Shopify is as seamless as ever!

For more information, check out our Shopify guides and join our Facebook Community.