Are you an e-commerce business owner? Then, we’re sure you’re looking forward to this day: Friday, November 26th. It’s Black Friday, baby!

This is one of the most exciting dates on the calendar for anyone working in online retail. But if you want to make the most of this coming Black Friday, you’ve got to know a few tricks.

For example, what are the most successful Black Friday deals that get people queuing for hours? And what tactics should you use to boost your sales?

To get the right answers to these, and more, questions, just keep reading. And, remember to check out our Black Friday shipping guide for even more insight.

A bit of history

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane and talk a bit about the origins of Black Friday.

Black Friday started in the city of Philadelphia, way back in the 1950s. The day after Thanksgiving, Philly’s citizens would literally storm the entire city for some en-masse shopping. The local police forces began to call this day “Black Friday” in reference to the huge chaos, traffic, and even shoplifting that were going on during this day.

It wasn’t until the 1980s, though, that the expression started being used by retailers in a positive, enticing way. When the retail world brought this term back in, it was actually referring to “being in the black”, following a year of “being in the red” (generating poor revenues).

The choice of offering awesome, unmissable deals to turn this day into an even bigger money-making event soon followed and continues to this day. With the advent of the digital age, Black Friday gradually and increasingly moved from physical stores to online shopping.

While Black Friday tends to be particularly loved by tech-heads, it’s also true that today online shoppers can find pretty much anything they want at hugely discounted prices.

In recent years, Black Friday has started to merge with Cyber Monday (the following Monday on the calendar, which this year coincides with November 29th). This has well and truly created a full-on weekend of intense online shopping, which is more and more appreciated by people looking for great Christmas presents at bargain prices.

The most loved Black Friday products

If you need some inspiration on which products online shoppers drool over on Black Friday, it’s worth taking a look at some of the most awesome deals of recent years.

In 2019, for example, consumers went head over heels for Amazon Echo Dot. This small smart speaker became so affordable that it practically sold itself. You can use it in a myriad ways, including to call, play music, shop online, set a timer, and control any other smart home devices that you own.

The Instant Pot Duo was also a winner, that year. With this clever little piece of cooking equipment, wannabe-chefs can whip up anything from healthy soups and yogurts to meat dishes and much more.

But if you thought that tech and appliances were the only things that people want on Black Friday, then you should think again. In 2019, items like bedding and socks were amongst the most-loved products for millions of online shoppers.

Beyond tangible objects, people in 2019 chose to grab other types of bargains, on Black Friday: online streaming memberships, like Hulu and Disney Plus, literally boomed.

And what about last year, when the entire world was still at a standstill during an unexpectedly long global pandemic? Online shoppers seemed to be very much focused on their well-being, as well as on making their homes a lot cosier and more comfortable. We guess it makes sense, given the amount of time we were all forced to spend indoors!

Dyson vacuum cleaners, Our Place multi-use Always pans, and Gravity blankets were among what online shoppers loved the most in 2020. Smart home products were also incredibly popular – because a home needs to be cosy, yes, but it also needs to be secure and protected.

In terms of self-care and self-improvement, the Masterclass membership was another huge hit last year. Their buy “one, get one free” deal spurred lots of people to sign up for these inspiring, celeb-led classes on a huge range of topics – spanning food, fitness, sports, business, and more.

So, what is likely to attract people this Black Friday? Looking at data from the past couple of years – and particularly from last year – it seems reasonable to expect online shoppers to still look for deals on smart home products, self-care and self-improvement services, and home appliances.

But how, exactly, are e-commerce retailers going to attract people to their online stores in the weeks and days leading up to the big event? Let’s find out.

Wanna sell more on Black Friday? Do this!

Amazon, Walmart, Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s: what do these companies have in common, besides being giants in the retailer space? They offer super-effective and successful Black Friday deals.

And, if you want to delight and attract your customers with jaw-droppingly great offers, then it’s a good idea to take a look at what approach they adopt. Of course, you might not be able to follow their tactics to a T, especially if you operate a much smaller online store.

But it can help to get some inspiration and, why not, even aspire to compete with them this coming Black Friday!

Choose the right discount percentage

On Black Friday, numbers play a big role. One of the very first few features of your products that online shoppers see, in fact, comes in the form of a big, fat percentage reduction. How fat are we talking?

Well, if you want to follow Macy’s example, you should look at offering items that are at least 50% off their original price. Kohl’s uses the same approach, with average discounts of 52%. Target, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to move past the 30% mark, with the best deals to be found in the apparel, toys, and appliances departments.

So, if you want your customers to be genuinely attracted to your items this Black Friday, we recommend offering deals at no less than 25 or 30% off. Anything below this range, in fact, might not be appealing enough to drive waves of online shoppers to your e-commerce store.

Crazy about bundles

If you want to step your Black Friday game up a notch, then you need to throw in a few more elements beyond pure cost reduction. Bundles, for example, are a fantastic idea.

For example, let’s imagine that you are an online retailer of healthy foods and beverages. Besides just applying discounts to individual products, why not group a few of them together and offer them as a special bundle?

You might want to craft a box for the weight-watching shopper, one for the vegan shopper, one for the protein-obsessed shopper, and so on.

Bundles really work in any industry and with any products. You just need to put some creative thinking into it, and you’ll be able to come up with great ideas that your customers will love this Black Friday.

Buy less, get more

No, we haven’t gone completely crazy – we are just talking about the “buy one, get one free” selling tactic that many brands are using on Black Friday.

We already mentioned how successful Masterclass’ “buy one, get one free” deal was. Why not use that as an inspiration to craft some bundles that are relevant to your product niche?

Take a look at your online catalog. Is there anything that your customers seem to be particularly keen on? Any best-selling products? Well, that’s where you have to focus your efforts.

Pick one of these items, and include it into your “buy one, get one free” Black Friday deal. The secret? The second (free) item should be from a less known or popular range.

By purchasing a product that you know your customers love, and by offering a second, less familiar product for free, you’ll give your customers a chance to explore your entire offering and find new favorite items to buy (at full price) in the future.

Clever, right?

Free, same-day delivery? Yes, please!

Last but not least, shipping and delivery tactics are just as important as the other ones that we’ve mentioned so far.

Imagine the utter disbelief – and annoyance – of you customers who, after being attracted by great discounts, product bundles, and more, are now finding out they have to pay loads for delivery!

Nobody wants that to happen, and especially not on Black Friday.

Follow the example set by giants like Amazon and Walmart, who keep delighting online shoppers with free, same-day delivery, as well as ultra-convenient curbside pickup options.

Ready to skyrocket your sales this Black Friday?

If you are serious about boosting your sales this coming Black Friday, the tips in our article can help. And, remember to check out our Black Friday shipping guide too.

At OGOship, we can help your e-commerce store fulfill its orders and ship fast and cost-effectively even when the sales hurdle is at its peak. 

Black Friday, and the following holiday season, is a true stress-test for e-commerce order fulfillment and supply chain. Make sure you are not leaving money on the table: get your order fulfillment and logistics chain streamlined.

Contact us today to find out more!

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