[NB] Get your online store ready for Black Friday and the festive season!

Black Friday, which takes place on the last Friday in November, has become very well established among Norwegian online stores and other retailers. Black Friday has increasingly become Black Week, and for many people it is the week when Christmas shopping starts.

It is expected that shopping will be somewhat calmer this year than in previous years. According to Virke, almost 50 per cent of Norwegian stores expect sales during Black Week to be lower than in 2022.

With tighter finances among many of the end customers, it becomes even more important for you as an online retailer to be well prepared, so that you get the most out of both Black Friday and the entire festive season. To help you on your way, we have put together 6 logistics tips for online stores ahead of this year’s high season.

1. Prepare your inventory for peak season

This period requires careful planning in advance, to ensure that you limit both overstocking and shortages of essential items, and also to ensure that picking in your warehouse runs smoothly.

To do this, you should ensure that your warehouse is properly labelled. Put clear signage in place that indicates where order pickers can find specific items in your warehouse area. Attach labels to shelves and racks to help them find their way around.

2. Speed up the order picking process

As the number of orders increases, so does the need to speed up the preparation of parcels in the warehouse. You should equip your employees to pack orders faster. A few tips:

• Get the right equipment. Trolleys are handy for ensuring employees can move around the warehouse quickly and efficiently. There are different types of trolleys for different needs. Lifting tro lleys are an ergonomic choice, as they can transport and lift loads to an optimal working height. Shelf trolleys are also practical, as they can accommodate many small products, allowing several smaller orders to be picked at the same time.
• Choose smart, time-saving packaging. Boxes with automatic bottoms are an example of boxes that save time, allowing employees to pack faster. You could also consider packaging with inbuilt cushioning, to limit the time spent on including packing fill and protection in the box or bag.

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• You can automate the packing process using paper or air cushion machines, saving precious minutes on each pack. Strapping machines can close packages quickly and securely.

3. Market your offers in advance

Are you planning big discounts and bargains for your customers during Black Friday/Black Week or during the festive season? Customers need to know about it so that as many people as possible will take advantage of the bargain. Here you need to develop a suitable marketing plan that takes into account how best to reach your target groups.

An important part of the preparation is to optimise your online store for Black Friday and the peak season. Make sure the ordering process is fast and efficient, that your payment solutions are the ones your customers prefer and that your pages load quickly.

Also invest in online advertising and use social media to promote your offers. You can also communicate with existing customers via email, or create VIP customer lists for ‘flash sales’ where subscribers are given priority access to your Black Friday offers.

To succeed on social media, it’s smart to stand out from the crowd. Countdowns, ‘gift guides’ to help your target audiences prepare for Christmas shopping, and competitions to attract more customers are examples of great ways to do this.

You can also showcase key products in your store in a real-life context to make them more enticing. Unboxing videos of your products (i.e. videos that show them unwrapped in attractive packaging) will help customers think about their purchases.

4. Review your delivery strategy in preparation for Black Friday and peak season

Fast and efficient delivery has become a real sales advantage, and customers value the ease and efficiency of online shopping. So preparing for Black Friday and peak season also means reviewing your delivery process and conditions.

Consider:

• Consider offering free delivery over a certain order value, to encourage your customers to increase their basket size.
• Introduce 24-hour or 48-hour delivery, if this is possible with your transport provider.
• Offer several possible delivery methods (at different prices): home delivery, pick-up point, parcel box, click-and-collect, etc.
• Highlight your environmentally responsible delivery methods. This is an interesting selling point for your customers! Contact your carrier and check out what eco-friendly delivery solutions they can offer.
• Then highlight these benefits in your online store, in the form of banners on the front page and product pages, and in both the shopping basket and checkout.

Also check if the carrier is well prepared for the festive season. Do they offer a parcel tracking system? Are they able to deliver within the agreed delivery times, even during peak season? These are factors that will make a difference for your customers.

5. Think through your returns strategy

Black Friday can be a good opportunity to review your online store’s return policy. Many of your customers may be attracted to an online store’s promotions, but some will often return items after receiving them.

Free returns can be a way to boost sales on Black Friday, but you need to clearly communicate what return conditions apply. As always, the cancellation policy applies, but if you have even better conditions than the law requires, you should communicate this clearly, as it can give you a competitive advantage.

You should also consider using returnable packaging, which will make customer returns easier for consumers and protect your goods when they are returned.

6. Build customer loyalty after Black Friday and the peak season in your online store

Making Black Friday sales on your e-commerce site is all well and good – but keeping customers loyal after the festive season is even better.

To do this, you can introduce various loyalty-building activities: subsequent promotions via your newsletter, launching a loyalty or customer programme, referral campaigns, retargeting advertising, etc.

But don’t forget the packaging, which can also make an important contribution to building loyalty. When customers receive their orders in packaging that enhances the customer experience, they will remember the order for a long time to come.

We recommend using personalised packaging with your online store’s own branding, either with your logo printed on it, or with printed packing tape or labels. You can also include an additional message on the packaging, such as a QR code offering an extra discount or another great offer.

Read more about personalised packaging here.

To summarise:

To get your online store ready for Black Friday and peak season, think about differentiating yourself, both in terms of marketing and logistics. Then you’ll be ready to welcome increased sales and build loyalty among both new and old customers.

Want more tips on effective packaging for online stores? Contact RAJA’s customer centre on 22 51 40 00 or post@rajapack.no.