Gone are the days when Black Friday was a one-day affair. It has now evolved into a month-long event, providing small businesses ample opportunities to maximise revenue and customer engagement. The expansion of Black Friday into an entire month, often termed ‘Black November,’ poses a new set of challenges and possibilities. This comprehensive guide will explore the strategies that small businesses – both online and offline – can adopt to navigate this month-long shopping extravaganza.

1. Phased Market Research & Continuous Analysis

Online Businesses:

• Ongoing Data Collection: Tools like Google Analytics can help you keep a pulse on customer behaviour throughout the month. Ensuring your email data is cleansed and primed is also very important. Run email campaigns to warm your database and segment properly according to user preferences.
• Competitive Scouting: Watch competitors’ weekly offers and adjust your strategies accordingly. You can split your campaigns into proactive vs reactive campaigns. Users shop for Black Friday deals with multiple tabs open during Black Friday month, so stay competitive.

Offline Businesses:

• Extended Customer Feedback: Conduct short, periodic surveys throughout November to gauge ongoing customer preferences.
• Week-by-Week Traffic Patterns: Analyse foot traffic data for each week to make real-time adjustments.
• Data Collection: There is no reason why you can’t collect cell numbers & email addresses via a loyalty system or at point-of-sale promotions. Make it streamlined and effortless in the months leading up to Black Friday and simplify the checkout flow as you get closer to crunch time where you can utilise the data to promote your deals.

2. Dynamic Inventory Management & Payments

Online:

• Real-Time Stock Monitoring: Tools like Shopify’s advanced inventory management features are crucial for a month-long event.
• Flexible Fulfilment: Maintain strong relationships with multiple fulfilment partners to pivot when necessary.
• Flexible Payment Options: Make sure you offer various payment methods including BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) so that users can choose the best option for them. Having backup gateways enabled also allows you to switch if any gateways have issues during Black Friday campaigns.

Offline:

• Periodic Inventory Updates: Your POS system should allow for weekly inventory checks.
• Rotating Merchandise Displays: Keep the store looking fresh by rotating displays based on what’s selling.
• Holding Out: Consider that some consumers tend to hold out towards the end of Black November to shop the best deals and it’s a balancing act to keep pace with these demands and not end up with left-over stock. Do what’s right for you, but keep a finger on the pulse to what your consumers want.

3. Pulsed Marketing and Rolling Promotions

Online:

• Staggered Email Campaigns: Execute targeted email campaigns released at strategic intervals. Build anticipation. Work in urgency via ‘limited time offers’ or ‘last chance to shop the deal’ communications.
• Rotating Ad Focus: Shift your PPC (Google Ads) ad focus to different products or services each week.
• Split-test: Split-test your Black Friday ads and emails and build on previous years’ learnings.

Offline:

• Weekly Local Media Plugs: Keep the community engaged with weekly announcements in local media.
• Dynamic In-store Promotions: Use time-sensitive offers to incentivise repeat visits throughout the month.
• Use Online to Complement: Just because you have an offline retail presence doesn’t mean you can’t use digital to complement your campaigns. In fact, it’s essential to promote on your website, in your social channels, WhatsApp, SMS or to your Email List.

4. Agile Website and Storefront Adaptations

Online:

• Iterative Website Updates: Make regular, data-driven changes to optimise user experience.
• Simple UX/UI: Don’t depart completely from what regular users understand the typical e-commerce process to be. If you confuse users, you’ll lose sales. In fact, we’d sometimes recommend switching off some of the bells & whistles and dumbing down your e-commerce purchasing process to maximise conversion.
• Mobile Readiness: Ensure that your site remains mobile-optimised amid all the changes.
• Server Management: You might think your server going down during a campaign is an indication of success, but you’ll lose out on many sales if that happens. The beauty of stretching out your campaigns over Black November is that you don’t overload it on Black Friday alone. Make sure you switch off non-essential functionality to improve server performance too.

Offline:

• Flexible Signage: Use modular signage that can be easily updated for different promotions.
• Streamlined Checkout Process: Evaluate and tweak the checkout experience based on weekly customer feedback.

5. Resilient Customer Service

Online:

• Chatbot and Live Chat Hybrid: Use AI chatbots for common queries and live agents for complex issues.
• Dynamic FAQ Updates: Regularly update your FAQ section based on trending customer queries.
• Store Notices: Keep store notices simple and explain shipping specials (like free shipping over R500) clearly.

Offline:

• Empowered Staff: Equip staff with handheld devices for real-time inventory checks and faster customer service.
• Guided Shopping Experience: Use signage and floor markers to streamline the customer journey in the store.

6. Incremental Post-Campaign Analysis

Once November ends, the work isn’t over. Break down your data by week to identify peaks and troughs in customer engagement and sales. This granular analysis will significantly inform your strategy for the next Black November.

Final Thoughts

Black November extends the traditional Black Friday into a month of revenue-generating opportunities. By adopting a dynamic, responsive, and resilient approach, small businesses can navigate the challenges and reap the rewards of this expanded shopping season.

Need help in planning your Black Friday campaigns? Talk to an expert.