While there are people who still prefer in-store shopping sprees, there are just as many (or more) who are now dedicated to online holiday shopping.
As a retailer, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday are likely on your mind — but we’re here to remind you that Cyber Monday is just as important. Follow these tips to make sure you’re fully prepared for the 2023 holiday season!
1. Make Sure Your Inventory Is Well-Stocked
Checking on your inventory is vital. If you can, use data and reporting from previous years to decide how much product you’ll need, and make sure you’re well-stocked. This deal-busting weekend will be here before you know it.
If this is your first time participating in Cyber Monday, just know that it’ll be a bit experimental. You can still use sales data to decide what’s worth stocking up on, simply based on which items move the quickest in your retail store.
There’s nothing wrong with offering a limited number of promotional products — this will create a sense of urgency for consumers and make deals feel even more exclusive. However, you don’t want to completely sell out of your biggest and most exciting discount in-store on Black Friday before people get the chance to snag it on Cyber Monday, too.
Is your POS (point of sale) system’s business reporting lacking? Our software has in depth yet easy-to-understand reporting — just schedule a live demo to see it for yourself!
2. Keep Your Online Efforts Updated
Have a website that you tend to forget about? Now’s not the time to neglect it. Check in on your content and make sure your business hours, exclusive deals, and any other relevant information regarding the 2023 holiday season is completely accurate.
Same goes for Google My Business. People go straight to Google before they even consider navigating directly to a retailer’s website. If they don’t make it to your site, make sure they can get as much accurate information as they can from your Google My Business listing. Standard business hours, adjusted holiday hours, storefront location, and phone number should all be up to date. It’s best practice to show off high-quality photos, too, which is especially important when you’ll be getting more traffic to your listing.
Last but certainly not least, social media. Those who don’t go straight to Google will likely go to Facebook. Consumers rely on Facebook to confirm a business is real, see how active they are on the platform, and stay in the loop about promotions, events, and more. Plus, Facebook users love shooting businesses their questions on Facebook Messenger, which will be another hot communication method during the holidays.
Cover your bases. Update your information, post to your channels regularly, and make sure you have someone available to answer any questions or concerns you receive online. You want to make sure you’re not leaving anyone out.
3. Improve Your Checkout Process
Let’s get back to your website. How’s the online shopping experience for your small business in the first place?
Before Cyber Monday, you’ll want to work out all the kinks. If there are bugs in your shopping cart feature or loading errors during checkout, don’t neglect them. People are already sensitive to long wait times online and will bounce after a few seconds — and this stays true during holiday shopping.
Don’t let customers jump to a competitor’s site because you avoided making vital updates to yours.
4. Offer Exclusive Online Deals
One way you can be sure to get people to join you for Cyber Monday is by offering exclusive online-only deals.
Maybe you send out a promo code for customers on your email list to use. Or, visitors who spend over $100 on your website will get free shipping anywhere in the U.S. You could even try offering a free gift with the purchase of a specific product, or include the gift when they spend a certain dollar amount, too.
The opportunities are endless. Get creative here, and try to think of ways you can make customers feel special while drawing them in to your online shop with exclusive promotions.
Is Your Retail Store Ready for Cyber Monday?
The holiday season can be a lot for small businesses, but with planning and preparation, your retail shop will be ready to take on Cyber Monday.
Still stuck on how you’re going to conquer the day? We’ve got your back! Download our free resource, The Retailers’ Guide to Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and the Holiday Season!
