Black Friday 2019 is fast approaching, here are 12 things you can do right now to prep for the biggest sales event on the planet.

Statistics don’t lie; Black Friday and Cyber Monday draw in some of the biggest sales retailers see year-round. And every year, the trend keeps increasing.

Blackfriday.com an online portal that tracks the end-of-year sales event predicts that online shoppers will spend more than $12 billion shopping online this Black Friday 2019.

Black Friday 2019 will see shoppers spend more than$12 billion.

E-commerce stores must get ready to fully take advantage of the profit opportunities Black Friday, Cyber Monday and other holiday shopping.

Shoppers love to see a good deal advertisement. And what more do they like? A good deal during the holiday season.

E-commerce stores are taking over from traditional physical stores. The takeover is mostly due to the rise of technology and the internet.

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These days, it is more common for shoppers to opt-out of the stress of visiting a packed shopping establishment, and instead, sit in the comfort of their homes. The stores are simply a URL address away, and the items are a click away.

So, how can E-comm stores maximise the profits they make during the holidays?

Here 12 things you can do to prepare your eCommerce store for Black Friday 2019

Do Proper Research

The first thing merchants must do is dig into past sales records and analyse the products that sold best, and other traffic information.

Knowing which products are more likely to attract more attention will help you properly organise the layout of your products. If product A sold six times more than product B, it is necessary to place it at the top of the page to ensure buyers get a good look at it.

Start Early

Most shoppers start their shopping early, to avoid the holiday rush. That said, it is best to begin advertising your sales soon enough, August sounds reasonable enough.

If your sales adverts have been running for long enough, it is bound to make a lasting impression with your buyers. Even the ones who save all their shopping till last minute would have seen your ads continuously for at least two months before they make their purchase.

Starting early also ensures your customers know that you have some pretty sweet deals they could take advantage of. Also, your competitors haven’t put their sales out yet, so customers have little to compare your prices.

Make Sure Your Site is Ready

A lot of stores suffer from a website crash a few minutes after they open their sites to hungry shoppers. Mostly because the website is not ready for a large number of visitors.

The first thing you must do as an E-commerce merchant is to ensure your servers can host substantial traffic.

Create an App

Creating an app for your online store is a necessity in 2019. Even as online sales hit an all-time high, users still prefer to have the most comfortable possible means of shopping.

For example, rather than sit at a desk to shop on a laptop, they would prefer to be able to access the stores from a mobile smartphone.

E-comm stores must be ready to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of the internet-age. And things change every day. When a year ago, it was acceptable to have a website shoppers could explore on, today, there must be an app for ease of transaction.

If you do not have an app for your online store, you might be at a loss this holiday shopping season.

Prepare your E-comm Store

Web design and layout is as important as knowing statistics and sales history.

With that in mind, you must optimise your website design to enhance your shoppers’ experience.

For the holiday season, how about a little change in design and layout. Maybe some decorations to go with the Christmas spirit.

Optimise your Site Speed

Black Friday shoppers are out for one thing, and one thing only – the best deals. However, if your site speed and checkout process are not as smooth as possible, they are off to another site.

Ensure that your checkout process is quick, and your website offers shoppers the fastest experience. Believe it or not, Black Friday shoppers are ready to leave your store for a more responsive one even though you provide the best deals.

Search Engine Optimisation

Having the best products at the best price is one thing, and attracting customers is quite another.

Create product descriptions that catch potential shoppers’ attention. Also, pop-up adverts are a good idea.

Discover Black Friday related keywords and optimise them into your website to get more customers.

• Related: What is Seach Engine Optimization?

Apply Proper Discounts

Every site, product page and Instagram business page is advertising 20% discounts on their products.

You want to stand out with your discount advertisements. For Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, most shopping establishments go with as high as 50% discounts on their products.

To remain in the competition, you must be ready to entice customers with something more unique than simple discounts.

For example, you could attach a gift to each purchase made.

Cross-Selling

Most Black Friday shoppers are ready to buy as much as they can at as low a price as possible.

So, if they visit your site for just a T-shirt, they are willing to go over their budget. Thy could purchase some matching pants as long as it is advertised just right.

If a buyer is making a purchase, refer some other products that they might like, with a link that takes them straight to the product page.

Engage your Customers

Customers who feel a more personal connection to you are more likely to stay loyal to your store.

There are many ways to keep your customers engaged. A sure-fire way is by getting them to sign up for newsletters.

Once you have their email addresses, add them to your mailing list, and keep them updated with your new sales, promotions and offers.

Social Media

Never underestimate the power of good social media promotion.

Create official pages for your brand on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

On these pages, you can properly advertise your store, and provide links that go straight to your store. Also, you get to interact more with your customers.

Upload a Countdown Widget

It is relatively easy to install a countdown widget on your online store.

A countdown widget is a fun way to keep your customers updated on the number of days till your sales, and how long it will last.