Black Friday is almost here. If you’re scrambling to get everything ready, you’re not alone.
The good news? You still have time to get your ducks in a row before the rush starts.
Here’s your no-nonsense, last-minute Black Friday checklist to get your store ready.
Sections
1. Confirm your promotions
During the craziness of Black Friday, shoppers don’t want to do any legwork searching for your deals. So, if your deals aren’t crystal clear everywhere — we’re talking your homepage, product pages, emails, social — now’s the time to change that.
Make sure every Black Friday promo is locked in, checked for accuracy, and visible. That includes any:
- Percent-off savings
- BOGO or tiered discounts
- Free shipping thresholds
- Doorbusters or timed drops
Pro Tip: Triple-check that all Google and social ads promoting these deals are ready to go.
2. Sync your inventory and double-check stock levels
Nothing kills sales like a “sold out” message on a major shopping day.
Make sure your inventory syncs in real time across Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, or wherever else you sell. And if you’re running low on certain items, push substitutes by adding badges like “Almost Gone” or “Last Chance.”
In particular, check the inventory of:
- Your best sellers
- Anything you are or plan to promote heavily
- SKUs with limited quantities
- Backup or alternate products
3. Optimize your site speed
Incoming Black Friday traffic can break slow sites. The slower your site is, the faster shoppers will jump to buy elsewhere. Do a final check on your:
- Page load speeds
- Image compression
- Checkout performance
Pro Tip: If anything looks sluggish, remove unnecessary plugins, pop-ups, and any other low-hanging fruit. This is not the time to tackle any major site updates. You’re just looking to trim the fat.
4. Streamline your checkout flow
You want your buyer’s journey to be free of friction on Black Friday, from the time they land on your site to the moment they check out. Rigorously test your checkout flow and make sure that:
- Guest checkout is enabled
- Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Shop Pay, or BNPL work
- Discount codes auto-apply
- Cart recovery emails fire instantly
- Shipping timelines are displayed clearly
- Any “check out” buttons can’t be missed
5. Update your automated email (and SMS notifications)
If you haven’t already, whip up some dedicated BFCM campaigns and flash sale announcements. But, don’t stop there. Your automated flows will carry you to more sales and bigger cart totals through the Black Friday weekend.
Take some time to review and refresh your other campaigns, including your:
- Abandoned cart emails
- Browse abandonment emails
- Price drop notifications
- Back in stock alerts
- Post-purchase upsells
6. Be ready for customer support surges
It’s not just sales that spike during Black Friday. Your customer support team is going to get hammered, too.
Plan ahead and you can breeze through inquiries faster — and turn those questions into purchases. Here’s what to do:
- Create new templates answering common Black Friday issues
- Update popular help center pages
- Add a temporary FAQ banner
- Make chat support easy to find
- Tell people shipping timelines upfront (with a dedicated shipping page)
7. Get your retargeting warmed up
Window shoppers have their heyday during Black Friday, as consumers shop for the best deal. You can capture those sales by retargeting them quickly. Spin up or double-check your retargeting campaigns for:
- Previous buyers
- Abandoned carts
- High-intent browsers
Pro Tip: Use urgency without being obnoxious. Messaging like “Ends tonight” or “Last day for this price” works because it’s true.
8. Prepare for Cyber Monday handoff
Black Friday is only half the game. Cyber Monday (and Small Business Saturday) round out the mega sale weekend.
Don’t forget to review those promotions, ad campaigns, and email blasts, too. Here’s your checklist of things to review:
- Dedicated Cyber Monday landing pages
- Email and SMS alerts
- Ad campaigns and budgets
- Category banners
9. Do a final walkthrough of your entire customer journey
Last but not least, walk yourself through the shopper’s journey. Start on your homepage and pretend you’re a cold shopper. Click around. Add something to your cart. Checkout. Return to your site.
See what feels slow, unclear, or broken. Then, fix the obvious friction points.
Not sure you’ll be ready in time, or want an assist securing more sales this Black Friday weekend? Connect with Your Marketing People now.
