While still a rather new concept in Africa, Black Friday Sales are quickly becoming popular across the continent. Having a Black Friday sale is a great way to increase revenue, boost sales and promote your brand.
This year’s Black Fridays is slated for the 24 of November, 2017 and we have a few tips to help you prepare for one of the biggest sales day across the globe.
Make A Plan
Identify exactly why you are holding the sale and what items will be on sale. You need to consider whether you and your staff will be able to meet increased demand competently. A poorly executed Black Friday can do more harm than good for your brand so it’s important to evaluate your capacity. Consider how this day feeds into your overall revenue and sales goals.
Part of your plan should consider aspects such as shipping and or delivery, return policies, increased workload for staff and overall cost versus benefit for your business.
Prepare Your Retail Space
If you have a retail outlet, ensure you have enough stock of the items you’ll be having on sale. You also want to make sure that all your displays are orderly and they show which items are on sale and everything is appropriately marked. Have clear signs about when the sale starts and ends and have the percentage discount displayed clearly e.g 50% off on all generators or 30% off on accounting software.
Brief all your staff on the sale and what to expect from customers and how to handle any questions they have. Where customers are undecided, train staff on how to offer guidance and of course, close the sale.
Update Your Website
Your website should reflect your planned Black Friday discounts and how your customers can access your products or services whether in-store or online. Whether or not your business is exclusively online, updating your website is an important tool in your sale arsenal.
Go through your website and ensure all your basics are covered. Your can have a landing page that talks about the sale and all you have on offer. Before the sale, you can also have a countdown timer to keep anyone inform anyone visiting the site that there’s a big sale coming up.
Invest in Email Marketing
A low cost way to advertise your sale is sending a tastefully done email informing your target audience about the upcoming sale. Emails give you the ability to personalize your message and make your clients feel special. This will help you generate interest in the sale and meet your revenue targets. Email marketing has one the highest conversion rates and is an essential tool for any brand looking to make Black Friday sale a success. Careful not to overdo it though as it can have the opposite effect on your brand.
Social Marketing and Influencers
Use your social media pages to get the word out on your sale. Create a sense of anticipation by counting down from 20 days and engage your audience by asking them what products or services they are hoping to get on a discount. You could also run pre-Black Friday promos to help you generate enough interest on D-day.
You can also identify people who have a credible share of voice to help promote your brand whether online or offline. Remember influencers are not necessarily have the biggest following but have a genuine interest in your brand and are relatable to your audience.
Remember at Pesapal we give your business the tools to ensure you never miss a sale. We ensure you get paid using a multitude of payment options both online and in store. Explore our business tools today for solutions that will help execute your Black Friday seamlessly.
