Preparing your Online Shop for Black Friday | Tips 2025
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching. If all goes to plan, traffic to your online shop will increase because there are more customers looking for good bargains. Is your website prepared to handle the increased traffic and, more importantly, is it designed to convert visitors into customers?
- Create your advertising plan for Black Friday
- Generate interest in buying products through the use of wish lists
- Improve your product pages
- Develop attractive pop-ups to capture leads and increase sales
- Create a sense of urgency by using countdown timers and stock counters
- Increase the average value of orders by using order skips and including free shipping progress bars
- Improve efficiency to manage peak traffic volumes
- Make sure your online shop is safe for the next event with site security measures
- FAQ
- Summary
É importante começar a preparar-se para o final de novembro desde já, uma vez que alguns eventos da Black Friday podem começar muito antes do dia real. Por isso, vamos rever as nossas 8 principais sugestões para o ajudar a maximizar esta época festiva.
1
Create your advertising plan for Black Friday
A successful Black Friday campaign depends a lot on a well-executed marketing strategy. It's important to plan ahead and generate momentum for a successful and profitable sale. Here's how to get started:
- Organise your schedule: Time is crucial. In 2025, Black Friday is on 28 November and Cyber Monday is on 1 December. Small Business Saturday aims to help small and local businesses by encouraging shoppers to discover unique and local options. Use these important dates to schedule your promotions, email marketing and social media ads to optimise exposure and increase sales;
- Increase newsletter subscriptions: Create a Black Friday landing page in advance to collect email registrations. This not only helps increase your followers, but also allows you to create a feeling of exclusivity. Motivate customers to register by promising them exclusive access to offers or priority access to limited-time offers;
- Develop teasers: Share marketing emails with specific recipients, keeping them up to date on new promotions and generating excitement for your next sale;
- Prepare for more visitors: As Black Friday approaches, it's crucial to ensure that your hosting can handle the increase in traffic. Excessive amounts of traffic can result in slower loading speeds and site crashes, causing customer frustration and affecting sales;
- Use conversion tools to increase sales: Improve your Black Friday sales by using efficient conversion tools and strategies that encourage purchases. Think about incorporating popups, countdown timers, exit-intent offers and a simplified checkout process to improve your customers' shopping experience;
- A well-defined marketing strategy is key to a prosperous Black Friday. Our next piece of advice is to alert visitors to the fact that the sales season is upon us, motivating them to create a list of items they want to be marked down.
2
Generate interest in buying products through the use of wish lists
Creating buying interest in advance is crucial to increasing sales during Black Friday. Introducing wish lists a few weeks before the sale allows customers to mark their favourite items and come back to buy them when discounts are available. This strategy helps to engage your audience, especially those who are not yet ready to make a purchase but are considering their buying decisions.
By incorporating wish lists into your e-commerce platform, you give customers a chance to interact with your merchandise before making a purchase. This data can be used to send targeted marketing emails that remind customers of the items saved once the sale has started. This subtle impulse motivates them to return and complete their transactions, leading to an increase in sales during the launch of the event.
Once you've established interest through wish lists, turn your attention to the key area where the excitement unfolds - your product pages. Our following advice focuses on ways to improve your product pages to encourage more ‘add to cart’ actions.
By incorporating wish lists into your e-commerce platform, you give customers a chance to interact with your merchandise before making a purchase. This data can be used to send targeted marketing emails that remind customers of the items saved once the sale has started. This subtle impulse motivates them to return and complete their transactions, leading to an increase in sales during the launch of the event.
Once you've established interest through wish lists, turn your attention to the key area where the excitement unfolds - your product pages. Our following advice focuses on ways to improve your product pages to encourage more ‘add to cart’ actions.
3
Improve your product pages
Your product pages are the main driving force behind your sales. To increase conversions, improve your product pages for Black Friday. Enhance images, include promotional banners and produce product videos with a Black Friday theme to captivate enthusiasm. Customise your product screens to feature exclusive promotions and time-sensitive offers.
Make sure your product pages are structured to maximise conversions. Activate samples for different product options (such as colours and sizes) and include quick add-to-cart buttons for a seamless shopping experience. Customers are more likely to make a purchase if they find it easy to navigate and add items to the basket.
Now that your product pages are ready, it's the right time to attract more potential customers and increase sales. Our next suggestion involves the strategic use of interactive pop-ups to keep visitors interested and increase conversions.
Make sure your product pages are structured to maximise conversions. Activate samples for different product options (such as colours and sizes) and include quick add-to-cart buttons for a seamless shopping experience. Customers are more likely to make a purchase if they find it easy to navigate and add items to the basket.
Now that your product pages are ready, it's the right time to attract more potential customers and increase sales. Our next suggestion involves the strategic use of interactive pop-ups to keep visitors interested and increase conversions.
4
Develop attractive pop-ups to capture leads and increase sales
Popups have the potential to effectively capture leads, advertise special offers and increase conversions on Black Friday. However, the important factor in achieving success is using them strategically, along with the right triggers and viewing conditions.
Now that the popups are set up, it's important to generate a sense of urgency. Our next suggestion involves using countdown timers and stock counters to incite customers to act quickly and complete their purchases before time runs out.
- Establish the right triggers: Use exit intent popups to attract attention when visitors are about to leave, or show a popup after a specific period of time on the page to maintain visitor interest;
- Implement display conditions: Limit popups to certain pages, such as the home page and product pages, as well as to specific customer groups, to present appropriate promotions without flooding site visitors;
- Limiting frequency is necessary to avoid irritating customers by minimising the repeated display of popups. Instead, establish presentation guidelines that strike a balance between visibility and user experience.
Now that the popups are set up, it's important to generate a sense of urgency. Our next suggestion involves using countdown timers and stock counters to incite customers to act quickly and complete their purchases before time runs out.
5
Create a sense of urgency by using countdown timers and stock counters
Generating a sense of immediacy is a well-known method of motivating visitors to complete a purchase. On Black Friday, customers must feel the urgency to make quick decisions. Countdown timers and stock counters encourage customers to make decisions more quickly.
Display a timer counting down to the end of your sale, alerting customers that time is running out. Stock counters that display limited quantities provoke a sense of scarcity, causing fear of missing out, which leads to faster purchasing.
With urgency established, the next step is to focus on optimising the revenue generated by each customer. Our next suggestion looks at using order bounces and free shipping progress bars to motivate customers to add items to their basket, effectively increasing the average order value.
Display a timer counting down to the end of your sale, alerting customers that time is running out. Stock counters that display limited quantities provoke a sense of scarcity, causing fear of missing out, which leads to faster purchasing.
With urgency established, the next step is to focus on optimising the revenue generated by each customer. Our next suggestion looks at using order bounces and free shipping progress bars to motivate customers to add items to their basket, effectively increasing the average order value.
6
Increase the average value of orders by using order skips and including free shipping progress bars
The key during Black Friday is to maximise each customer's revenue. Two effective methods of achieving this are the use of order skips and the incorporation of free shipping tracking bars.
Order skips are small offers presented to customers during the checkout process, allowing them to easily add related products or upgrades with a simple click. This tactic is ideal for increasing the average order value without the need for additional browsing.
Similarly, offering incentives for free shipping motivates customers to add more items to their basket. When you set the free shipping threshold just above the average order value, customers are incentivised to spend more to qualify for free shipping, which leads to a higher total order value.
Now that you've finalised your marketing plans, let's focus on ensuring that your shop is equipped to handle the increase in site visitors. Performance is crucial during peak shopping periods such as Black Friday. The following advice is designed to help you improve your site for optimum performance, even during peak traffic periods.
Order skips are small offers presented to customers during the checkout process, allowing them to easily add related products or upgrades with a simple click. This tactic is ideal for increasing the average order value without the need for additional browsing.
Similarly, offering incentives for free shipping motivates customers to add more items to their basket. When you set the free shipping threshold just above the average order value, customers are incentivised to spend more to qualify for free shipping, which leads to a higher total order value.
Now that you've finalised your marketing plans, let's focus on ensuring that your shop is equipped to handle the increase in site visitors. Performance is crucial during peak shopping periods such as Black Friday. The following advice is designed to help you improve your site for optimum performance, even during peak traffic periods.
7
Improve efficiency to manage peak traffic volumes
The success of your Black Friday sale depends on the performance of your website. Too much traffic can cause delays on your site, resulting in dissatisfied customers and reduced profits. Here's how to make sure your shop runs efficiently during peak shopping periods:
Speed test
Carry out speed tests on your site to identify any obstacles. A fast website captures customer interest and lowers bounce rates. This results in faster loading times for browsing products and checking out, leading to an increase in conversion rates for online shops. Use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to receive a complete analysis of the areas that need to be improved.
Use a CDN (content delivery network)
A content delivery network (CDN) speeds up loading times by distributing your site's content across servers worldwide. Content is delivered to visitors from the server closest to them to reduce latency when they access your site. This means that online shops will have faster loading times for images, videos and product descriptions, ensuring a smooth shopping experience, regardless of the customer's location. This is vital for worldwide sales events such as Black Friday.
Activate caching
Using caching saves copies of your site that are not changed, reducing the need to fetch data repeatedly. This significantly reduces loading times for repeat visitors who return to your shop to complete their purchase. By having pages that load more quickly, customers can easily browse products and complete purchases without interruption, increasing their overall satisfaction and boosting conversions.
Maximise media efficiency
High-quality images and videos are crucial for product presentation, but they can also slow down your site. Reduce the file size of images and videos to improve web page loading times without sacrificing quality. Optimised media for online shops ensures that product galleries and promotional banners load quickly, keeping customers interested and avoiding site abandonment caused by slow performance.
Improve the experience on mobile devices
Mobile devices are an important source of traffic on Black Friday. Make sure your shop is compatible with mobile devices by using responsive design and an efficient checkout process. An effortless mobile journey allows customers to shop and buy while they're out and about, increasing sales and customer satisfaction.
Speed test
Carry out speed tests on your site to identify any obstacles. A fast website captures customer interest and lowers bounce rates. This results in faster loading times for browsing products and checking out, leading to an increase in conversion rates for online shops. Use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to receive a complete analysis of the areas that need to be improved.
Use a CDN (content delivery network)
A content delivery network (CDN) speeds up loading times by distributing your site's content across servers worldwide. Content is delivered to visitors from the server closest to them to reduce latency when they access your site. This means that online shops will have faster loading times for images, videos and product descriptions, ensuring a smooth shopping experience, regardless of the customer's location. This is vital for worldwide sales events such as Black Friday.
Activate caching
Using caching saves copies of your site that are not changed, reducing the need to fetch data repeatedly. This significantly reduces loading times for repeat visitors who return to your shop to complete their purchase. By having pages that load more quickly, customers can easily browse products and complete purchases without interruption, increasing their overall satisfaction and boosting conversions.
Maximise media efficiency
High-quality images and videos are crucial for product presentation, but they can also slow down your site. Reduce the file size of images and videos to improve web page loading times without sacrificing quality. Optimised media for online shops ensures that product galleries and promotional banners load quickly, keeping customers interested and avoiding site abandonment caused by slow performance.
Improve the experience on mobile devices
Mobile devices are an important source of traffic on Black Friday. Make sure your shop is compatible with mobile devices by using responsive design and an efficient checkout process. An effortless mobile journey allows customers to shop and buy while they're out and about, increasing sales and customer satisfaction.
8
Make sure your online shop is safe for the next event with site security measures
Website security is of the utmost importance due to the increased risk that comes with an increase in web traffic. Ensuring the security of your shop and your customers' data is essential to gaining trust and providing a smooth shopping experience. That's why you should make sure you're prepared.
SSL certificate
An SSL certificate protects the data transmitted between your site and visitors, ensuring that customer information remains secure during transactions. SSL is essential for online retailers to safeguard payment information and personal data, while assuring customers that your shop is safe to shop in. Currently, most browsers alert users to websites that don't have SSL, which can discourage potential customers.
Frequent data backups
Consistently backing up your shop's data is crucial to recovering quickly from possible cyberattacks, data loss or technical problems. Automated backups offer security by allowing you to restore your site to a previous state in the event of errors. This means protecting product lists, customer information and the order history of e-commerce websites.
Continuous monitoring around the clock
Continuous monitoring of your website can identify any abnormal or harmful behaviour, such as hacking attempts, unauthorised login attempts or sudden increases in web traffic. Being proactive in monitoring allows you to deal with problems as they arise, reducing potential damage. This means that shop owners can resolve threats promptly and maintain a safe shopping environment for customers.
Protection against unauthorised access by controlling network traffic
A strong firewall acts as the initial layer of protection for your shop, blocking harmful traffic and defending against DDoS attacks. Firewalls prevent harmful requests, allowing only legitimate customers to visit your site, minimising the chances of data breaches and downtime. This is particularly crucial at busy times, such as Black Friday, when hackers may try to take advantage of weaknesses.
Check for malware
Before starting your Black Friday promotion, make sure you carry out a thorough malware scan to detect and eliminate any possible risks. Malicious software can jeopardise your shop's security, cause site outages and possibly extract customer information. Consistent scanning keeps your site clean, ensuring that customers have a safe shopping experience, establishing trust and safeguarding your brand image.
SSL certificate
An SSL certificate protects the data transmitted between your site and visitors, ensuring that customer information remains secure during transactions. SSL is essential for online retailers to safeguard payment information and personal data, while assuring customers that your shop is safe to shop in. Currently, most browsers alert users to websites that don't have SSL, which can discourage potential customers.
Frequent data backups
Consistently backing up your shop's data is crucial to recovering quickly from possible cyberattacks, data loss or technical problems. Automated backups offer security by allowing you to restore your site to a previous state in the event of errors. This means protecting product lists, customer information and the order history of e-commerce websites.
Continuous monitoring around the clock
Continuous monitoring of your website can identify any abnormal or harmful behaviour, such as hacking attempts, unauthorised login attempts or sudden increases in web traffic. Being proactive in monitoring allows you to deal with problems as they arise, reducing potential damage. This means that shop owners can resolve threats promptly and maintain a safe shopping environment for customers.
Protection against unauthorised access by controlling network traffic
A strong firewall acts as the initial layer of protection for your shop, blocking harmful traffic and defending against DDoS attacks. Firewalls prevent harmful requests, allowing only legitimate customers to visit your site, minimising the chances of data breaches and downtime. This is particularly crucial at busy times, such as Black Friday, when hackers may try to take advantage of weaknesses.
Check for malware
Before starting your Black Friday promotion, make sure you carry out a thorough malware scan to detect and eliminate any possible risks. Malicious software can jeopardise your shop's security, cause site outages and possibly extract customer information. Consistent scanning keeps your site clean, ensuring that customers have a safe shopping experience, establishing trust and safeguarding your brand image.
9
FAQ
1. How far in advance should I start preparing my online shop for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
It's recommended to start preparing at least 2-3 months in advance. This gives you time to optimise your website, plan marketing strategies and make sure your stock is ready.
2. What are the main steps to prepare my online shop for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
The main steps include:
3. How can I optimize my site to cope with increased traffic during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Make sure your site can handle a high volume of traffic:
4. Should I offer special promotions for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Yes! Offering limited-time discounts, exclusive combos or flash promotions can attract more customers. Consider offering early access to offers for loyal customers or unique discount codes to create urgency.
5. How can I make sure my stock is ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Monitor your stock levels and make forecasts based on previous years' sales. Work with suppliers to guarantee product availability and use stock management software to track levels in real time.
6. How do you handle shipping and delivery during those big sales days?
Be transparent about shipping times and costs. Offer free or discounted shipping to incentivise purchases. Consider partnering with reliable carriers to guarantee on-time deliveries. If possible, offer express shipping options for last-minute shoppers.
7. How do you prepare customer service for increased demand?
Increase the availability of customer service via live chat, email or telephone support. Use AI chatbots to answer frequently asked questions and offer instant support. Train your staff to handle demands efficiently.
8. What marketing strategies should I implement before and during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Focus on email marketing, paid adverts (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram), social media promotions and partnerships with influencers. Build anticipation by releasing teasers of offers before the event and sending out reminder emails about limited-time promotions.
9. How can you maintain customer confidence and guarantee security during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales?
Make sure your site is secure, with SSL certificates and fraud prevention measures. Clearly communicate return policies, delivery times and any possible problems with stock to manage customer expectations.
10. What tools can I use to monitor performance during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Use analysis tools such as Google Analytics, Shopify Analytics or other e-commerce tracking tools to monitor traffic, sales and customer behaviour in real time. This will help you adjust strategies as necessary during the event.
11. How to keep customers engaged after Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Offer post-event discounts, loyalty programmes or early access to future promotions. Use email marketing to follow up with customers, ask for feedback and remind them of new products or future sales.
12. How do you manage product returns during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales?
Clearly communicate your returns policy in advance, especially if you offer significant discounts. Consider extending the return period for purchases made during these days to accommodate customers' needs.
It's recommended to start preparing at least 2-3 months in advance. This gives you time to optimise your website, plan marketing strategies and make sure your stock is ready.
2. What are the main steps to prepare my online shop for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
The main steps include:
- Optimising your site for speed and mobile responsiveness;
- Ensuring that the payment system is secure and efficient;
- Planning special promotions, discounts and combos;
- Ensuring popular products are stocked;
- Testing the checkout process to avoid problems.
3. How can I optimize my site to cope with increased traffic during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Make sure your site can handle a high volume of traffic:
- Upgrade your hosting service if necessary;
- Optimise site speed by compressing images and minimising heavy elements;
- Implement a responsive design for mobile devices;
- Test the checkout process and payment systems to ensure seamless transactions.
4. Should I offer special promotions for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Yes! Offering limited-time discounts, exclusive combos or flash promotions can attract more customers. Consider offering early access to offers for loyal customers or unique discount codes to create urgency.
5. How can I make sure my stock is ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Monitor your stock levels and make forecasts based on previous years' sales. Work with suppliers to guarantee product availability and use stock management software to track levels in real time.
6. How do you handle shipping and delivery during those big sales days?
Be transparent about shipping times and costs. Offer free or discounted shipping to incentivise purchases. Consider partnering with reliable carriers to guarantee on-time deliveries. If possible, offer express shipping options for last-minute shoppers.
7. How do you prepare customer service for increased demand?
Increase the availability of customer service via live chat, email or telephone support. Use AI chatbots to answer frequently asked questions and offer instant support. Train your staff to handle demands efficiently.
8. What marketing strategies should I implement before and during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Focus on email marketing, paid adverts (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram), social media promotions and partnerships with influencers. Build anticipation by releasing teasers of offers before the event and sending out reminder emails about limited-time promotions.
9. How can you maintain customer confidence and guarantee security during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales?
Make sure your site is secure, with SSL certificates and fraud prevention measures. Clearly communicate return policies, delivery times and any possible problems with stock to manage customer expectations.
10. What tools can I use to monitor performance during Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Use analysis tools such as Google Analytics, Shopify Analytics or other e-commerce tracking tools to monitor traffic, sales and customer behaviour in real time. This will help you adjust strategies as necessary during the event.
11. How to keep customers engaged after Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Offer post-event discounts, loyalty programmes or early access to future promotions. Use email marketing to follow up with customers, ask for feedback and remind them of new products or future sales.
12. How do you manage product returns during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales?
Clearly communicate your returns policy in advance, especially if you offer significant discounts. Consider extending the return period for purchases made during these days to accommodate customers' needs.
10
Summary
Key Steps to Prepare Your Online Store for Black Friday and Cyber Monday:
- Optimize site speed;
- Ensure shop security;
- Review the checkout process;
- Prepare your stock;
- Plan promotions and special offers;
- Test your site's traffic capacity;
- Implement early marketing strategies;
- Set up clear shipping and returns policies;
- Prepare customer service;
- Monitor performance in real time;
- Ensure a smooth shopping experience on mobile devices;
- Offer benefits to loyal customers.
In conclusion, preparing your online store for Black Friday and Cyber Monday is crucial to maximize sales and capitalize on the increased traffic during these peak shopping events. It’s essential to ensure that your website can handle a surge in visitors by optimizing its performance and speed. Additionally, offering compelling discounts, clear product descriptions, and seamless checkout processes can greatly enhance the customer experience and drive conversions.
Moreover, a strategic marketing plan, including email campaigns, social media promotions, and targeted ads, will help you reach your audience effectively. Finally, having a solid plan for customer service, including handling increased inquiries and potential returns, is key to maintaining positive relationships with your customers.
By thoroughly preparing your online store, you not only increase the chances of a successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but you also strengthen your brand’s reputation and customer loyalty for the future.
Moreover, a strategic marketing plan, including email campaigns, social media promotions, and targeted ads, will help you reach your audience effectively. Finally, having a solid plan for customer service, including handling increased inquiries and potential returns, is key to maintaining positive relationships with your customers.
By thoroughly preparing your online store, you not only increase the chances of a successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but you also strengthen your brand’s reputation and customer loyalty for the future.
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