Top 7 Tips for Retailers to Drive Impulse Sales on Black Friday

Yes, the craziness of Black Friday is nearly upon us again. In 2024, Black Friday falls on Friday, November 26, and for e-commerce stores, Cyber Monday falls on Monday, November 29.

But don’t stress! Here are 7 helpful tips to get ready and make the most of the festive shopping furore without breaking a sweat:

1. Take stock of your toy inventory now

What can you set aside for a Black Friday discounts display? Have you got old toy stock that hasn’t shifted for some time or cheaper wholesale toy stock you can afford to squeeze the margin on as it sells quickly in high volume? You might have some old demo products and returns that will make ideal discount stock.

You can also promote toys at low price points as a good deal without needing to discount them. Pocket money toys are ideal for this, especially as stocking filler gifts.

The last thing you want during a prime sales opportunity is to run out of well-selling stock. So do get your wholesale orders in with Keycraft as soon as possible to avoid the curse of empty, unattractive shelves!

2. Get in early to promote deals

Stagger promotions over the month in the build-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday so you can maximise sales over more than just a day. Many retailers offer online discounts before Black Friday, so it will help you compete and stand out more before the full promotional fray kicks in.

Decide on your stock deals and start creating your promotional content now.

3. Personalize marketing content for your audience

Following on from the point above, provide content and promotions that customers will find engaging. Personalise emails, social media posts or adverts according to who they are targeted at. It’s important to stand out from the competition, as Black Friday is an ideal opportunity to draw in new customers who you can ideally retain and gain long-term value from.

Email offers the best return of any marketing tactic, so gather email addresses from your customers at every opportunity. As part of your long-term marketing strategy, build up your customer database, and collect data to help you with accurate audience segmentation. Knowing your customers and building a relationship with them online really pays dividends.

Quick fact. Did you know that you can target or suppress custom audiences on Facebook using customer names and email addresses?

4. Update your store layout

How does your current store layout work at the busiest times? Is it creating a channelled flow of footfall around all of your display stands, with room for multiple people to navigate past each other? Could it cope with a sudden influx of shoppers past normal capacity?

Create a little more space around high traffic areas, especially at the till. Put your Black Friday discount displays in prime position at the front of the store to draw in both high-intent shoppers and casual browsers.

5. Optimise the shopping experience & discount displays

People still want the magic of in-store experiences despite the rise of online shopping or Covid. The deals will bring people in, but it’s also an opportunity to show off your full-price and premium stock to a wider variety of customers than you might normally attract.

It’s absolutely crucial to give them the old razzle dazzle! Deep clean, make any necessary repairs, refresh signage where necessary, consider a fresh lick of paint, and spotlighting.

Implement any Christmas-themed sensory marketing tricks, cross-merchandising tactics, and techniques to encourage impulse sales that are achievable given your resources.

6. Consider staffing needs

Your staff coverage is part of the in-store experience. Long queues or no staff to provide assistance can be off-putting for shoppers and result in them leaving without making a purchase, even if they visited with high intent to buy.

Do you have a backup plan in case someone calls in sick? Do you potentially need temporary staff on weekends or part-time during busy hours? Could you introduce a portable checkout system with iPads?

7. For e-commerce websites

Cyber Monday is now just as big as Black Friday for online shopping! Decide if you want to run specific promotions for both days, or focus your efforts on Cyber Monday. Do spruce up your homepage and insert a promotional banner linked to a discounted products results page. Add category filters and enable personalised recommendations for shoppers if you can.

People are more likely to make impulse purchases in-store, as items catch their attention while they browse, boosting unplanned purchases and basket size. However, offering exclusive bundled discounts is an effective tactic to get the same effect online. Consider items that buyers might want to purchase together, such as a discounted stocking filler package for 6–10-year-old boys, etc.

Finally, can your website handle higher than normal volumes of traffic? Ensure your web hosting package or server has sufficient capacity for temporary upswings in traffic without crashing.

If you need any assistance from the Keycraft team, we’re always here and happy to help.