The holidays have always been crazy for sellers but the last few years have amped up the nuttiness tenfold. That’s because instead of just Black Friday there are two more holiday sales events every year: Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday. Rather than just being minor copycats, the two “new” sales days are threatening to take Black Friday’s spot as the big game in town.
Want to take advantage of all three of these days? They each have their own strategies to focus on so it’s not one-size-fits-all. However, the work can easily be worth it as there is a ton of money to be made!
Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday was around for quite a while before officially becoming a “thing.” Sellers noticed that the first Monday after Black Friday shoppers would hop online at work to finish up or get a jump on their presents for the holidays. By 2005 this day became known as Cyber Monday and it has grown exponentially ever since. These days, Cyber Monday isn’t quite as big as it once was. This doesn’t mean that shoppers aren’t buying online. Quite the contrary. It just means that online sellers are having sales from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday and beyond, so don’t think that you have to concentrate solely on the day after Thanksgiving to make big bucks between holidays.
The reason people love shopping on the internet isn’t necessarily because it’s the best deal, or the most amazing products – it’s how simple it is to click a few buttons and get it done. If they wanted the absolute best deals they’d be out at the stores at 3 AM shoving their way to get a TV for 5 cents (or something.)
So for Cyber Monday (and it’s surrounding days) focus on making things as simple as possible. One click shopping or combining commonly bought items can lead to quicker sales. You may even want to include free shipping to keep your hot lead from clicking over to a competitor.
Small Business Saturday
SMS is the new kid on the block, only existing since 2010. It was invented by American Express to get people to shop at local stores rather than the big box chains. While definitely the smallest of the three, Small Business Saturday still brings in great numbers all the while bringing attention to the mom & pops out there. It’s so successful it’s even spread to the UK.
Naturally since the focus is on local shops the aim here is to go for the small town feel. While it’s definitely easier if you have a brick & mortar location for people to visit, you can still do it with a website. Just make sure you accentuate the fact that you’re one of the “little guys” out there by showing off any unique or handmade items you have.
Black Friday
While the above mentioned two shopping events up and comers and definitely making a claim for staying around for some time, Black Friday is still the boss. Every year this shopping event makes more and more money and if you miss out it could mean big trouble for your shop. Like Cyber Monday, Black Friday has lately shown some fluidity, even – to much controversy – moving into Thanksgiving.
Here is where you need your big guns. Anything you can do to stand out the better. Free shipping is always nice, but you need something else. New amazing items, a huge coupon, anything you can offer to make people notice you. There are so many shops out there clamoring for attention you’ll get lost in the mix if you don’t do something special.
Also, whatever you’re going to do, do it NOW. The bigger a jump you get on the competition the better. Just assume that whenever you’re reading this that you’re way behind and need to catch up. If shoppers knows you’re planning on holding a huge sale they’ll come back – but of course you should jog their memory with an email campaign or by inviting them to follow you on social media.