Ready for next Black Week’s peak? Here are our tips for dealing with it

This year again, the last Friday of November turns black: November 27 will be Black Friday, a day of great discounts, especially in the e-commerce universe. 2020 has already set records for the rise of online shopping and Black Week bargains, including the tempting Cyber Monday, are expected to see new peaks in sales. The right prudence in avoiding places of potential contagion from Covid-19 will lead the e-commerce channel to be favored by many over previous years. A Salesforce research estimates that 30% of the holiday season purchases will be made digitally, with an increase in the click & collect mode (online order and in-store pickup). This consideration, combined with the almost constant growth curve in sales volumes of the past few years, suggests high numbers for online purchases also during the next Black Friday.
 

What are the habits of European consumers on the occasion of Black Friday?

That of November discounts is a tradition born in the USA, but for years also spread in Europe. The most recent trends seem to show a gradual abandonment of the single Friday, as the only day of dedicated offers, and the extension instead of discounts throughout the week, often with early offers reserved for loyal customers. However, Black Friday will likely be the peak day for purchases, with activities particularly concentrated in the morning slot, between 9:00 and 14:00 and an average purchase of 4 items per person.

It is expected that in 2020, Black Week discounts will be a particularly incisive opportunity for merchants penalized by the pandemic crisis, who will be able to reconnect with their customers. It is also expected that the price reduction could be more substantial, possibly driven by the presence of product stocks in the warehouse, which were left unsold due to slowdowns in flows during lockdowns. Many of the forward-thinking shoppers will leverage these sales to purchase Christmas gifts early. In a delicate year also for family economies, shopping in this period and securing a supply of packages under the tree could be a strong motivation to buy.
 

How to prepare your company for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Offering your products at a reduced price on Black Friday and Cyber Monday will attract many customers and will therefore result in an excellent profit opportunity. However, the sudden increase in sales volumes could prove problematic if your company is not adequately prepared to handle it. It is therefore important to put in place a strategy to manage your e-commerce supply chain during the peaks of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Logistics plays a very important role in ensuring the success of these days and customer satisfaction: in this anomalous 2020, even more customers will shop online, making timely and efficient management of shipments essential. The resources for logistics and the increase in the fleet must therefore be carefully planned, especially with regard to the capillary distribution of the last mile.

Which could be the weaknesses of your supply chain? Do you have enough product stock? Do you have the resources to manage an abnormal increase in shipments? Are the staff and shifts organized to cope with increased demand?
 

FERCAM's advice for optimal management of peak orders

• To simplify stock management, which is always recommended to plan carefully, focus your offers only on some products, perhaps the most popular ones or those of which you have the most in stock.
• The latter will have to be organized in such a way as to obtain transit areas of greater width, where a larger amount of goods can be managed.
• An increase in online purchases often also means an increase in returns: good reverse logistics planning will be imperative to optimize the return flow of goods.
• Consider hiring additional staff for this period or making changes to the standard work plan.
• In order to maintain a high level of efficiency, it will be crucial at this time to maintain good internal communication, as well as with all external partners.
• It is also very important to carefully choose the channels where to communicate the discounts offered and promote your products, to ensure that you reach a wider audience.
• Take care of the publications on your site and on your social channels in the best possible way and offer a quality Customer Service, so that your customers' shopping experience can be happily memorable.

Outsourcing the management of logistics and deliveries is often the winning choice to continue to offer your customers a service that meets expectations and ensure that all shipments are organized in the best possible way. To support you, FERCAM offers transport services for your goods, specialized logistics consultancy and Home Delivery solutions, with delivery to the floor and product installation.
 

Do you need support to tackle Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Contact us!