Black Friday Cyber Monday (Cyber week, month, holiday season, there’s so many names for all of these now we’re struggling to even describe things accurately) season is quickly approaching. This strange and wonderful time kicks ecommerce businesses into high gear. We’ve seen merchants make up to 80% of their yearly revenue in November in December. Talk about high stakes.  

As a full service ecommerce agency, we’ve seen the gamut of successes and failures, our friends at Linnworks tasked us to recommend 5 Things to AVOID During BFCM Season.  

Drastic or unnecessarily risky website changes

Rule number one for ecommerce merchants is a seasonal freeze for all non-essential changes, patches, updates, or changes. We’re not rebranding on November 22nd, it’s not the time to roll out a new menu design, it’s time to buckle down. For many, this is a given but unfortunately we see company timelines not always line up with the ecommerce department’s wishes. Again, rule number one, don’t make changes you don’t need to during the big freeze.

Focusing too much on Cyber Monday

No this isn’t some clickbait headline that’ll make you roll your eyes at us. We just mean the edges of Black Friday Cyber Monday have grown significantly since the early 2000s. We see deals starting as soon as October, it’s fully growing beyond a single weekend. We can’t recommend skipping out on Friday but putting all your sales into a single day is a fading practice

Ignoring historical data or testing

Two big sources of truth in our world, data and testing, are the backbone of strategy for our clients. Rolling out a completely new campaign strategy that bucks every historical trend you’ve experienced (is always fun we’ll admit) will likely cause some waves during the busy season. Maybe try that in July. Testing is CRITICAL. Yep, we’ve seen discount codes that lead nowhere, links to dead pages, and emails to the wrong groups, we’ve been through hell and back. TEST your material, get a second set of eyes, and don’t neglect the double checks for speed. Even if you want to. We want to too.

Forgetting the light lift automation

Cart abandonment emails are likely the easiest email to set up and often net huge orders in return. We’ve set them up in minutes to create thousands on the other side. Take the summer (or this exact moment) to create some light lift automation that can bring additional sales in. It’s only a couple of minutes.

Ignoring customer service

Yes, this is our Super Bowl time of the year. Stress is high, orders are flying, and we’re trying to stay above water. BUT this is the time that new customers might try you for the first time. People are getting gifts. You might be netting a person that looks often but isn’t usually buying. This is the time to go above and beyond. Without a doubt, this is when customer service can make or break a lifetime customer. If you’re offering a deal, make sure to offer the same flexibility and understanding to that new customer. It might create a raving fan.

Blanket, small discounting

Here’s a freebie because we like you so much. Look we get it’s a wild world out there. Everybody is pinching a penny so hard, it might actually melt. But we used to see mob rule in every store on Black Friday. Customers aren’t looking for a 5% discount on 3 items you didn’t move all summer. Sorry. Get creative, discounts aren’t the only option on the table (sometimes they’re not the best offer AT ALL). Give someone a reason to start a mob. You know you want to.

What is Irish Titan?

Having an agency you trust (to tell you not to roll out that rebranding on Black Friday), is important. Irish Titan builds and grows ecommerce channels. 100% of our work is done by Titans (otherwise known as employees…no contractors, freelancers, or offshore resources). That’s rare in our world, but it’s the ONLY way we can deliver a green glove experience to all our merchants.

We’re all about “Business First. Online Second.”℠ solutions meaning, we’re interested in listening to problems, and then (and only then) offering solutions that tackle them head on. Our clan includes Marketing, Design, and Engineering Titans, working in harmony with you to provide a high touch “Partnerships, Not Transactions” experience.