Is Your Shopify Store Ready for Christmas? 10 Things to Do Before Black Friday
Let's be honest. Nobody wants to be fixing a broken checkout at 11pm on Black Friday. We know, because we've been there.
Before We Are Chain, Rupert ran his own online store. Christmas was the busiest, most profitable and most stressful time of year. And most of that stress came from jobs that could have been sorted in October.
Black Friday lands on 27 November this year, with Cyber Monday on 30 November. That's weeks away, not months. Here's where to start.
1. Test your checkout like a customer
Buy something from your own store on your phone. Then do it again with a discount code and a gift card. If anything feels clunky, your customers will feel it too, and they won't stick around to tell you.
2. Speed things up
Christmas shoppers are impatient. Huge images, unused apps and auto-playing videos all slow you down. Compress, tidy up and test on mobile.
3. Shout about your delivery cut-offs
"Order by X for Christmas delivery" is the most important message on your store in December. Check your couriers' last posting dates, add a day's buffer, and put it everywhere.
4. Sort your gift options
Gift cards, gift wrap, gift notes and "send to a different address" turn browsers into buyers. Shopify gift cards are built in, and they're a lifesaver once delivery cut-offs pass.
5. Plan your offers now
Decide what you're offering, when it starts and when it ends. Set up and test your discount codes in advance. A simple offer beats a clever one every time.
6. Get your emails ready
Build your abandoned basket flow, Black Friday emails and last-delivery-day reminder now, and schedule them. Then they go out while you're busy packing orders.
7. Build a gift guide
"Gifts for Dad" or "Stocking fillers under £20" makes life easy for shoppers who don't know what they want. Gift guides work hard in emails, on social media and in search too.
8. Check your stock
Look at last year's numbers and talk to your suppliers now. Nothing hurts like your best-seller selling out on 1 December.
9. Extend your returns window
Lots of stores accept Christmas returns until the end of January. It removes a big worry for gift buyers, and it can turn a maybe into a yes.
10. Don't make big changes in December
New theme? Big redesign? Save it for January. Freeze major changes from mid-November and spend December selling, not firefighting.
Over the next seven weeks, we'll take each of these in turn. Want a head start? We'll look over your store for free and tell you exactly what to fix before the rush. No jargon, no hard sell.