What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. It marks the official start of the gift-giving season for retailers and shoppers alike. The Black Friday weekend is followed by Cyber Monday, another day of deals focusing on e-commerce.

There is typically a surge in spending as customers utilize Black Friday deals to start checking things off their shopping list in earnest. Many businesses offer promotions specific to Black Friday as incentives for shoppers. The result is often an extremely busy day for retailers, which is why good preparation is so important.

What Black Friday means for businesses

Black Friday through Cyber Monday is one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. This gives businesses an opportunity to get a jump on their end-of-year sales goals.

You may use the day to offer low prices on overstock inventory or doorbusters on seasonal items. Some retailers offer significant discounts on best-selling brands or products. Tactics like these often result in a large spike in sales.

Preparing your business for Black Friday

Starting Black Friday preparations in advance can help you start the holiday season off right. Here’s what you can do to get ready for the after-Thanksgiving rush.

Start early

It’s never too early to start planning for Black Friday. Many businesses start their preparations months in advance, crafting a marketing strategy, plotting promotions and growing their online presence.

Advance planning can help you stay on track to have a successful Black Friday. Whether it’s hiring seasonal team members or advertising post-Thanksgiving deals, an established schedule can ease the strain of the busy season.

Consider starting your Black Friday preparations in the summer or early fall. This can mean identifying the previous year’s challenges or even making a to-do list and prioritizing tasks accordingly.

Take stock of your inventory

An influx of customers means you’ll have more sales opportunities. To take advantage of these, make sure your business is fully stocked before Black Friday.

Looking at Black Friday sales data from previous years can show you which items are the most sought-after during the holiday. Then, you’ll have a better idea of which items you should fill your shelves with.

Inventory management is best done well in advance of Black Friday to ensure your stock arrives with time to spare. This can also prevent holiday shipping delays from threatening your performance.

Promote holiday deals

Offering Black Friday deals can be a good way to drive sales during the holiday. But promoting these deals in advance allows customers to add your business to their shopping itinerary. With countless businesses looking to capitalize on Black Friday, inadequate promotion puts your deals at risk of getting lost in the noise.

Social media can be a good way to spread the word, especially if you’ve already built up an online presence. If you haven’t, now is the time to start developing a strategy for your business.

Local ads can also prove effective in getting customers excited about your Black Friday deals. Listing upcoming sales on your website may attract shoppers already expressing an interest in your products.

Consider extending hours

With more people out shopping on Black Friday, extending your hours can be a good way to drive as much business as possible. Opening your doors earlier than usual gives you a head start on the day, and closing later means you’ll be ready for the evening crowd.

Some businesses stick with extended hours all season long. This can mean early openings on the weekend or later closing hours throughout the week. While extra business hours can help you make the most of Black Friday, they can also boost sales until the gift-giving season is over.

Hire seasonal staff

When holiday shopping hits, you’ll need all staff ready to help. But even with your whole team assisting, you might need some extra help during the seasonal rush.

Hiring seasonal workers can help you avoid the strain that comes with an influx of customers. Plus, it’ll place less pressure on your existing team, reducing stress and preventing burnout. A bigger team can make it easier to extend holiday hours and keep your shelves stocked when sales rise.

Start looking for seasonal employees well in advance of Black Friday. This gives you time to provide training while helping them get used to their positions before the year’s busiest shopping day.

Provide Black Friday training

Black Friday isn’t like typical business days. To prepare your team, it’s a good idea to set aside extra training time—for seasonal and year-round employees alike.

A big part of Black Friday training is getting your team ready for potentially large crowds. Letting your employees know what to expect and where to turn to for help can prevent them from feeling overwhelmed by the holiday.

Teaching employees how to recognize suspicious activity can reduce theft and keep losses from undermining holiday sales. Making sure everyone knows the return policies can also prevent return fraud that may slip by a brand-new team member. Depending on your business, you may even want to look into hiring security.

Keep expectations clear for those who are working Black Friday. As a leader, this means communicating with your team and delegating responsibilities effectively. This can reduce the chaos and stress that can develop when things get busy.

Prioritize customer service

Customer service is valuable every day of the year, but it’s particularly important on Black Friday. The influx of shoppers means you’ll likely see an increase in first-time customers. Providing them with a good experience makes them more likely to return when the holiday is over.

Let your team know that customer service is a top priority, no matter how busy your store gets. Teaching your team how best to handle upset customers can prepare them for shoppers already feeling the pressure of the season.

Fill your schedule

Black Friday may be overwhelming and overstimulating for some team members. Once you’ve hired your seasonal staff, make sure to fill the schedule over the post-Thanksgiving weekend.

Additional staff can help work the Black Friday crowds, restock merchandise and generally provide support where it’s necessary. Plus, it’ll prevent your experienced team members from absorbing too much pressure.

Prepare the space

Setting up your space can help you manage big crowds on Black Friday. If you expect lots of foot traffic, consider rearranging to widen walk spaces. This is also when you should put up signage advertising any special in-store deals.

Some businesses offer perks like free drinks or snacks to drive customers inside. Putting seasonal items and top sellers front and center may boost sales of promotional items.

Show your team some appreciation

Once Black Friday is over, make sure your team knows just how much you appreciate their service. Whether it’s giving them a small gift or planning a holiday party, employee appreciation helps employees feel valued and promotes workplace engagement.