Here we go again. Black Friday.
Seems like it comes around quicker every year, doesn’t it? One minute you’re sipping cider in the beer garden, and the next – BAM – biggest shopping day of the year. Black Friday 2019 falls on 29 November, so eCommerce sites are very much on the countdown to the day many shoppers use to kick off their Christmas shopping.
There’s lots online retailers can do to prepare their site for Black Friday. Some of it’s technical, some of it’s marketing-based, and then there are the little onsite changes that can make a big difference.
Optimising your Calls To Action
Every website, not just eCommerce, should be using calls to action (CTAs) – they’re the sign posts that point users in their desired direction. Whether it’s guiding customers through a checkout process, having a prospective client get in touch, or encouraging visitors to sign up to a newsletter, a well-worded call to action has to be one of the most effective ways to help that happen.
For eCommerce sites, the action is purchase. And on Black Friday we should be expecting lots of purchases. Getting traffic to the site is one thing, but getting that traffic to convert is another, and other than making that CTA both irresistible and uncomplicated, there are other ways to optimise those all-important buttons.
1. A Call To Action should be crystal clear
Just make it look clickable. And what’s more clickable-looking than a button? Underlined text? Sure. Bright colours? Yeah, ok. But an actual ‘3D’ button? No question.
Pick a contrasting colour for your checkout button to grab users’ attention.
For secondary or less important actions, like accessing size guides, adding a product to a wishlist, or viewing delivery options, maybe go for that text link, or use a transparent ghost button. And be descriptive. If this button adds a product to the basket, then it better say Add To Basket.
2. Use social proof to persuade
People aren’t short of a deal on Black Friday, and with so much choice, there’s a risk of your site being overlooked. eCommerce sites can use social proof to help users in making a decision. Looking at other people’s chosen course of action is like asking for advice, or validation in a chosen course of action.
While a testimonial or even a case study is a great way to leverage a sort of word-of-mouth recommendation from someone, it doesn’t have to be as grand as all that. A small graphic displaying the star rating of previous customers, or a stamp from a perceived authority like an award for BEST VALUE will assure visitors of your product’s effectiveness.
3. Anchoring bias can be your friend
It’s human nature to put more weight on the first piece of information offered. But that’s no bad thing when it comes to making a big deal of a Black Friday deal. eCommerce sites can utilise anchoring with slashed prices.
You know when you’re in the sale section of your favourite high street clothing shop, and you’ve found that pair of jeans you’ve had your eye on all season? You were good as gold and didn’t splurge because they were just. Too. Damn. Expensive. Well, take a look at that price ticket and there’s a big red line through the RRP, and a new price handwritten next to it? That’s easy to recreate online. Strikethrough the original price to anchor the information and imply the discount, then include the new price next to it and voila – customers have got their bargain.
4. Make things urgent
Urgency or scarcity encourages customers to Act Now. A live countdown to a Black Friday deal, or a timer showing how many hours of Black Friday goodness is left will convince customers to add to basket. Similarly, if an eCommerce site shows when stock is low on Black Friday, customers are more likely to buy so they don’t miss out on the heavily discounted thing that they want.
Amazon has a good way of employing scarcity by showing customers will receive their item soon if they order within a certain period of time.
5. Ensure mistakes are easily rectifiable
Alleviate the risk of buyers remorse on your eCommerce website. Things change, including customers’ minds, and so communicating an easy returns process or offering free exchanges can be very persuasive. Include these little promises in some text near your CTA to banish any doubt or uncertainty about their decision to buy.
Entice and allure with optimised eCommerce CTAs
There are no guarantees in this crazy world of Black Friday eCommerce, and so blindly implementing these recommendations on your eCommerce site is probably a bit hasty. How will you know if it’s working? Or what’s working?
By split-testing, of course.
Optimising your eCommerce CTAs should deliver a simple, smooth user experience for your would-be customers, saving them a break from confusing, frantic Black Friday splurging.
