Preparing your B2B ecommerce website for the Black Friday rush

Black Friday.  The day when everyone seems to lose their minds over deals?

While it started with consumers scrambling for TVs and game consoles, Black Friday isn't just a B2C game anymore. Smart B2B businesses, just like yours, are realising it's a goldmine waiting to be tapped.

Think about it: your customers are consumers too, right?  They love a good deal just as much as anyone else, even when they're buying for their business. A recent study by Sana Commerce found that a whopping 72% of B2B buyers snagged something for their company on Black Friday in 2023. That's a huge chunk of your market actively looking for bargains! So what are the benefits of getting Black Friday right for B2B businesses?

• Your sales go through the roof: You offer an amazing discount on your hottest product, and suddenly, the orders are pouring in. Cha-ching!
• New customers come knocking: Businesses who've never heard of you before stumble upon your amazing deals and become raving fans.
• Your brand is the buzz: Everyone's talking about your incredible Black Friday offers. You're the company with the deals that are too good to miss.
• That old inventory? Gone! You clear out those dusty items and make way for the new stuff, all while making a tidy profit.

To truly crush Black Friday, your B2B ecommerce website needs to be ready for the spotlight. It has to be lightning-fast, super user-friendly, and designed to turn those website visitors into paying customers.

In this guide, we'll walk you through a simple checklist to get your B2B ecommerce website in fighting shape for Black Friday. 

Pre-Black Friday ecommerce website optimisation checklist

Black Friday is just around the corner, and your website needs to be ready to handle the rush.

Think of it like getting your store ready for a grand opening – you want everything to be perfect? Here's your checklist to make sure your B2B ecommerce store is primed and ready:

Website performance

Speed and loading times

Online, speed is everything. Every second counts. If your website takes ages to load, you'll frustrate your customers and they'll likely head elsewhere. Research by Portent shows that website conversion rates plummet by an average of 4.42% for every extra second of load time (between seconds 0-5). 

Here's how to make your website fly:

• Optimise those images: Compress your images to make them smaller without sacrificing quality. Tools like TinyPNG or ShortPixel are handy when looking to optimise your images.
• Enable browser caching: This is like giving your visitors a VIP pass for faster entry the next time they visit your site. Their browsers will store some of your website data, so it loads quicker on their next visit.
• Use a content delivery network (CDN):  A CDN makes sure your website loads quickly for everyone, no matter where they are.
• Minify code: It's like cleaning up the messy code behind your website. By removing unnecessary characters, you make your website lighter and faster.

Mobile optimisation:

Let's face it, everyone's glued to their phones these days, even in B2B. Make sure your website looks amazing and works perfectly on all devices.

• Responsive design: Your website should adapt to any screen size, from a massive desktop monitor to a tiny smartphone screen.
• Mobile-friendly checkout: Make it easy for your customers to buy on their phones. Think big buttons, clear forms, and a streamlined process. No one wants to pinch and zoom their way through checkout!
• Touch-friendly elements: Ensure all buttons and links are easy to tap with a finger. No more fumbling around with tiny buttons!

Security:

Security is non-negotiable, especially when you're dealing with sensitive business information. Your customers need to know they can trust you with their data.

• SSL certificate:  It encrypts data and protects your customers' information. Look for the padlock icon in the address bar – that's your sign that everything is secure.
• PCI compliance: If you're accepting credit card payments, you need to follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). It's like having a vault to protect your customers' credit card details.
• Regular security updates: Think of these as regular health checkups for your website. Keep your software, plugins, and themes up to date to protect against any vulnerabilities.
• Strong passwords: Make sure everyone who has access to your website is using strong, unique passwords. It's like having a good lock on every door in your house.

User experience (UX) enhancements

Navigation and search:

Make it easy for your customers to find what they need on your website. Think of it like having clear signs and helpful staff in a physical store.

• Clear navigation menu: Organise your products and categories logically. It's like having a well-organised store directory that makes it easy for customers to find what they're looking for.
• Advanced search functionality: Give your customers a search bar that's powered up with features like auto-complete, filters, and faceted search. 
• Breadcrumbs: These are like a trail of breadcrumbs that show users where they are on your website and help them navigate back to previous pages. 

Product pages:

Your product pages are the key to more sales. Make them count!

• High-quality images: Show off your products with professional, high-resolution images from every angle. It's like giving your customers a 360-degree view of what they're buying.
• Detailed descriptions: Don't leave your customers guessing. Provide all the essential information about your products, including specifications, features, and benefits. 
• Customer reviews: Let your happy customers do the selling for you. Display reviews and testimonials to build trust and show off your awesome products.
• Related products: Suggest similar or complementary products to encourage your customers to explore further and maybe even add a few more items to their cart.

Checkout process:

Make the checkout process smooth and painless. The last thing you want is for customers to abandon their carts at the finish line.

• Guest checkout option: Let customers checkout without creating an account. 
• Multiple payment gateways: Offer a variety of payment options to suit everyone's preferences.
• Clear shipping information: Be upfront about shipping costs, delivery times, and options. No one likes surprises at the checkout!
• Order summary: Display a clear order summary before checkout so your customers can double-check their order and make any changes. 

Content and promotions

Black Friday landing page:

Create a dedicated landing page to showcase your Black Friday deals and capture leads. 

• Highlight top deals: Put your most enticing offers front and centre. It's like having a flashing neon sign that screams "Sale!"
• Compelling headlines: Capture attention with headlines that make people want to learn more.
• Clear call-to-action: Tell your visitors exactly what you want them to do with a clear and prominent call-to-action (e.g., "Shop Now," "Claim Your Discount").
• Lead capture form: Collect email addresses so you can keep in touch with potential customers. It's like getting their business cards for future follow-up.

Compelling offers:

Make sure your deals are truly irresistible to B2B buyers.

• Bulk discounts: Offer discounts for larger orders to encourage those bulk purchases.
• Tiered pricing: Provide different discount levels based on order value or quantity.
• Early access: Give your loyal customers a sneak peek at your Black Friday deals before anyone else.
• Free shipping: Sweeten the deal by offering free or discounted shipping. Everyone loves free shipping!

Clear call-to-actions (CTAs):

Use clear and prominent call-to-actions (CTAs) throughout your website to guide your visitors towards the actions you want them to take.

• Action-oriented language: Use verbs that inspire action, like "Shop Now," "Get Started," or "Learn More."
• Button design: Make those CTA buttons stand out! Use eye-catching colours and designs that are easy to click.
• Strategic placement: Place your CTAs strategically throughout your website – on your landing page, product pages, and throughout the checkout process.

By taking care of these points, you'll create a B2B ecommerce website that's both user-friendly and a sales machine.

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During Black Friday: Monitoring and optimisation

On the day you your website is buzzing with activity, and orders are (hopefully) flying in. Now it's time to put on your monitoring hat and make sure everything is running like a well-oiled machine.

Real-time monitoring

Don't just set it and forget it! Keeping a close eye on your website's performance during Black Friday is crucial. You need to constantly monitor the radar to make sure you're on course.

Here are the key things to keep an eye on:

• Website traffic: How many people are visiting your site? Which pages are they looking at? Are they bouncing away quickly? This will tell you how engaging your website is.
• Sales: Keep track of how your sales are doing in real-time. Are you hitting your targets? Which products are selling like hotcakes?
• Conversion rates: How many of those website visitors are turning into paying customers? This is a key metric to watch.
• Top-selling products: Which products are your Black Friday superstars? This will help you adjust your promotions and stock levels on the fly.
• Website speed: Is your website still loading quickly, even with all that extra traffic? Remember, speed is key!
• Error rates: Are there any glitches or errors popping up? You need to address these quickly before they scare away customers.

To monitor all this effectively, you'll need the right tools:

• Google Analytics: This powerful (and free!) tool gives you real-time insights into your website traffic and user behaviour.
• Ecommerce platform dashboards: Most B2B ecommerce platforms have built-in dashboards that show you real-time data on sales, orders, and inventory.
• Website monitoring tools: Consider using dedicated website monitoring tools like Pingdom or Uptime Robot to track uptime and performance.

Performance troubleshooting

Even with the best preparation, sometimes things go wrong. Be ready to troubleshoot any performance problems quickly and efficiently.

Here are some common issues and how to fix them:

• Slow loading times: Is your website suddenly running at a snail's pace? Check your server capacity, optimise those images, and make sure caching is enabled.
• Website crashes: If your website crashes, it could be that your hosting plan can't handle the increased traffic. Consider upgrading your plan temporarily or using a cloud-based hosting solution.
• Payment gateway errors: If customers are having trouble paying, contact your payment gateway provider immediately to resolve the issue.
• Inventory discrepancies: Make sure your inventory levels are accurate and up-to-date to avoid overselling and disappointing your customers.

Inventory management

Keeping track of your inventory is critical during Black Friday. You don't want to oversell and end up with angry customers.

Here's how to stay on top of your stock:

• Real-time inventory tracking: Use your B2B ecommerce platform or inventory management software to track your stock levels in real-time.
• Set up alerts: Get notified when stock levels are running low, so you can replenish them before it's too late.
• Accurate stock counts: Double-check those stock numbers! Make sure your inventory data is accurate and up-to-date.
• Communicate with suppliers: Keep in close contact with your suppliers to ensure you can restock quickly if needed.

Customer support

Providing excellent customer support is essential during Black Friday. You are likely to get more enquiries than usual.

Here's how you can be keeping your customers happy:

• Be proactive: Anticipate common questions and provide clear information on your website, FAQs, and order confirmation emails.
• Offer multiple support channels: Give your customers options! Provide support via phone, email, live chat, and social media.
• Extend support hours: Consider extending your customer support hours to accommodate the increased demand.
• Empower your team: Make sure your customer support team has the knowledge and resources they need to handle a variety of enquiries.

By actively monitoring your website, troubleshooting any problems, managing your inventory effectively, and providing excellent customer support, you can ensure a smooth and successful Black Friday for your B2B business.

Post-Black Friday analysis and future planning

Black Friday might be over, but your work isn't done yet! Now it's time to take a step back, analyse your results, and gather insights that will help to make next year's campaign even bigger and better.

Data analysis

The data you collect during your Black Friday campaign is valuable. By analysing it, you can figure out what worked well, what could be improved, and how to optimise your future campaigns.

Here are some key areas to review:

• Sales performance:
• How much revenue did you generate?
• Which products and categories were the top performers?
• What was your average order value?
• How did your conversion rates look?
• Marketing effectiveness:
• Where did your website traffic come from (e.g., organic search, email, social media)?
• Which marketing channels performed the best?
• What was the return on investment (ROI) of your marketing spend?
• Website performance:
• How were your page load times?
• What were your bounce rates?
• How many people abandoned their carts?
• How did mobile performance compare to desktop performance?
• Customer behaviour:
• Who were your customers (demographics)?
• What types of products did they prefer?
• What does their purchase history tell you?

To make use of all this data, you can use a variety of tools:

• Google Analytics: This gives you in-depth data on website traffic, user behaviour, and conversions.
• Ecommerce platform analytics: Most platforms have built-in analytics dashboards with key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Spreadsheet software: Excel or Google Sheets can help you organise and analyse your data.
• Data visualisation tools: Create charts and graphs to visualise your data and identify trends.

Customer feedback

Don't forget to obtain feedback from your customers about their Black Friday experience. This valuable information can help you identify areas for improvement and make your future campaigns even better.

Here are some ways to collect feedback:

• Post-purchase surveys: Send out short surveys to customers after they make a purchase.
• Customer reviews: Encourage customers to leave reviews on your website or product pages.
• Social media monitoring: Keep an eye on what people are saying about your brand and products on social media.
• Customer support interactions: Analyse customer service inquiries and feedback.

Use this feedback to:

• Identify pain points in the customer journey: Where are customers getting stuck or frustrated?
• Address any issues or concerns raised by customers: Show your customers that you're listening and taking their feedback seriously.
• Improve your website, products, or services based on feedback: Make changes based on what your customers tell you.
• Build stronger relationships with your customers: Show your customers that you value their opinions and are committed to providing them with the best possible experience.  

Planning for next year

Now that you have all this information, it's time to start planning for next year's Black Friday campaign.

Here are some key things to think about:

• Set clear goals: What do you want to achieve next year? More sales? More customers? Increased brand awareness?
• Refine your strategy: Based on this year's results, adjust your marketing and promotional strategies.
• Optimise your website: Implement any website improvements you identified during your analysis.
• Improve your offers: Refine your Black Friday offers based on customer feedback and sales data.
• Start planning early: Don't wait until the last minute! Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for next year's Black Friday.

By taking the time to analyse your results, gather customer feedback, and plan ahead, you can ensure that your future Black Friday campaigns are even more successful.

Conclusion: Maximising your B2B ecommerce success

Black Friday is a huge opportunity for B2B businesses to boost sales, attract new customers, and get your brand out there. But to truly capitalise on this shopping bonanza, your B2B ecommerce website needs to be ready. It needs to handle the traffic surge, provide a smooth and enjoyable experience for your customers, and ultimately, drive those sales.

By following the checklist we've laid out in this guide, you can make sure your website is prepared for Black Friday. 

• Website Performance: Make sure your site is fast, responsive on all devices, and secure. No one wants to wait around for a slow website, especially when they're trying to grab a deal!
• User Experience: Make it easy for your customers to find what they need, navigate your site effortlessly, and checkout with ease. A smooth and enjoyable experience will keep them coming back for more.
• Content and Promotions: Create dedicated Black Friday landing pages that showcases your best deals, and use compelling calls to action to encourage those purchases. Don't forget to capture those leads!
• Real-time Monitoring and Optimisation: Keep a close eye on your website's performance throughout Black Friday. Be ready to troubleshoot any issues that arise and provide excellent customer support.
• Post-Campaign Analysis: Once the dust settles, take some time to analyse your results and gather customer feedback. This will help you plan an even more successful Black Friday campaign next year.

At Comgem, we understand the unique needs of B2B businesses. Our powerful B2B ecommerce platform provides all the tools and features you need to optimise your online presence and achieve your business goals.

Ready to take your B2B ecommerce store to the next level? Book your demo today and discover how Comgem can help you optimise your website for Black Friday and beyond.