Black Friday 2017 – What have we learnt?
Black Friday is considered one of the busiest shopping events of the year.
Participating retailers slash their prices and lure customers with attractive offers in the run up to Christmas. For many Black Friday turns into a week (sometimes even a month!) of countless deals.
Recent IRUK Top500 research has revealed that nearly half of UK Top100 retailers had deals available on their website landing pages by Wednesday 22nd November. About 22% started their promotions a week before.
Tempting offers drive website traffic, resulting in more orders and increased online sales. For example, Hitwise noticed a 6% growth in the number of visits to their retail website (year-on-year) between November 20 and 27 with traffic peak on Cyber Monday, according to Internet Retailing. *
The Black Friday period gives retailers a great opportunity to boost sales and promote their brands, but it also puts a strain on their resources and delivery capabilities. Companies such as Amazon, Argos, Next, John Lewis and the Royal Mail are all taking on additional staff this Christmas to help them reduce pressures in the busy season ahead. **
Forward-thinking and planning ahead are key to ensure your business is well-prepared for the Christmas rush. Don’t shy away from the initial investment. Unfulfilled delivery promises and (what’s worse!) damaged orders can alienate your customers, costing you more than just money – your brand reputation is at stake too!
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes – would you be impressed if the items you ordered arrived broken or didn’t turn up in time for Christmas? This is not only frustrating but it also leaves your customers with the hassle of organising returns and potentially looking for alternative present ideas.
It’s not good for your business either as returns = more paperwork, increased labour and product replacement costs… as if the final month of the year wasn’t hectic enough already!
At Macfarlane Packaging, we can help you ensure your packaging operation is well-prepared for busy times. If you are interested in a free, no obligation packaging review or would like to speak to one of our packaging experts, contact us today: https://macfarlanepackaging.com/contact/
References
* PEAK 2017 Moving beyond Cyber Week: http://internetretailing.net/2017/12/peak-2017-moving-beyond-cyber-week/
** Which companies are hiring seasonal staff? https://www.aol.co.uk/money/2017/10/28/companies-hiring-seasonal-staff-tesco-primark-argos/