Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks you can’t help but notice that Black Friday 2017 is almost upon us.
Taking place on the 24th November 2017, (the last Friday in November), this year is set to surpass the previous two years if retailers and analysts are to be believed.
As per Black Friday 2016, retailers are keen to kick start the Christmas shopping period with some hefty discounts and great deals.
This year sees many retailers start early again, with some offering deals all week. Many brands and retailers have already hinted as to what they’re discounting, and by how much.
Newspapers, websites and savvy consumers have started advising where to get the best Black Friday 2017 deals, whether on certain types of products, or which retailers are offering the biggest discounts.
What happened on Black Friday 2016?
According to retail analysts IMRG, Black Friday 2016 saw:
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12% increase in spending compared to Black Friday 2015
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£1.23 billion spent online on Friday 25th November 2016
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£6.45 billion spent online from Monday 21st November to Monday 28th November 2016
As retailers staggered their promotions and extended their offers for longer than just Black Friday, shoppers continued to spend online during the week, not just on Black Friday itself.
Surprisingly, many retailers saw better conversion rates on the days leading up to Black Friday, than on Black Friday itself. This could be due to customers wanting to grab bargains in advance, or because they thought sites would be busier on the day.
Perhaps of interest to many retailers is that according to an Econsultancy article, Channel Advisor reported that more than 3 out 5 sales conversions took place on mobile devices.
Whilst this could insinuate that people are buying whilst on their way to or from work, or at lunch time, it’s also likely to be in response to retailers’ online adverts too.
In addition, according to emailmonday, as many as 75% of emails are opened on mobile devices, meaning that most people will open and view their emails on their mobile devices, at work and at home.
What will happen on Black Friday 2017?
Incredibly, sales are predicted to top £7 billion for the first time on Black Friday 2017.
With the increasing use and popularity of social media, consumers are potentially going to see more adverts and offers and be more tempted more often this year.
Perhaps even more purchases will be made on mobile devices as people are tempted by the adverts they see online and elsewhere, and the emails they receive.
What do you need to do to your warehouse?
As we all know, many customers expect free next day shipping, or at least the options of free shipping or next day shipping. This means that your warehouse must deliver on the promises your website, products and brand makes.
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Have items in stock, and have them on your website, and ship products out quickly so you don’t run into problems
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Ensure your warehouse is well organised, and that staff are ready to be even busier than usual is essential
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Check that your picking is as efficient as possible, that you can manage same-day orders, and that your direct courier integration will enable you to send out as many orders as needed
Your customers will appreciate that your website is up to date, and you’ve got what they want in stock. They’ll also expect an email them to let them know that you’ve despatched it, and the tracking details so that they can see where their order is.
By being well organised and having processes in place to despatch orders quickly and accurately, you should be able to enjoy Black Friday 2017, and attract more visitors and sales.
What should you do if you need help with your warehouse?
If you know that your warehouse needs to be better to cope with the expected increase in demand for Black Friday 2018, then why not read our Case Studies to learn how we’ve helped companies like yours?
We’ve helped companies to improve customer satisfaction and generate more revenue by using wave picking, sending out automatic picking and shipment notifications and returns processing.
What could we do for you?
Do you need your WMS to:
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Increase picking accuracy to 100%?
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Integrate with your courier(s) based on your own customisable rules?
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Ensure accurate stock levels across your ecommerce platforms?
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Reduce hardware and software costs by being online (SaaS)?
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Be scalable and modular so that you get what you need?
Then see how Optimiser WMS can help you.
We work alongside companies in:
So we’re confident we can help you too.
If you need new WMS software, want a better of way of dispatching orders, or are interested in how to make your warehouse more efficient, then why not see how we can help?
Contact Us on 01270 500777 today, and tell us what you need.
