BFCM Checklist for eCommerce brands

With the holiday season rapidly approaching (it's still months away, I hear ye!), there's only one thing bigger than Mr. Clause's belly–the potential of sales during BFCM. And, you don't even have to shimmy down a chimney to have a successful season.

We've got your back with a supremely useful BFCM checklist. Pumpkin spice lattes are optional (but let’s be honest, kind of mandatory)!

1. Check Inventory and restock
2. Set up lead capture popups
3. Optimize website for speed and capacity
4. Create offers and exclusive deals
5. Create BFCM sale plan - how long does the sale last, laddered discounts, etc.
6. Email/SMS Marketing plan for BFCM
7. Social Media plan + Creatives
8. Strengthen Customer Support
9. Update Website Design - BFCM specific pages
10. Update FAQ
11. Update product listings
12. Review and adjust shipping policies
13. Add Pop-ups highlighting the BFCM offer
14. Turn off regular popups and discounts
15. Update automations to be BFCM-related
16. Gift-wrapping option
17. Build suspense and buzz around your upcoming sale 
18. Give early access sales to your loyal customers
19. Express Shipping options
20. Post-BFCM follow up

1.Check Inventory and restock

You're gonna see a surge in demand during the holiday season. Ensure your inventory levels can accommodate that during BFCM. Reorder bestsellers and potential hit products in advance to avoid any stockouts.

2.Set up lead capture popups

Your email and SMS lists are going to be supremely useful during your BFCM sale. So, you might wanna go aggressive on growing your lists.

Encourage visitors to provide their email addresses in exchange for special deals or updates during the BFCM sale (make sure you tag them). Use this information to send promotional offers, product updates, and other relevant information even after the BFCM event ends.

Remember to make the pop-ups visually appealing, concise, and relevant to your brand and promotions.

3.Optimize website for speed and capacity

Compress and optimize images to reduce their file size without compromising quality. Remove unnecessary code so your pages can load faster.

Prioritize essential content above the fold (visible portion of the page without scrolling). This ensures that users see important information first, even if the page is still loading.

Also, load test your website (if even your off-season traffic is in the six digits) to ensure any last-minute debacles. Check this blog out to learn more about optimizing your website.

4.Create offers and exclusive deals

Attract your consumers by creating irresistible offers and exclusive deals. you can experiment on deals like bundle pricing - bundle similar products together and highlight the value and savings that one can not resist or you could offer free or discounted shipping. The key to creating successful exclusive offer lies in understanding your audience and making the deals genuinely appealing.

5.Create the sale plan

Develop attractive promotions and bundles exclusive to BFCM, ensuring they stand out from regular offers, compelling customers to make purchases. Outline specifics of your sale – duration, tiers of discounts, peak promotion times, and more. A structured plan helps in effective communication and execution.

6.Build the Email and SMS marketing plan

Create your email and SMS marketing plan ahead of the sale to avoid last-minute stress and chaos. Decide what kind of campaigns you intend to run, audiences, and goals.

7.Social media plan + creatives

Develop a consistent posting schedule and eye-catching visuals for all social platforms. Highlight exclusive offers and engage with your audience leading up to BFCM.

8.Strengthen Customer support

This is the time you can anticipate higher volumes of sales queries. You should be easy to reach by customers (and potential customers) at all times.

Strengthen your customer support by integrating live chat. Hire more people, train your team, extend your support hours to ensure prompt support. The last thing you want is to lose a sale because a potential customer couldn’t get an answer quickly enough.

9.Update website design

Refresh your website’s look to reflect the holiday mood. Create dedicated landing pages for BFCM deals, making navigation easier for shoppers.

10.Update FAQ

Providing readily available FAQs and resources shows that you're proactive in addressing customer needs. BFCM is a busy shopping period, and customers will likely have specific questions about deals, discounts, shipping times, return policies, etc. make sure you have updated accurate and precise information.

11.Upgrade product listings

Ensure all product details, images, and prices are up-to-date. Highlight BFCM specific deals or bundles on product pages.

12.Review and adjust shipping policies

Review and adjust your shipping policies to align with the demands of BFCM sales. Ensure that delivery times and costs are transparent. Communicate any changes clearly to customers to manage their expectations effectively.

13.Add pop-ups highlighting BFCM offer

Set up eye catching banners and pop-ups to announce your BFCM deals to grab customers attention and implement deals, discounts, and limited-time offers.

14.Turn off regular pop ups and discounts

One of the common mistakes we see a lot of brands make is have multiple offers on the website, popups, and emails.

Disable standard pop-ups and ongoing discounts temporarily during the BFCM sales to focus on exclusive offers and ensure a streamlined shopping experience.

15.Update your email automation flows

Turn off or update your regular email and SMS automations to reflect your BFCM offers and highlight specific products. The last thing you want is to confuse your shoppers by providing contradicting information.

16.Gift wrapping option

A lot of people buy gifts for the people they love during this time. Add an extra touch of joy by Introducing a gift wrapping option.

17.Build suspense and buzz around your upcoming sale 

Tease your audience with sneak peeks or countdowns, creating anticipation and ensuring they mark their calendars. Also, let subscribers know exactly when the BFCM sale starts and ends. 

18.Give early access sales to your loyal customers 

Providing early access to your loyal customers during the BFCM sale is a strategic move that not only rewards their loyalty but also generates excitement, drives engagement, and potentially boosts your overall sales and brand reputation. 

19.Express shipping options

We all tend to procrastinate (I was supposed to write this a week back ;)). Cater to last minute shoppers by offering faster delivery options so you don't lose out on those shoppers.

20.Post BFCM follow up

After the sale, engage with your customers through thank-you emails, feedback surveys, or exclusive post-BFCM deals to keep the momentum going. Recommend complementary products or related items based on customers' BFCM purchases.

This checklist is like a roadmap to achieving success during BFCM. Print this checklist out and keep it on your worktable. I hope I've given you enough for you to sleigh this holiday season 😉.