Ace BFCM with these 8 eCommerce Site Optimizations

The BFCM season is akin to the Super Bowl for eCommerce; the stakes are high. Shoppers get ready to spend and brands get ready for the influx of orders. Shipping companies get ready to deliver orders. Sounds like a smooth process right? But in reality it's not.

The planning process during preceding months to BFCM are crucial to your success. Optimizing your website should be first thing on your BFCM to-do list because when this element fails, it leads to lost customers and revenue.

As shoppers prep their wallets, you must ensure your website isn’t the weak link.

1.Site Speed

Imagine standing in a long line outside a store. Frustrating, right? Slow websites create a similar feeling.

The faster your site loads, the better conversions you're gonna have. Plain and simple!

A mere one-second difference in load times can alter conversion rates from 3.05% to 1.68%. That's a potential loss of $274 for every 1000 shoppers buying a $20 item.

Your homepage is typically the first thing that you would want to optimize but pages that are equally as important are your Product and Collections Pages, Cart Page and, Checkout Page.

Look for these particular elements when optimizing your website for speed:

• Large images or gifs (Use Tinypng or Compressor)
• Videos
• Interactive elements
• Dormant and/or unnecessary code

Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights , GTmetrics can measure the performance of your website's speed and suggests areas of improvement.

For an in-depth guide on improving site speed, check out these 15 steps by TheGood.

2.The UX Experience

Deciphering your site shouldn’t be like solving a maze. Use tools like Hotjar, Clarity, Mouseflow to analyze the screen recordings, heatmaps, scrollmaps, form analytics on your website.

These tools also offer feedback survey that collects feedback from the users. All of these combined helps you understand the overall user experience on your website.

3.Navigation Menu

Navigating between sections and collections shouldn't be a pain to your visitors. During BFCM, you'll be getting a lot of first-time shoppers, so make sure your menu behaves predictably.

A simple, easy-to-use navigation boosts revenue. Make it easy to find and use, along with clear labels for added visual aid.

It's also a good idea to add a new navigation label like "Black Friday Sale" that leads shoppers to the products that are on sale for Black Friday. You can give preview access to this page few days before BFCM sale starts, in exchange for their email/phone number or joining your loyalty program.

Note: Keep the mobile experience in mind while optimizing your navigation menu.

4.Product Page

This is one of key pages you need to focus on to improve conversions. Your product titles should be clear, descriptive and should contain relevant keywords–your shoppers know exactly what the product is and also helps people find your website from search engines.

You also need high quality photos and videos that compliment the page copy. This might be a great time to replace old photos and videos with better ones. Plus, make sure shoppers can find reviews without scrolling too much.

5.Sold Out Products

When products go out-of-stock during the BFCM sale, display them as " Sold Out ". Turn this into an opportunity by encouraging shoppers to wishlist the product so that they get notified when it's back in stock. This is also a great opportunity to grow your list.

If you know when they'll be restocked, you can add a "Will be back in X days/hours" timer on the product page.

6.Countdown Timers

Countdown timers create your FOMO. Use multiple countdown timers to let your shoppers know when the sale begins and when a deal ends. Use them in your landing pages, product pages, email campaigns to create a sense of urgency, nudging them toward a purchase.

7.Checkout Page

Do you know what's common between an overly complicated checkout page and a convoluted movie plot? They both make people lose their interests.

Baymard research says that 17% of shoppers do not complete the checkout process because it was either too long or too complicated. Use a one page checkout to simplify the buying experience.

Here is an example from Bellroy:

Use upsell/cross-sell widgets to increase your AOV. If you want more tips to optimize your checkout page, we have a whole blog dedicated to it. Check it out.

8.General Tips

• Test your website and check if every page, button, links are working as intended. Ask your friends and family to check out your website and get unbiased qualitative feedback.
• Since mobile shoppers accounted for 51% during BFCM 2022, make sure your entire site is optimized for mobile devices.
• Another common mistake we see brand make during BFCM is that they have multiple (and often, contradicting) offers at the same time. Make sure, all non-BFCM related popups, offers, and email automations are turned off during this time.

As the BFCM frenzy begins, your website holds the key to a successful holiday season. Stock up your goods and prep your team to handle a flurry of orders and customer support. Prioritize a seamless experience and you'll captivate both first-time customers and retain loyals.

Here's to selling like crazy this BFCM! 🥂