The holiday season is the biggest opportunity of the year for ecommerce businesses. In 2023, EU Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) sales reached approximately €8 billion, marking a 10% growth from the previous year. If you want to maximise your sales and stand out in this competitive market, early planning is non-negotiable. With spikes in online traffic expected across major events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas, having a solid strategy in place will set you apart from the competition and help you avoid the chaos that comes with last-minute preparations.
Success starts with setting clear goals. Whether you’re aiming to increase revenue, boost your average order value (AOV), or expand your customer base, a focused approach will give your store the best chance to thrive during this busy season. Here are the key dates to mark on your calendar and build your strategy around:
- Black Friday: 29 November
- Cyber Monday: 2 December
- Christmas period: 10-25 December
By preparing early, you’ll not only have the flexibility to manage the increased demand, but also the ability to capitalise on key opportunities to boost sales. Ensuring your store is equipped with the right tools and solutions, like Montonio’s seamless shipping and payment integrations, can make all the difference in handling the surge while enhancing your customer experience.
Store preparation
The key to a successful holiday season is making sure your store is prepared to handle the increased demand and traffic. From stocking your inventory to optimising your website’s performance, now is the time to set the foundation for a smooth and profitable Black Friday and Christmas.
Optimise inventory and supply chain
Stockouts can quickly turn a potential sale into a missed opportunity. To avoid this, it’s crucial to ensure you have sufficient inventory of your best-selling and high-demand items. Begin by analysing last year’s sales data to forecast which products are likely to move fast this year. But with global supply chain disruptions becoming more common, flexibility is key—order early to mitigate delays, and have a backup plan in place to respond to unexpected supply chain issues or demand spikes.
Keep in mind that Black Friday deals often prompt consumers to make larger purchases. Last year we noticed people were buying more expensive products on Black Friday: the average order value in Estonian and Latvian online stores increased by 20% and in Lithuania, the increase was a whopping 70% compared to a regular Friday. So for your ecommerce store, this means having the right stock levels could significantly impact your holiday revenue.
Prepare your website for a traffic surge
It’s not just your inventory that needs attention—your website is about to become the busiest part of your store. With mobile shopping dominating ecommerce (over half of Black Friday purchases in Europe are now made on mobile), optimising your website for mobile-first users is critical. Conduct stress tests to ensure your site can handle the holiday traffic without slowing down or crashing. Slow load times and technical glitches could lead to high bounce rates and abandoned carts, so make sure everything runs smoothly before the rush begins.
Optimise your site’s loading speed and streamline the user experience, particularly during checkout. A cumbersome checkout process can lead to frustrated shoppers and lost sales, especially when consumers are ready to spend but face unnecessary barriers. Make use of tools like one-click checkouts, digital wallets, and fast payment methods like Apple Pay or Google Pay, which saw significant increases in usage during Black Friday 2023.
Marketing
Effective marketing during the holiday season can make all the difference when it comes to standing out in a crowded ecommerce space. By leveraging email and social media, and crafting irresistible offers, you can drive traffic and boost conversions throughout Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas.
Email and social media marketing
Building anticipation is key to a successful holiday campaign, and email and social media are your most powerful tools to do just that. Start early with teaser campaigns to create excitement. A countdown to Black Friday or sneak peeks at upcoming offers can stir curiosity and keep your brand top of mind for customers planning their holiday shopping.
- Email segmentation allows you to target your most loyal customers with exclusive early access to sales or personalised discounts. Customers who have purchased from you before are more likely to convert again, so offer them something special, like a VIP discount or a first look at your best deals.
- Automated email sequences can help you maintain engagement throughout the season, from reminders of limited-time offers to cart abandonment follow-ups. Many ecommerce platforms offer free plugins or built-in tools to set up these follow-up emails, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to recover lost sales or boost customer satisfaction after an order.
- On social media, engagement is key. Use platforms like Instagram and TikTok to share behind-the-scenes looks at your upcoming offers, post countdowns to key sales days, and collaborate with influencers to extend your reach. Leverage social proof by encouraging user-generated content or running contests and giveaways to build excitement. Make sure your messaging feels urgent but not overwhelming, encouraging followers to act before your best deals disappear.
Irresistible offers
The holiday season is a time when customers expect serious savings, so your offers need to stand out. Start by crafting deals that go beyond the standard discount—consider bundling complementary products or offering BOGO (Buy One, Get One) deals to increase your average order value (AOV). For example, a 30% discount might be enticing, but a bundle of products with a combined value that feels like an even bigger steal could motivate more significant purchases.
Flexible payment options like Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) can be a game-changer for increasing sales, especially for high-ticket items. With platforms like Montonio Pay Later, customers can spread out the cost of their purchases over time, making it easier for them to commit to larger orders. This not only boosts conversions but also opens the door for higher-value transactions.
By planning your offers strategically and combining them with engaging email and social media campaigns, you’ll create a sense of urgency and excitement that drives customers to act quickly, ensuring your store stands out during the most competitive shopping season of the year.
Where Montonio comes in
Montonio provides ecommerce businesses with the tools they need to navigate the holiday season with ease, offering solutions that streamline both payments and logistics. As your store prepares for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Christmas rush, here’s how Montonio can help:
Shipping
Montonio’s shipping integration makes managing logistics during the holiday season easy and efficient. With a unified checkout solution, you can handle both payments and shipping from one platform, streamlining your operations. Montonio allows you to print shipping labels directly from your store’s admin panel and supports multiple carriers like Omniva, DPD, and Venipak. This eliminates the hassle of switching between systems and ensures that your customers receive their orders quickly and reliably.
No matter where you’re shipping to, Montonio’s trusted delivery partners ensure fast, localised delivery options that enhance customer satisfaction. With an easy setup process and seamless shipping management, Montonio allows you to focus on fulfilling orders efficiently during the busiest time of the year.
“Montonio gives customers a lot of comfort and security. For example, an automatically sent tracking code helps to save a lot of time and creates trust in customers.” – Kerit, Owner, Voluhaldjas.ee
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)
In Estonia, Montonio’s Pay Later service by Inbank empowers your ecommerce business to offer flexible, interest-free payment plans—an option that’s becoming increasingly popular among consumers. In fact, BNPL usage has surged, with statistics from Inbank revealing a threefold increase in both the volume of contracts and the number of transactions in Estonia this year alone. The current economic climate, along with rising consumer spending, has fueled the demand for BNPL solutions as customers look for ways to manage larger purchases without upfront financial pressure.
For ecommerce stores, offering BNPL as a payment option can significantly increase both conversion rates and average order value (AOV). Shoppers are more likely to complete purchases of higher-ticket items when they know they can spread out payments over time without additional costs. According to Inbank, the average purchase amount using BNPL in Estonia has reached €551, underscoring the role this payment method plays in driving larger transactions. By making big purchases more accessible, ecommerce stores can not only boost holiday revenue but also attract a wider audience of cost-conscious consumers.
Montonio’s Pay Later service integrates seamlessly with your existing checkout process, offering customers a flexible and user-friendly way to manage their spending while helping your store capture more sales during the busiest shopping season of the year.
Cards and payment methods
Montonio supports a wide range of payment methods, giving your customers the flexibility to pay in the way that suits them best. From traditional options like SEPA, Visa, and Mastercard to the increasingly popular BLIK payment system in Poland, Montonio ensures your store is equipped to cater to diverse customer preferences.
During peak shopping seasons like Black Friday and Christmas, offering a range of payment options can reduce friction at checkout and decrease abandoned carts. Montonio’s integration with alternative payment methods like Apple Pay and Google Pay also ensures that your mobile-first shoppers can check out quickly and easily, further improving your conversion rates.
With transparent fees and fast settlement times, Montonio helps your business stay agile during high-volume periods, allowing you to meet demand without worrying about payment delays or hidden costs. This agility is key to maintaining a competitive edge during the busiest shopping days of the year.
“We can say that every month we have saved 1000 EUR with Montonio. The fact that all payment and delivery solutions are conveniently together and work flawlessly has certainly helped to focus on other more important problems and challenges.” – Karl, CEO, Medpoint.ee
By partnering with Montonio, you’ll be fully equipped to handle the holiday rush, offering your customers an exceptional shopping experience while ensuring your operations run smoothly. Whether it’s fast and reliable shipping, flexible payment plans through BNPL, or a broad range of payment methods, Montonio has the solutions you need to make the 2024 holiday season your most successful yet.