Learn from past experiences and forecast accordingly. Crucial considerations include stock levels and the robustness of IT platforms, onward supply chains and delivery capacity.
Identify points of vulnerability in the journey of goods from you to your customers – and secure them. Key touchpoints include warehouse layout, systems, resources and manpower.
Extra manpower can be crucial in periods of increased orders, but it’s no panacea. Do you have the facilities and space to accommodate them? Do the staff have the skills you require?
Negotiate discounts with suppliers if you think you’ll sell high volumes of certain goods. It’s also an opportunity to sell off excess stock that hasn’t sold well in the past.
If you haven’t taken part in Black Friday before, have a look at how your rivals have made the most of the event. If they can do it, so can you!
Communication is crucial, both in terms of keeping your customers up-to-date on their deliveries and interacting with your partners.
Monitor social channels to respond to questions and deal with complaints. Quick responses will nip problems in the bud; you may even make more sales along the way!
Black Friday is part of the trading build up at Christmas. Use it as an opportunity to develop your strategy during the festive spike.
If you don’t have the resources to guarantee a golden Black Friday, entrust an expert. A fulfilment company will have the warehouse space, staff and knowledge to handle peaks.
By using national postal networks with full traceability – like Asendia’s Fully-tracked Goods service – customers are given full confidence that their goods are on the way and returns are greatly reduced.