The Black Friday-Cyber Monday sale is right around the corner. As you start to identify your fast-selling products, create bundle deals and categorize inventory based on discounts and more for the sale, it’s equally important to build hype around the sale beforehand.
As Shopify design and development experts, we’re here to share a BFCM marketing hack - how you can use a pre-launch page to build a buzz around your upcoming BFCM sale and sell more.
After all, you’re putting in all this hard work for your customers!
According to a study published by Shopify, BFCM saw over $1.5 billion in sales. At their peak, most Shopify merchants generated over $37 million USD in sales per hour - that’s a whopping $870,000 USD per minute!
Simply put, Black Friday-Cyber Monday is the one time you’ll see more online shoppers on your store.
The good thing is that these are consumers who are genuinely interested in making a purchase.
But the bad thing is that they are looking for the best deals and discounts to avail. With so many other stores offering competitive discounts, how do you ensure this price-sensitive shopper remains only interested in you?
By hooking their attention before the BFCM sale even begins.
Enter, a BFCM pre-launch page - it's time you add it to your Shopify marketing checklist for BFCM sales.
What is a Shopify BFCM pre-launch page?
Also known as a ‘coming soon’ page, a BFCM pre-launch page is simply a web page that you can direct shoppers to learn more about the upcoming sale. It’s your opportunity to capture their interest, even their emails and encourage them to spread the word before the actual sale.
All you need to do is give them a sneak peek into what’s lined up for the sale - be it the products, the brands or the different discounts that would pique their interest.
Here's an example of a BFCM coming soon page to create excitement around the sale:
But you’re already going to be launching the sale in a few weeks from now. So why make an effort to create a BFCM pre-launch page?
Why should you build a BFCM pre-launch page?
When you’re launching a new product, you want to create a hype around it. You do this so that when the product actually drops on the store, there’s already an audience for it. There’s already a segment of shoppers who are interested in the product and want to purchase it.
The same holds true for the BFCM sale discounts and deals. Shoppers start looking for stores that would go up on sale during the period, offering their favorite products on discount. They either wishlist items to remain ready or bookmark the web page to come back to it as soon as the sale is live.
Here’s why you should be building a BFCM pre-launch page this year:
1. It gives you a marketing headstart
Going live with BFCM discounts and deals means tweaking 90% of your website at the minimum. That takes anything from a few days to weeks and still requires continual optimization as the sale goes on.
But a pre-launch page is a single web page. You can ‘go to market’ with this coming soon page in just a few hours to start grabbing attention before competing stores do.
Need help planning out your BFCM marketing strategy? Reach out to our experts today.
2. It enables you to build an audience
Deciding which products from a brand will be included in the BFCM sale, what products you’d want to bundle and more, is time-consuming. You’ll be spending more time on product analytics to make sure you’re including products that your customers really want to purchase.
But with a pre-launch page, you don’t need to be ready with a defined product. All you need to do is give shoppers something to look forward to. Simply listing down the brands that will be on discount, will do the trick too.
You can use this opportunity to build an email list with Shopify apps like WooHoo. You could later reach out to these subscribers when the sale is live!
3. It gets you an early feedback
Every shopper is different and they’re on the lookout for deals that you may or may not even be considering. When you use a pre-launch page for your BFCM, you’re letting your would-be customers know what the sale includes and gauge their interest in it.
You can use this as an opportunity to get their feedback or ask them what else they look forward to seeing on your store. It also makes the shopper feel more valued, ensuring they come back to your store during the BFCM sale.
Simply put, a BFCM pre-launch page gives you a much-appreciated head-start to market your deals and discounts, and build an audience. All before the chaos hits the town!
But what should this pre-launch page include?
As Shopify design and development experts, we’ve worked on thousands of coming soon pages. Analyzing how different shoppers interact with different elements, we identified the key elements that make them want to interact with a brand.
What should a BFCM pre-launch page include?
A BFCM pre-launch landing page or coming soon web page can be designed based on whatever goals your business wants to accomplish from the sale. But here are a few things we do recommend adding to it:
1. Attention-grabbing content
First things first, your BFCM pre-launch page needs to hook the shopper’s attention. It should make them want to interact with your brand even before the sale is live (or maybe even subscribe to be notified). That’s where content comes in!
Make sure your web page copy grabs the shopper’s attention.
Use words that create a fear of missing out (FOMO) around the upcoming sale to make every visit to the page count. Simple phrases like ‘till stocks last’, ‘fast-selling products’, etc can really nudge a visitor to subscribe to not miss a deal.
- Popular product images
- Brands on sale
- Shipping options
- Payment options
- Product description and price (if already decided)
- Eary bird pricing (if applicable)
- Exclusive discounts or freebies (if applicable)
2. BFCM exclusive design elements
We’re all about maintaining a consistent design across your store’s pages. But when it’s Black Friday-Cyber Monday, go all out using exclusive design elements.
For example, when you’re creating a hero image, use the color black and red to create a BFCM feel. Make sure that the percentage of discount you’re going to offer stands out on the pre-launch page, using bigger font size and a contrasting color.
Pay attention to the smallest of details when it comes to making your page look more compelling. You could also choose to work with Shopify design experts to set up a BFCM pre-launch page for you, using industry best practices, in no time.
3. Countdown timer for the launch
Apart from the web page content, it is the countdown to the BFCM sale that can get online shoppers really excited. In fact, most of them are already saving up for making their biggest purchases during the sale. Join in the excitement with a countdown timer.
With Shopify apps like the Ultimate Countdown Timer, you can promote your upcoming BFCM sale. A quick banner at the top or a popup with a timer is a great way to also nudge shoppers to subscribe to be notified. Promise to let them know the sale is live even if they miss checking on the timer!
4. Implement a live chat or Messenger chat
Don’t let any visitors to your pre-launch leave without making an interaction. Use a live chat to start a conversation with them. It could be to ask what they’re looking for in the BFCM sale, what other brands they’d like you to include or if they had any questions around shipping and delivery dates.
Talking to the customer before the BFCM sale is a great way to also win their trust! Widgets like Shopify Chat and apps like Tidio make this really easy to implement.
Alternatively, you can choose to nudge conversations on Facebook Messenger. With apps like Flashchat, you’ll be able to not just start a chat with your pre-launch page visitors, but also grow your social list. You can use this list to promote your BFCM deals once the sale is live and also recover abandoned carts.
5. Option to wishlist products
The goal of a pre-launch page is not just to grab an online shopper’s attention, but also learn what they’re looking for. That’s why you need to add the option for a shopper to wishlist products from the page.
You can later use this data to create personalized campaigns on email and social media. Remind them about completing the purchase as soon as the BFCM sale is live. You can do this easily by using Shopify apps like Growave and Flits.
6. Option to pre-order (if applicable)
A lot of top-grossing stores use this tactic to turn their existing customers into a loyal community. They give them the option to pre-order items from the BFCM sale for a defined amount. This lets the store cash in on more profits and at the same time, secure sales for their products.
If applicable, let shoppers pre-order products they’re interested in. At this point, you are ahead of your competitors. The shoppers think you’re offering the best deal - so use this time to secure your sales.
7. Social sharing option
You’re using the pre-launch page to build hype around the upcoming BFCM sale on your store. Let your customers join in too by enabling them to share it on social media.
Include simple sharing buttons for major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. It’s a good idea to also add a quick incentive that will increase the participation rate in social sharing. Create a win-win situation with your customers now to drive more shoppers to your page!
8. Include shipping details
Inc Magazine conducted a survey to understand what motivated online shoppers the most. The survey states that during BFCM and the holiday season, 80% of consumers are motivated by free shipping and about 54% of consumers love fast shipping.
So if you’re offering any of the two during BFCM, be sure to showcase it on your pre-launch page. It only gives online shoppers more reasons to look out for your sale or even subscribe to be notified of when it goes live.
9. List out your payment methods
Different shoppers have different ways to shop - and that includes the way they choose to pay for the purchases they make.
List out all the accepted payment methods on your store. Even if you add this information below the fold, it shows how customer-friendly you are.
Use your previous customer data to identify the most common payment mode chosen or requested. Try to offer as many payment methods as possible to enhance the shopper’s BFCM shopping experience.
Getting your Shopify BFCM pre-launch page up and ready!
BFCM can be an overwhelming period. Not just for the shoppers who are confused between various deals being offered to them, but also businesses.
So remember, the idea is not to offer the lowest prices. It is to offer a great shopping experience and a way for consumers to get their hands on their favorite products - all without the stampede-effect we all see happening at stores in videos!
For more Shopify BFCM tips and tricks, follow our blog.
Think you have too much to juggle with and wouldn’t have time to work on a high-converting BFCM pre-launch page?
