Preparing For Black Friday and Cyber Monday

We are currently experiencing the biggest shopping season of the year. In the weeks leading up to the holidays, each and every year, the malls are filled with shoppers looking for gifts for their loved ones. But tons of shoppers are also online. Arguably, online shopping has become just as popular as the real thing. And, as a result, there are two huge days on the shopping calendar that helps retailers to take advantage of both shopping types: Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

This year, Black Friday is November 25th. Traditionally, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, Black Friday is a day when the vast majority of retailers significantly reduce their prices and extend their hours in anticipation of hordes of customers rushing through their doors – literally. Black Friday crowds have been known to be rowdy and even violent, at times.

This year, Cyber Monday is November 28th. Traditionally, the Monday following Black Friday every year is the day when online sales skyrocket. Similarly to brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday, online retailers slash their prices and often offer free shipping in order to attract consumers who would prefer to do their shopping in the comforts of their own homes. For many, Cyber Monday is a lot more convenient than Black Friday.

Both shopping phenomena were recently covered by Dani-Elle Dubé of Global News. “Retailers aren’t just accommodating your wallets; they also have your schedule in mind,” she writes, “While it’s tempting to take the day off from work (1.2 million Canadians planned to be ‘sick’ on Black Friday or Cyber Monday last year), many malls and stores will be offering early and/or extended hours for your convenience.”

Dubé goes on to note that both shopping days are well known for the sales of clothing, accessories and technology, which make up the most popular purchases. She writes that electronics, movies and tools are also often big sellers. But for consumers to take advantage of the sales offered by both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s important for them to do their research.

Dubé points out that “many retailers will actually start rolling out their Black Friday deals earlier in the week or offer ‘sneak peak’ days which are small shopping windows equipped with the deals ahead of the actual Black Friday weekend.” So this begs the question: what are you doing to ensure that your store enjoys major Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales? At Canadian POS Corporation, we have a few ideas as to how you can maximize them.

Firstly, it’s incredibly important that you are offering your customers payment options. It should come as no secret to you that most Canadians prefer paying with their credit cards and debit cards. Secondly, it’s practically become mandatory for you to sell your products online. If you want to take advantage of the ever-growing popularity of online shopping – especially in time for Cyber Monday – you’ll need a viable e-commerce solution.

Contact Canadian POS Corporation today to learn more about having your store set up with either our Countertop or Wireless POS terminals. You’ll also want to ask us about our fantastic e-commerce solution that will help you to begin selling products via your website. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-877-748-2884 or email us at info@localhost.