Ultimate Black Friday Prep Checklist for Your Business by Adrienne of ByAdrienne and AddieRawr.
Tis’ the season to get out of the red and into the black. No pun intended! BWO is pleased to introduce our first guest post. Follow along with Adrienne, the CEO of ByAdrienne and AddieRawr. Access the ultimate checklist to make sure your business is ready for action during Black Friday and the holidays. Adrienne is a multi-talented Black creative, dedicated to crafting spaces and products that nurture mental wellness and beyond.
- Do a manual count of inventory to ensure accuracy and identify any gaps.
- If possible, set up a low-stock tracker to get notifications when best-seller products are running low.
- Stock up on basic supplies like boxes, bubble mailers, packing tape, and labels.
- Pre-pack your most popular items and bundles in advance, so you’re ready to ship quickly when orders roll in.
- Use stickers, stamps, or even hand-drawn designs to personalize plain boxes or envelopes, adding a unique touch without high costs.
- If you have local customers, consider offering free or low-cost local delivery or pickup to save on shipping costs.
- Clearly communicate shipping cut-off dates for Black Friday to manage customer expectations and avoid last-minute rushes.
- Set expectations with customers by adding a note on your website or emails, letting them know there may be slight delays in customer service due to high Black Friday traffic.
- Write or print simple thank-you notes ahead of time and include them in each package to build customer loyalty.
- Categorize your email list into segments based on past purchase behavior to target customers with personalized deals.
- Draft and schedule a bulk of marketing emails to your subscribe list to send automatically.
- Draft pre-written responses for typical customer queries (shipping delays, returns) to save time when responding to emails or social media messages.
- Give your most loyal customers a heads-up about your Black Friday deals by sending a “VIP-only” email using your basic email service.
- Schedule posts in advance with free tools like Buffer or directly on Instagram/Facebook to promote deals leading up to Black Friday.
- Install a free chatbot or live chat tool (Tidio, Facebook Messenger or HubSpot) on your website to answer basic questions instantly without needing to be online 24/7.
- Test your website’s checkout flow yourself to spot and remove unnecessary steps.
- Announce your sale with a basic landing page with a “coming soon” or “sign up for Black Friday deals” section.
- Add or update a basic FAQ section addressing shipping times, returns, and sale policies to reduce customer questions.
- Check your site on different devices (phone, tablet, desktop) to ensure a smooth user experience across all platforms.
- Make sure you offer a variety of payment options (PayPal, Stripe, etc.) and test them yourself to ensure everything works smoothly.
- Simplify your site’s navigation to help visitors find Black Friday deals easily by adding clear buttons or a dedicated tab for the sale.
This list was compiled by Adrienne of ByAdrienne and AddieRawr.