Win Black Friday Like Amazon: 4 Things You Need to Know

Amazon is the biggest name in e-commerce. For many years, Amazon became a household name when it came to online shopping. If e-commerce were a teen movie, Amazon would be the quarterback all the guys want to be and all the girls want to date. So, it’s understandable why smaller e-commerce businesses look to it as something to be inspired by – and you should 💡!

I often joke that my phone is an extension of my hand 😂. The majority of millennials do just about everything online, and we make up a large part of the core demographic of online shoppers. In fact, millennials are expected to make up 35% of all online spending by 2030. And for millennials, Amazon is at the top of the list as the go-to online shopping destination. Statistically speaking, 59% “always” or “often” head to Amazon first to start their online shopping journey. That’s a pretty impressive accomplishment, right? So, Amazon must be doing something right.

This Black Friday, if you want to win as Amazon does, we suggest you seriously consider the top 4 insights as to why Amazon is a favorite, coming straight from the horse’s mouth.

1. Engage and hook customers with early communication

First of all, you have to know that Black Friday starts long before the Friday. And you shouldn’t underestimate the power of early contact with your customers. Our data show that letting customers know as early as September or October that your webshop will take part in the Black Friday promotion could lead to doubled or even tripled conversion rates 🚀!

A simple and straightforward way is to send emails and newsletters. Until the event, consistent communication via emails helps spread the word and build up their excitement for your big blowout promotion 😍 .

To further up your game? Use Clerk to send more relevant, personalized emails on autopilot 💪 . Automating your email marketing can save precious time during a hectic period like Black Friday and free you to focus on other important tasks. Furthermore, personalizing your emails with 1:1 product recommendations makes customers feel special and valued.

P.S. Black Friday also doesn't end on Friday either! Instead, it's the beginning of the holiday shopping season, followed by Cyber Monday and Christmas 🎄🛍. So, make sure to have consistent and active communication with your customers through the holiday season.

2. Convince buyers by showcasing trust & credibility

Proven by Amazon’s success, reviews are one of the most valuable things you can have on your webshop. 88% of consumers claim that ratings and reviews have an impact on their buying decision. As for millennials, 93% of them tend to read reviews before completing a purchase online 👀. If people are buying a product and liking it enough to rave about it, other people will be more inclined to buy it as well.

Meanwhile, think about the product information on your webshop. Nobody likes to waste money, but that’s exactly what it feels like we are doing when a product isn’t exactly as expected when it arrives. Especially when the product description is unclear, misleading, or unavailable. Thus, to avoid unnecessary negative reviews, you should ensure that the product information on your site is clear and precise.

3. Surprise and delight customers with personalized recommendations

Nearly 1 in 10 millennials sometimes choose not to shop on Amazon because it's difficult to get inspired. For people who do not know what they are looking for but are simply looking to buy something, Amazon doesn't always cater to those needs.

Although Amazon has been using product recommendations since 2015, inspiration is the one thing Amazon hasn't nailed yet. But with Clerk Recommendations, you can do so! And you should use it to your advantage.

Powered by Clerk's AI-driven personalization engine, you can automatically show your visitors the product they're most likely to buy, guiding their product discovery journey in your webshop. Clerk’s personalized recommendations are automatically generated based on a number of behavioral data points (visitor's click history, order history, search history, etc.) as well as product data points (best sellers, trending, best-cross sell products, etc.).

4. Ensure a hassle-free shopping experience

The most frustrating thing (after slow Wifi) is a maze-like website that customers have no idea where to find the product they’re looking for！ The majority of customers usually know what they want when they visit a website. So, a webshop where products are “quick and easy” to find is already doing something right. That is one of the tops rated things for shoppers. But many webshops still fail when it comes to this fundamental aspect of online shopping, and consumers are not here for it. You know that they will not hesitate to move on to the next.

Take action now and optimize your internal site search function with Clerk Search. Being an intelligent search engine built just for e-commerce, Clerk Search can help you always show your customers the most relevant products and personalize their search experience.

Do you want more practical & result-driven tips? Download our Black Friday Survival Handbook right here to make this your best year yet 💰

Sometimes it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference. So take advantage of Black Friday to really grow your customer base and get free advice from our talented experts today.