Cyber Week is always a milestone period for ecommerce merchants—but 2022 was a record-breaking year. Last year, according to Adobe Analytics data, ecommerce customers spent an unprecedented $11.3 billion on Cyber Monday alone.
That’s a year-over-year increase of 5.8%. To put it in even more mind-boggling terms, shoppers were spending $12.8 million per minute during the peak hour of Cyber Monday.
With every year breaking new milestones, one thing is certain: It’s key to prepare for the surge in orders. And in order to set your store up for success come the holiday season, now is the time to start planning.
Of course, to-do lists for the holiday season are always overwhelming—whether you’re a business or a consumer. In this article, we’re focusing on three technical strategies to lay the groundwork for a successful 2023 Cyber Week.
Key takeaways
- The days surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday are a key selling period for ecommerce merchants.
- Merchants often see large spikes in their sales during this period.
- To set your brand up for success, the time to prepare is now.
Use these 3 tactics for your best ever Cyber Week
Preparing for Cyber Week is both an art and a science. In addition to the creative marketing strategies necessary to set your brand apart, it’s also key to have the right technical strategies in place to ensure that you have all the functionalities you need for the busy season.
Below, we’ll cover three main areas to focus on to get the most value possible out of Cyber Week 2023.
1. Think like a gifter—and update your offerings accordingly
Throughout the year, it’s important to center your customers’ perspectives. However, this is never more true than during the holiday season. After all, people aren’t just shopping for themselves during this time—they’re also shopping for multiple loved ones.
This raises the stakes of a good shopping experience, and creates not just one, but two potential loyal customers to return to your business if things go well. Here, it’s crucial to focus on the unique aspects of gifting, and the ways you can create positive experiences for both gift-givers and receivers.
For example, do you offer customers the ability to gift a prepaid subscription so they can set up recurring deliveries for a loved one? And on the note of subscription gifts, Recharge’s gift a skipped shipment feature allows your customers to give a single subscription delivery as a gift instead of skipping it. The sooner you offer this functionality, the sooner subscribers can get familiar with it and take advantage of it over the holidays.
By setting up these types of technical solutions and features now, you lay the groundwork for your customers to win at gift-giving later in the year.
2. Provide the right assortment of products
When it comes to gift-giving, the product itself is just one factor. Will the product arrive on the recipient’s doorstep just once, or is it available on subscription? Is the product packaged with other similar items that pair well together? Factors like these can all impact the giftability and perceived value of your offerings.
Research shows that subscription brands experience monumental growth during Cyber Week. Our State of Subscription Commerce report found that in 2022, subscription merchants saw 41% growth in new subscribers across all the days between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Offering the right products via subscription is crucial for Cyber Week success—but not every shopper will want to subscribe. If an item might work well as either a subscription or a one-time purchase, make sure shoppers can choose either option depending on what works best for their loved ones.
Finally, product bundling is a powerful way to add value for your customers. You can either offer curated product bundles—such as a special holiday assortment of your products, or a grouping of your bestsellers—to save shoppers time sifting through your catalog. Or, you can enable customers to build a box with the exact items they want in their bundle for ultimate flexibility.
Offering your customers this type of flexibility can go a long way in encouraging both gift-givers and receivers to return to your business.
3. Nail your inventory & shipping strategies
One of the most stressful parts of holiday shopping is ensuring orders arrive on time. Many people often delay their holiday shopping until the final hour. Therefore, it’s critical for your business to plan ahead in this way even when your customers don’t.
Now is the time to start offering an abundance of flexible shipping options that get deliveries to their destinations in short order. Expedited shipping options are a no-brainer, but it doesn’t end there. Think about other ways you can offer your customers more options for shipping and delivery during the holiday season. For example, consider offering local delivery and pickup options for shoppers in close proximity.
Another major factor to consider is your order fulfillment process. If one item in an order is out of stock, will the rest of it still ship on time? Implementing partial order fulfillment now can save both your business and customers a headache during the busy holiday season.
Plan ahead to stay ahead
By planning ahead for the holidays now, your business will be in the best possible position for Cyber Week 2023. Looking for other ways to maximize your holiday sales? Check out these tips for making the most of Recharge Analytics for the holidays, reducing your fraud risk during the busy season, and planning for upcoming holiday trends.
