BFCM 2024: Important Features to Grow Businesses

BFCM Pre-Sale Features:

1. Countdown timer: Creation of urgency with countdown timers.
2. Exclusive deals: Offering early access to loyal customers.
3. Pre-sale notifications: Informing subscribers about upcoming deals and offers.
4. Wish Lists: Customers can save products when offered better deals.
5. Price comparisons: Open display of price differences.
6. Product recommendations: Suggestions for various related products.
7. Personalised offers: Use of customer data for targeted promotions.
8. Social media teasers: Building up hype on social media about upcoming offers and deals.
9. Email marketing campaigns: Sending targeted promotional emails.
10. Limited-time offers: Creation of scarcity.

Sale Features:

1. Discount codes: Offering some percentage-off or fixed-amount discounts.
2. Free shipping: Waiving off the shipping fees.
3. Buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deals: Encouraging bulk purchases among the customers.
4. Bundle deals: Offering discounted product combinations.
5. Gift cards: Offering bonus gift cards with purchases.
6. Price matching: Matching competitor prices and bringing about normalisation.
7. Flash sales: Offering limited-time and deeply discounted deals.
8. Scavenger hunts: Hiding the exclusive deals on-site.
9. Gamification: Creation of interactive experiences for the customers.
10. Live chat support: Providing some real-time customer assistance.

Post-Sale Features:

1. Extended sales: Continuation of offering discounts after BFCM.
2. Clearance sections: Offering off the remaining products at discounted prices.
3. Price adjustments: Allowing the price matching after purchase.
4. Loyalty rewards: Reward for repeated shopping by the customers.
5. Referral programs: Emphasis on the referrals made by the customers.
6. Survey and feedback tools: Gathering customer insights through some devices or services.
7. Win-back campaigns: Targeting the inactive customers.
8. Abandoned cart recovery: Sending regular reminders.
9. Post-purchase emails: Thanking the customers and promoting some of the related products.
10. Review and rating systems: Encouraging customer reviews and feedback.

Technical Features:

1. Fast checkout options: Streamlining the checkout processes.
2. Mobile optimization: Ensuring seamless mobile experiences as well.
3. Secure payment gateways: Protection of customer data.
4. Load testing: Ensuring site stability.
5. Content delivery networks (CDNs): Enhancement of site speed.
6. Caching: Improvements in page load times.
7. SSL certificates: Ensuring HTTPS security.
8. Browser compatibility: Ensuring cross-browser support for the customers.
9. Responsive design: Adaptation of the products according to various screen sizes.
10. Real-time analytics: Monitoring the site performances by authentic devices.

Marketing Features:

1. Influencer partnerships: Collaboration with influencers for better product advertisement.
2. Social media contests: Hosting some giveaways and contests.
3. User-generated content campaigns: Encouraging customer submissions and feedback.
4. Assisted marketing programs: Partnering with affiliates and other collaborators.
5. Email nurturing campaigns: Building strong and reliable customer relationships.
6. Retargeting ads: Targeting the abandoned cart users.
7. Lookalike targeting: Targeting similar audiences.
8. Google Ads and PPC campaigns: Running certain targeted ads.
9. Content marketing: Creating valuable, innovative and relevant content.
10. Customer segmentation: Targeting some specific customer groups.

How to maximise BFCM sales

1. Building some Pre-sale hype among the customers.
2. Providing some exclusive deals and discounts.
3. Providing seamless checkout experiences for the customers.
4. Arranging some post-sale engagement and loyalty programs for the customers to encourage them.
5. Technical optimization for scalability and security for better performance.

Pre-BFCM Preparation

1. Analyse last year’s sales data: Identification of top-selling products and customer segments.
2. Set clear goals and targets: Defining revenue, conversion, and customer acquisition goals clearly.
3. Plan marketing campaigns: Putting emphasis on email, social media, influencers, and paid advertising to hype up sales.
4. Optimise website and checkout: Ensuring mobile-friendliness, fast loading, and secure payment gateways.
5. Create engaging content: Sketching out innovative and unique blog posts, videos, and social media teasers.
6. Build anticipation: Arrange some countdown timers, exclusive deals, and early access for loyal customers.

BFCM Weekend

1. Launch sales and promotions: Informing about discounted products, bundle deals, and free shipping on a regular and early basis.
2. Send targeted emails: Regularly contact the customers about exclusive deals, reminders, and abandoned cart recovery.
3. Run social media contests: Organising giveaways, quizzes, and user-generated content campaigns.
4. Utilise paid advertising: Collaborating with Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and influencer partnerships.
5. Offer limited-time deals: Designing some flash sales, doorbusters, and scarcity-driven promotions.
6. Provide exceptional customer support: Giving various options of live chat, phone, and email support.

Post-BFCM Strategy

1. Extend sales and promotions: Continuation of offering discounts and bundle deals.
2. Send thank-you emails: Appreciate the customers and encourage repeat business.
3. Analyse sales data: Identifying areas for improvement and optimisation for future sales.
4. Refine marketing strategies: Adjusting targeting, ad creatives, and messaging to lure customers.
5. Re-engage customers: Organising some win-back campaigns, loyalty programs, and exclusive offers to regain the lost customers.
6. Plan for future sales: Right and organised scheduling of the upcoming promotions and events.

Additional Tips

1. Offering price matching and price adjustment options.
2. Providing free shipping and free return policies.
3. Creating a sense of urgency with countdown timers.
4. Using some authentic social proofs like customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials for the first-time purchasers.
5. Leveraging user-generated content.
6. Monitoring and optimising the website’s performance.
7. Utilisation of the retargeting ads.
8. Offering exclusive deals to loyalty program members.
9. Partnering with influencers, affiliates and other collaborators.
10. Analysing and keeping track of the product’s performance and its feedback from the customers.

BFCM Sales Channels

1. E-commerce website
2. Social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
3. Email marketing
4. Influencer marketing
5. Paid advertising (Google Ads, Facebook Ads)
6. Affiliate marketing
7. In-store promotions (for physical retailers)

BFCM Metrics to Track

1. Revenue
2. Conversion rate
3. Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
4. Customer retention rate
5. Average order value (AOV)
6. Cart abandonment rate
7. Website Traffic
8. Social media engagement
9. Email open and click-through rates
10. Return on investment (ROI)

Customer Retention Techniques in Businesses during BFCM

Pre-BFCM Retention

1. Exclusive early access: Offer loyal customers early access to BFCM deals.
2. Personalised promotions: Send targeted emails with personalised deals.
3. Loyalty rewards: Offer bonus points or rewards for purchases made during BFCM.
4. Win-back campaigns: Target the already inactive customers with special offers.
5. Social media engagement: Encouragement of customer interactions through contests and giveaways.

During BFCM Retention

1. Real-time support: Facility of live chat, phone call and email support.
2. Order tracking: Keep customers informed about order status.
3. Exclusive deals: Offer certain loyalty program members exclusive deals to keep the existing customers connected.
4. Bundle discounts: Encouragement of customers to purchase related products.
5. Free shipping: Offer some free shipping on orders above a certain amount to promote extra shopping.

Post-BFCM Retention

1. Thank-you emails: Send appreciation emails with exclusive offers.
2. Post-purchase surveys: Gather feedback to improve customer experience.
3. Loyalty program updates: Notify the customers about new loyalty program changes.
4. Re-engagement campaigns: Target the former customers to make a repeat purchase.
5. Referral programs: Make the customers refer to their friends and family and in return give them some discounts on certain products.

Long-Term Retention

1. Customer segmentation: Tailor communications to specific customer groups.
2. Personalised recommendations: Offer product suggestions based on purchase history.
3. Anniversary and birthday rewards: Celebrate customer milestones.
4. Exclusive access: Provide loyalty program members early access to new products.
5. Community building: Create a community around your brand through social media.

BFCM Retention Metrics

1. Customer retention rate
2. Repeat purchase rate
3. Average order value (AOV)
4. Customer lifetime value (CLV)
5. Net promoter score (NPS)

Tools for Customer Retention

1. Email marketing automation tools
2. Customer relationship management (CRM) software
3. Loyalty program software
4. Social media management tools
5. Customer feedback and survey tools

Best Practices

1. Know your customers: Understand your customer’s needs and preferences and update accordingly.
2. Communicate effectively: Personalise and timely communications.
3. Reward loyalty: Recognize and reward repeat customers.
4. Continuously improve: Gather feedback and enhance customer experience.
5. Measure and analyse: Track retention metrics and adjust strategies.

Best Practices of the Loyalty Programs in BFCM

Pre-BFCM Loyalty Program Strategies

1. Notify loyalty program members about upcoming sales.
2. Offer exclusive early access to BFCM deals.
3. Provide some bonus points or rewards for purchases made during BFCM.
4. Create a short sense of urgency among the customers with limited-time offers.
5. Segment loyalty program members for targeted communications.

BFCM Loyalty Program Tactics

1. Double or triple points for purchases made during BFCM.
2. Exclusive discounts especially for the loyalty program members.
3. Free shipping or maybe free returns only for the loyalty program members.
4. Early access to limited-quantity products.
5. Special loyalty program member-only deals.

Post-BFCM Loyalty Program Strategies

1. Send thank-you emails with exclusive offers.
2. Reward loyalty program members for referrals.
3. Offer loyalty program members early access to new products.
4. Provide exclusive loyalty program member-only content.
5. Analyse loyalty program data to improve future sales.

Loyalty Program Structure

1. Points-based system: Reward points for purchases.
2. Tier-based system: Offer rewards based on purchase history.
3. Visit-based system: Reward customers for frequent visits.
4. Subscription-based system: Offer exclusive benefits for loyal customers.

Loyalty Program Communication

1. Personalised emails and notifications.
2. Exclusive loyalty program member-only content.
3. Social media groups for loyalty program members.
4. Loyalty program mobile app.
5. Clear program terms and conditions.

Loyalty Program Metrics

1. Member retention rate.
2. Purchase frequency.
3. Average order value (AOV).
4. Customer lifetime value (CLV).
5. Net promoter score (NPS).

Loyalty Program Tools

1. LoyaltyLion.
2. Swell.
3. Loyalty Program Software.
4. Customer relationship management software.

Best Practices

1. Communicate program terms.
2. Offer relevant rewards.
3. Make redemption easy.
4. Provide exclusive benefits.
5. Continuously evaluate and improve.

BFCM Loyalty Program Examples

1. Amazon’s Prime Day exclusive deals.
2. Walmart’s Rewards Program.
3. Target’s RedCard exclusive discounts.

And various other related programs. These programs have enhanced sales during the BFCM weekend.

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