Preparing E-Commerce Websites for Black Friday!

This year, consumers around the world are set to make purchases totalling in excess of £9 BILLION on Black Friday, much of which will be spent online. For owners and operators of e-commerce websites, it's absolutely crucial that they are prepared to deal with the massive spike in visitor numbers.

Black Friday takes place on the first Friday after the American celebration of Thanksgiving, which this year will be on Friday 25th November. Though originally solely associated with the US, the Black Friday event in which retailers offer significant price discounts on their products is now a global phenomenon.

The term 'Black Friday' (along with the now-obsolete 'Black Saturday') in this context was originally used in the early 1950s by Philadelphia police officers to describe the overwhelming congestion of people and traffic that occurred at the traditional beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Catching on slowly, the phrase became more popular by the start of the 1980s.

Merchants at this time became annoyed by the negative connotations attached to the term 'Black Friday' and sought to redefine it. They noted that retailers made most of their annual profit during the final months of the year and suggested that the meaning of the term Black Friday should relate to the fact that they would no longer be 'in the red' and would finally be 'in the black' once more.

Before the advent of the internet, Black Friday deals could of course only be found in brick-and-mortar stores. This has all changed: a survey of 500 UK consumers carried out in 2021 by Toluna found that just 22% of respondents actually visited a physical store on the day, with the remainder opting to make purchases online. The same survey also revealed that no less than 55% of respondents spent more on Black Friday in 2021 than they did in the previous year and this trend is set to continue and increase in 2022. 

With Black Friday fast approaching, e-commerce websites need to be optimised using the most up-to-date web development techniques and technologies like those provided by Brick Technology, a leading e-commerce development company. Our team of industry experts work in close conjunction to ensure that e-commerce websites offer the very best user experience, from top ranking in search engine results to exceptional internet marketing, fast loading and seamless social media integration.

Is YOUR website ready for Black Friday? If not, then it's a certainty that you will lose out to your many competitors online. Check out the Brick Technology website to find out how our comprehensive, world-class suite of services and solutions can help. You can also request a FREE audit of your current website!