Have you decided what you’re doing for Black Friday yet?
If you’re still figuring it out, I’d start by going through your store before you decide how much to discount everything.
It’s easy to spend all your time planning the sale and writing the posts, then forget to check what happens when someone actually clicks through to shop.
Here are a few things I’d look at in my own boutique.
First, pull up your website on your phone.
Start at the homepage and try to buy something. Go all the way through to checkout.
Are you sending people to products that are in stock? Is there an old banner you forgot about? Can someone find your shipping and return information without digging around?
We get so used to looking at our own websites that we stop seeing some of this stuff.
You could put together a gift collection under $50 or feature a few outfits for holiday parties. Give people somewhere helpful to start so they don’t have to scroll through everything you sell.
Then, figure out what you’ll actually make on the sale.
If you sell a $50 item that costs you $25, a 30% discount leaves you with $10. You still have payment fees, packaging, and any shipping you’re paying for to come out of that.
I want you to know that number before you send the email announcing your sale.
Try the math with a smaller discount, a bundle, or a free gift with a minimum order. See which one gives your customer a reason to buy and leaves you with enough money to make it worth doing.
And please test your emails.
Sign up for your own list. See what shows up. If you promise a discount, make sure the code works.
Check your abandoned checkout emails, too. Someone can love what’s in her cart and still get distracted before she finishes ordering. You want that reminder ready.
You can work through these things a little at a time over the next few weeks. I’d start with the shopping test on your phone and fix whatever you run into first.
If you’d like me to take a look at your store, I offer a paid boutique store audit. I’ll go through it and help you figure out what I’d change and where I’d start.
Reply with “AUDIT” and your website link, and I’ll send you the details and price.
XOXO ❤️
Carina