7 BFCM Boo-Boos (And How to Avoid Them)

The holiday season coming at us faster than Uncle Joe approaching the last slice of pumpkin pie. Amidst the tinsel and festive sweaters (thanks, grandma!) and mistletoe magic, lurk a pool of pitfalls that many brands fall prey to.

Mistake 1: Relying solely on discounts 

While offering steep discounts is the go-to strategy (and expected by customers) for most brands, relying solely on it is going to hurt your brand in the long run. You'll end up attracting a lot of deal hunters who often have low LTV.

Mix it up! Offer bonuses like extended warranties, informative content, or quirky deals like "buy now, get a surprise later."

Bonus tip: Match donations for every order. Two trees per sale? Or a charity donation? Sounds like a win-win.

Mistake 2: Overpromising to your customers  

Don't be that brand that promises the world but can't even deliver a city when BFCM comes around!

Exaggerating your offers and promising faster delivery (when you know you can't) can lead to a lot of frustrated customers. Stick to the truth, apologize when you goof up, set up clear expectations, and always remember the mantra: under-promise, over-deliver.

Mistake 3: Not promoting early bird offers

One of aunts starts preparing her BFCM purchase list in July. No kidding!

Help folks (like my aunt) avoid the holiday rush by offering early bird offers. Also, by launching your offers ahead of time you will be facing less competition from other brands. You'll also get an opportunity to test your offers come BFCM.

Mistake 4: Limited payment options 

If you're only accepting payment in magic beans, you're doing it wrong.

From digital wallets to credit cards to BNPL, offer a variety of payment options to cater to everyone. The last thing you want is someone who's ready to buy abandoning their purchase because they couldn't find a convenient payment mode.

Mistake 5: not optimizing your website

start planning in advance to create a BFCM theme for your website, choose what color scheme you will be going for, decide on graphics that you will be using.

Put up banners and pop ups that will clearly display your BFCM deals and offers, change the layout of your website, create a landing page especially for this category.

Optimize your website for speed and capacity lower the file size of the image without compromising the quality. use load testing and stress testing tools such as Loadimpact or gatling to ensure your website can handle traffic during the peak sale period.

Provide social proof such as ratings, reviews to show what other customers really think about your product, this builds trust and helps customer make purchase decision.

Mistake 6: Not growing your list early

You need to be aggressive with your list growth right from August. By not collecting email or phone numbers, you will miss out on the opportunity to share updates and valuable information.

Another common mistake we see is brands just with emails or phone numbers. Get additional information like preferred products to run more personalized campaigns.

Set up popups, run social media contests, or get creative with engaging ways to collect leads.

Mistake 7: Not creating follow up deals

Why wrap up the magic just because BFCM is officially over? Some of your potential customers might've missed out due to indecision, distractions, or perhaps they were just waiting for the madness to die down.

Offer extended deals, tailored follow-ups, loyalty perks, and create a feedback loop to keep the holiday spirit (and sales) alive..

Pro Tip: Segment your email list between BFCM buyers and the "Oops, I missed it!" crowd. Give the latter a second chance with exclusive deals. Many brands don’t offer post BFCM deals this leads to lost conversions of abandon cart during the initial rush and loose out in maintaining traffic in your website

BFCM doesn't have to be a white-knuckle ride of uncertainties. Understand these common mistakes, come up with ways to avoid them, and most importantly, double down on customer-focused strategies–you'll cruise through this BFCM.

Remember, it's not just about the quick wins, but building relationships that last beyond the festive season. As the confetti settles and the jingles fade, ensure that your brand's presence lingers in customers' minds, hearts, and shopping carts!