Black Friday is coming faster than you think. And let’s be honest – when it comes to eCommerce, this is THE moment of the year. Shoppers are hunting for the best deals, shopping carts are filling up in seconds, and online stores either thriving or struggling.
Every year, billions are spent in just a few days. If your store isn’t prepared, you could miss out on the biggest revenue opportunity. Imagine your website loading fast, your products looking irresistible and your campaigns running smoothly. That’s the dream, right?
The good news? It’s not just a dream. With the right checklist and a touch of personalization magic, you can turn Black Friday chaos into record-breaking sales.
Follow this step-by-step Black Friday eCommerce checklist and don’t forget to activate Aqurate’s special Black Friday offer – 35% off for your first 2 months, available until October 15th. Ready? Let’s go!
Before we dive into the details, think of this checklist as your Black Friday survival kit. It covers everything from technical essentials to creative campaigns and, of course, smart personalization with Aqurate Personalize. Each step builds on the last, helping you prepare your store not just for a single sales day, but for long-term growth.
Let’s break it down.
Speed is money. If your store takes more than a few seconds to load, you lose potential buyers. Start by testing your hosting capacity and making sure your site can handle the inevitable traffic spikes. Black Friday is not the time for downtime.
Mobile experience is another critical point. If your mobile checkout feels clunky, shoppers will drop out before buying. Optimize your UX, simplify the checkout flow, and make sure payments, shipping methods, and coupons work flawlessly. One broken link or payments error can cost you hundreds of sales.
So, to make sure your store runs smoothly during the busiest weekend of the year, double-check these essentials:
Your products are the stars of the show. This means polished descriptions, updated visuals, and crisp photos. Make sure every product page screams “buy me now.”
Dedicated landing pages for Black Friday offers are a smart move. They focus the customer’s attention and help you highlight bundles, top discounts, or limited-time deals. Combine them with scheduled homepage updates and banners so everything goes live at the right time. Think of it as decorating your storefront for the busiest shopping day of the year.
Shoppers can’t resist great visuals and clear product information, so make sure everything looks its best:
Black Friday without marketing is like a party without invitations. You need to spread the word early.
Start with email campaigns – teasers to build hype, early access for loyal customers and reminders during the event. Email still delivers some of the highest ROI, so use it wisely.
Don’t forget remarketing campaigns on Meta and Google Ads. Users will browse multiple sites before making a decision, so it’s important to stay top of mind. Refresh your ad creatives, adjust your budget to meet higher demand and make sure your messages are bold and clear. When everyone is shouting, you need to stand out.
To wrap this up, here’s what you should check off:
This one’s obvious – shoppers expect discounts. But how you set them up matters. Prepare discount codes in advance and automate promotions where possible.
Don’t just reduce prices – think strategically. Tiered discounts (“buy more, save more”), bundles, or early-bird deals can boost your average order value. And while you’re at it, enable abandoned cart recovery emails. They’re a lifesaver for attracting customers who get distracted and forget to complete their order.
Your discount strategy can make or break your sales, so prepare smart offers in advance:
Here’s where you can really differentiate your store. Aqurate’s widgets give your customers personalized recommendations that make shopping easier and more exciting. Think of it as having a smart assistant on your website that guides each shopper to the right products.
And the timing couldn’t be better: Aqurate is offering 35% off for the first 2 months if you sign up before October 15th. That means you can test personalization during the busiest shopping season at a much lower price.
The result? Higher conversions, larger carts, and happier customers. Exactly what you want during Black Friday.
Here’s how to get there in a few simple moves:
Black Friday isn’t a one-day sprint—it’s a marathon. The stores that win are the ones that start preparing weeks (or even months) in advance. If you leave everything to the last minute, you'll end up with rushed campaigns, technical problems, and missed opportunities.
When you plan ahead, you give yourself time to test, optimize, and refine. From server capacity to ad creatives, everything needs to be tested. That way, when traffic spikes, you’re confident your systems can handle it. Early preparation also gives you the chance to experiment - whether it’s trying out new remarketing strategies, adjusting your discounts, or running small-scale A/B tests on your website.
Think of it like training before a big race. The better your preparation, the smoother your performance when it counts.
Peak season traffic is a blessing and a challenge. Customer acquisition costs (CAC) have been climbing steadily, while margins are getting thinner due to rising ad costs and aggressive discounting. At the same time, more visitors mean more potential buyers—but only if you can quickly guide them to the right products. That’s where Aqurate stands out.
By adding personalization layers to your store, Aqurate helps customers discover the products they actually want, instead of overwhelming them with endless options. Personalized widgets, dynamic recommendations, and personalized emails all work together to keep shoppers engaged and buying.
Moreover, a seamless user experience combined with intelligent cross-sell and upsell strategies can tip the scales in your favor. A smooth checkout flow, personalized recommendations, and relevant product bundles don’t just improve the shopping journey - they directly increase conversion rates and boost average order value (AOV).
The result? Not just higher sales during Black Friday, but also higher margins and long-term improvements in customer loyalty and satisfaction. Because once someone experiences a smooth, tailored shopping journey, they’re much more likely to come back.
So, as you go through this checklist, remember: technology is your ally. And with Aqurate’s limited-time offer, you can set up personalization now and ride the Black Friday wave like a pro.