Black Friday is coming: Get prepared

Planning for Black Friday already? As a small business owner, the annual pre-Christmas shopping frenzy could be your busiest time of year. It pays to plan ahead to help manage demand and maximise sales.

Here are our tips to help you get a head start and make this Black Friday your most profitable yet.

Plan ahead

It’s never too early to start preparing for peak periods. Evaluating last year’s sales and strategy and looking for ways to improve year-on-year should be a regular business task.

Use income and expenditure figures from the past few years to help you accurately forecast your cash flow. 

But don’t forget variable factors that might be outside of your control. What’s happening in your industry and the wider economy? This knowledge should be factored in when planning. Do you have a contingency plan in place if demand is higher, or lower, than previous years?

Look for new opportunities

Using what you’ve learned from previous years will help you learn what’s working – and what’s not. Consider the following when looking for new revenue streams:

• What was your weak point last year? How can you improve on it this year? 
• What were your competitors doing? Can you incorporate their successes in your planning?
• Has the wider market and current trends opened up any new areas to expand into?
• What are your customers looking for this year that may be different to last year’s demand?
• Are there any gaps in the market where you could introduce a new product or service to add value?

Stock up early

Consider your stock needs ahead of time and make sure you have enough stock to cover demand. Talk to suppliers early and shop around to secure the best deal. Often if you pay upfront or buy in bulk, suppliers are willing to offer a discount. 

Of course, having the necessary cash flow to help you seize opportunities is essential. It’s not often small businesses have the resources to buy in bulk, which is where FlexiPay comes in. You can use FlexiPay to pay upfront for larger purchases, then choose how you spread the cost by repaying in instalments.

Pin down a marketing plan

Standing out in a crowded marketplace is more essential than ever during Black Friday when everyone is competing for the same sales.

Decide your offer and make a clear plan for conveying it. What is it you’re offering customers? And why should they choose you over your competitors?

You may decide to have a different offer for loyal, existing customers and another for new customers, so consider your marketing channels. Either way, get in early with an irresistible offer that sticks in people’s minds and a strong, clear call to action.

Test Meta ads early to maximise ROI

Online advertising is driven by supply and demand, which means prices surge in the run-up to Black Friday and Christmas. 

It could pay to experiment with Meta ads well before your industry’s busiest period. Experiment with copy, creative and audiences to find the ad that performs best for your business. That way, you can hit the ground running. 

Once you know the ad that delivers the highest ROI (return on investment) for your business, you’re in a good position to maximise ad spend come Black Friday. 

Optimise your website for sales 

Is your website optimised for both mobile and desktop? This is often overlooked by small businesses, but is key to making your customer’s journey as seamless as possible.  

Is checkout as clear and simple as possible? Are you upselling or offering incentives for people to increase spend (e.g. free delivery or refer-a-friend bonuses)? 

Understand your customers’ journey by looking at the data. Are you getting traffic but no sales? Do you get a high number of abandoned carts? At what point are potential customers dropping off?

Investing in your website ahead of time will maximise your conversion rate, ensuring potential customers lead to sales for your business.

Prepare to hire extra staff or outsource 

If you’ll need extra staff or services to fulfil increased demand, have a plan in place for this early. To secure your preferred people, you could consider a retainer structure or offer them an upfront deposit payment.

Spread the cost 

Small business cash flow is constantly in flux, which makes investing for Black Friday preparations a tricky balancing act. 

Ideally, you would put aside a percentage of your annual Black Friday revenue to help plan for next year. But we all know running a small business can be far from ideal.

That’s where Funding Circle comes in. Designed exclusively for small businesses, our products could help you maximise Black Friday sales.

• FlexiPay – let’s you pay upfront and then choose how you pay back.

• Cashback business credit card – with cashback on all your business spend, you could increase your chance of saving ahead for next year.
  
• Shorter term loan – a quick injection of funds, just when you need it.

• Asset finance – If you’re looking to buy a specific asset to help fulfill your Black Friday orders or take advantage of new opportunities, most people get a cheaper deal with asset finance than a term loan.

If you are wondering which product would best help you maximise sales this Black Friday, check online in minutes. 

04/08/25: While we want to help as much as we can, the information found here is provided solely for informational purposes and should not be considered financial or legal advice. To the extent permitted by law, Funding Circle does not accept any liability for any loss or damage which may arise directly or indirectly from the use of, or reliance on, the information contained here. If you have any questions, please speak to your professional adviser or seek independent legal advice.