For decades, Black Friday has been the biggest shopping day of the year in the United States. This has extended to Cyber Monday, which is traditionally the largest online shopping day of the year.
If you are a business owner of any size, there are some very important things to consider and remember before selling anything on Black Friday or Cyber Monday with a QR Code…
Buying Trends Have Shifted.
Over the last few years, shopping trends have changed dramatically. Consumers are doing far more research than before, with 16-25% increases in searches for products in some sectors.
And consumers also searching for products and deals sooner. Some big box retailers have been promoting their Black Friday products and services since mid-September.
Before Using QR Codes to Sell, Consider the Following:
“Inventory Balancing”
Let’s say that an electronics retailer is offering an insane deal on LED TV’s on Black Friday (get a 60-inch LED TV for $199, for example) but they only have 5 at this price point.
If consumers are not able to get the deal, they will look more unfavorably at the brand itself. This will drive your potential customers to your competition.
The bottom line: if you’re going to offer a “too good to be true” price point, you must balance your inventory to make sure you don’t run out too early.
Conversion Glitches Kill Sales
It doesn’t matter if you’re using QR Codes or buttons to checkout customers, they want to finish their checkout process quickly.
Therefore, any glitches or hiccups in your checkout process will discourage the sale, and your potential customers will go elsewhere. There are far too many other buying options for people now.
And these same people will pay a bit more for the same product if your competitor’s checkout process is easier.
My suggestion: do a “sandbox” test with your checkout process. If people can’t complete it easily and with no assistance, then you may want to investigate a new checkout processor.
Bonus tip: make sure your site has the SSL security lock in the URL bar next to your domain name. If it doesn’t, people will not buy from you because they believe your website isn’t secure.
The Best Uses When Using A QR Code To Make A Sale
QR Codes should be used for two reasons: speed, and automation.
Therefore, your QR Code (especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday) should direct people to a checkout page.
Let’s say you’re running a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal that will sell like crazy. If you’re using a QR Code to get people to that deal, then get them to that deal.
Using a QR Code to direct people to your home page or another unrelated page on your site, then you are defeating the purpose and self-sabotaging your potential success.
Remember, the name of the game here is speed. Get them to the deal immediately.
Then, your checkout process should be simple, and automated.
When you combine all of these elements (a great deal, speed, and automation), you will know that your Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday sales funnel is ready to function as intended.
Tim Burt
Inventor, The QR Market