Black Friday is just around the corner — here are 5 tips to boost your holiday sales.

It won’t be long before that magical day of maximum shopping impact is upon us. Black Friday, that all-important spot on the calendar that falls on the day after Thanksgiving, can constitute an out-sized percentage of many retailers’ annual sales. Don’t let your store fall behind its competitors; incorporate these suggestions to make the most of this epic time of the year.

1. Give your customers a reason to visit or click.

If you didn’t already know it, Black Friday and the 24-hour period three days later known as Cyber Monday have recently become the two most lucrative shopping days of the year. Customers now expect to be wooed with promotions and discounts of all kinds, and you can’t afford to miss out.

To that end, put your brain to work well in advance. If you’re lucky, your point of sale system (POS) is jam-packed with reporting and data analytics capabilities that will give you facts about the products that have historically sold well. In addition, you can use its reporting features to forecast trends, ensuring that the marketing strategies you implement fit perfectly with what your customers want.

2. Get the word out in advance.

Not so long ago, businesses relied on platforms like television, radio, and newspapers for publicity. Although these remain viable options, you also need to make your presence well-known on the social media sites your customers go to often, sometimes several times a day.

For this strategy to be most effective, you must establish your brand on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. It involves more than just putting up a static page; you need to update it frequently with vibrant content that your customers feel inspired to interact with and expand upon with their own voices. By doing so, you can generate buzz about your store, new or popular products, and marketing promotions, including Black Friday specials that will make your shop one of your buyers’ first stops on the day after Thanksgiving.

3. Update your physical store and website for the season.

As soon as people click on your home page or walk past your physical store, they should be drawn in and captivated by the updated design or layout that they see. Before the holiday rush begins, do a thorough review of your website to be certain that all your links work, content is updated, and navigation is clear. Read over your shipping and returns policies, making any modifications necessary to maximize clarity and transparency.

A clutter-free, transparent website is one of the most effective chargeback prevention strategies you can adopt. After all, people will be less likely to dispute a purchase if all the terms and conditions surrounding it are straightforward and easy to understand. Making this a priority also enhances your business’s credibility, spurring more purchases and often also serving to encourage online visitors to frequent your brick-and-mortar location.

4. Start a countdown.

Sales success often hinges on creating a sense of urgency. That’s why countdowns are so popular with merchants and customers alike. Once you begin numbering the days until your Black Friday event starts, you will be creating a combined sense of urgency and anticipation that will inspire shoppers to bookmark your website or make visiting your brick-and-mortar store a priority during those busiest of shopping days.

To increase the buzz about your upcoming Black Friday promotions, remember to harness the massive power and reach of email. Send out several blasts that pique subscribers’ curiosity and encourage them to see what you have to offer. It also doesn’t hurt to sweeten the pot with time-sensitive coupons and promotions available only to people who have signed up for your email list.

5. Upgrade your POS hardware.

You already know what a powerful ally your POS system can be. Not only does it allow you to process payments with standard and contactless card readers, but it also provides you with a legion of business management tools that can streamline your entire operations.

If you are still using the same hardware that you had a decade ago, it might be time to talk with your payment processing company about an upgrade. Modern mobile card readers can vastly enhance your speed and efficiency at the cash register while simultaneously allowing you to keep your finger on the pulse of your inventory, employee productivity, and sales trends. When you have access to this gold mine of information in real time, you can adjust strategies and tactics on the fly to maximize sales without even needing to use hours of your staff’s time.

Before you know it, the holiday season will be here. Taking the time to make preparations now will help to make it one of your best ever!