Black Friday, known in Poland as 'Czarny Piątek', is one of the biggest shopping events in the world. It has its roots in the United States and indeed still has the greatest momentum there. In our country, Black Friday is much more modest than in the USA, but highly anticipated by consumers.
Black Friday - what is it?
Black Friday is a shopping event that falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It's a day when shops sell off their product range at lower prices - up to 90% off in the US! Black Friday around the world takes place on the fourth Friday in November.
Black Friday - some history
Black Friday sales got their start in 1961 in Philadelphia, but there are two versions of the event's history. One says that the name Black Friday comes from the colour of the ink used to fill the account books. Red meant losses and black meant profits - on a sell-out Friday the ledgers were written in black. Another theory is that the name Black Friday comes from the increased traffic on the roads, with Americans crowding home after Thanksgiving.
We have been talking about Black Friday in Poland since 2012, when PayPal for the first time made available the option to pay with Polish currency when shopping on foreign websites.
Black Friday when it falls
In 2023, Black Friday falls on 24 November. It's the perfect opportunity to clear out warehouses of backlogged merchandise before the Christmas deliveries - and that was the original idea behind Black Friday. However, many corporations in our country have used this moment to artificially inflate prices.
This year, the day of crazy sales will look very different from before. All because of the Omnibus Directive, which aims to combat unfair practices among corporations that artificially raised prices before Black Friday, only to lower them later.
Cyber Monday
Black Friday has evolved in recent years - we now have a whole Black Month or Black Week. However, the most popular accompanying event has been Cyber Monday, which falls on the last Monday of November or the first Monday of December. Initially, Black Friday was a sale in stationary shops and Cyber Monday was the response of online shops. Today, however, Black Friday takes place both offline and online.
How to prepare for Black Friday - retailing and dropshipping
As an online retailer during Black Friday, you can generate really good profits. All you need to do is prepare your shop well for the event.
First of all, start with your stock - make sure you have enough stock in your warehouse even for very high demand.
The next step is to optimise your shop - it is essential to make sure that your website is prepared for the higher loads associated with more customers wanting to make a purchase. If your shop stops working after an hour of heavy traffic - you will earn nothing.
Prepare good promotions and advertise them in advance - use your social channels, website banners or newsletters to inform your customers of planned promotions.
Be sure to also provide professional and prompt customer service - there will be many more questions and problem reports during Black Friday.
If you are a dropshipping business, there is one very important detail you need to consider when planning for Black Friday - choosing a reliable supplier! A trusted wholesaler is one that will quickly deliver good quality products straight to your customers.
Black Friday bargains
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are an excellent opportunity to gain loyal customers, whether you operate in classic online sales or dropshipping. If you can't afford big price cuts, you can attract customers in other ways such as free delivery, 0% installments or freebies.