Over the past few years America’s most anticipated shopping-day, Black Friday, has caught on heavily in South Africa as well. Followed by Cyber Monday, many retailers are making a weekend of it. Consumers can, therefore, expect to see great promotions and limited-time-only deals popping up around every corner. As Thanksgiving weekend isn’t a holiday in SA, many consumers will be getting their shopping fixes online, which means smaller online stores can get in on the action too.

With this epic weekend only a week away, it’s time to take action now. Here are our top tips to get your website Black-Friday-ready:

1. Talk to your hosting company

2. Update your website

3. Prepare!!!

4. Think security

Much like a shopper at a physical store will be tempted to leave if there are crowds and lengthy queues at the checkout counters, online shoppers will do the same if pages load slowly and orders take forever to process. The success of your online promotional campaigns relies heavily on your website’s ability to cater to an influx of traffic. Talk to your hosting company about upgrading to the following package or discuss temporary options. With the holidays ahead now is the perfect time to investigate your options.

Make sure you’ve updated your website with all the deals you are promoting on other platforms. If there is no sign of Black Friday deals on your site’s home page or rotating banners, visitors might think they’ve browsed over to your site by accident and leave. 

IMPORTANT: Double-check stock-levels and make sure this is updated correctly online.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the perfect occasions to get exposure for your small business. Prepare to amaze customers with great service! Get extra help to assist with orders, organise stock to simplify packing and do what you can in advance.

Criminals are generally more active during the holidays, especially cybercriminals. Companies are preoccupied with serving customers and customers with scoring great deals, leaving cybercriminals prowling the internet for weaknesses. Make sure your online store is secure by installing an SSL certificate. Is your website backed up? 

Online security tips for customers browsing the internet for deals

With the risk for cyber scams higher than usual we would also like to share our top tips for online consumer safety:

• Stick to familiar websites – The internet will be ripe with deals but be cautious. If you’ve never heard about a company, don’t just click and “add to cart”. Do further homework about the company or play it safe and stick to the brands you know and trust. 

• Double-check URLs – Just because it says its a Take A Lot deal doesn’t mean the ad will take you to Take A Lot’s website. Double-check the URLs you are directed to.

• Look for the padlock – If the online store doesn’t have the little padlock icon in the URL, don’t risk it!

• Trust your gut – If the deal sounds too good to be true, perhaps it is. Before trusting a deal browse the internet to see if a similar scam isn’t doing the rounds. If you are still unsure, call the company’s customer service number.

• Read the fine print – It is never a good idea to skim over the Terms and Conditions section of any online store you do business with. When you are buying limited offer deals, the fine print is even more important! The last thing you want to do is to purchase a great deal only to later learn delivery of your purchase is scheduled for after the holidays.

At Domains.co.za, we are here to make your website’s hosting perform at its best this festive season. Talk to our support or sales teams today to upgrade to or sign up for one of our powerful and fast hosting plans.

Happy selling and shopping!