Even with Black Friday just days away, businesses of all sizes and sectors can still make important adjustments to their sales strategies. Considered the "World Cup of good shopping," the last two months of the year are when Brazilian consumer interest remains high, culminating in Christmas. To make the most of this period, some short-term strategies can help boost sales, generating immediate results for businesses in time to capture this heated demand.
Installment payments. If installment purchases help consumer desires fit within a budget, allowing longer payment terms, exceeding 12 installments, is a way to offer an unusual advantage over the competition. "In addition to helping boost sales of higher-value products, this practice can even attract another sale, with a higher margin for the merchant," explains Rafael Milaré, Revenue Director at Barte, a fintech company that offers a modular system of payment solutions for medium and large businesses.
Speaking of installment plans, the way interest is displayed has a significant influence on a purchase decision. While some retailers show different values for cash and installment sales, others set the final price the same for both options, embedding the interest charged in the cash price. A study by Barte involving 2,000 companies and 100,000 transactions revealed that those who choose the second approach achieve 17% higher conversion rates, as it makes the interest less burdensome for the consumer.
Digital Marketing. Using more aggressive commercial conditions is almost imperative to stand out amidst the bombardment of promotions launched mainly around Black Friday. In this scenario, digital marketing is an ally to increase brand exposure and attract new customers. “However, we have to think beyond good offers to stand out from the competition,” says João Lee, CEO of Simplex, a startup specializing in increasing traffic, sales, and online conversion. The executive reminds us that it is necessary to guarantee technological infrastructure amidst the excessive and simultaneous volume of expected accesses. “Your page will only remain in the top positions on Google if it has good loading speed. This is a factor constantly monitored by search engines. It is therefore important to map in advance the times of greatest demand on your site to prepare for both the best and worst-case scenarios. Also, avoid structural changes during these days so as not to compromise stability,” concludes the executive.
Purchase checkout. One aspect that cannot be overlooked is the customer experience. Uncompleted purchases, with products abandoned in the cart, are a symptom that something is wrong in this regard. It is important to map what is leading to these abandonments and act so that new opportunities are not wasted. The problem may lie in a journey with too many steps. "A checkout that requires a lot of buyer data increases security for the seller , but results in lower conversion rates, with some customers losing interest and dropping out along the way," says Milaré, from Barte.
Payment infrastructure. Choosing a good payment solutions provider also makes all the difference. Efficient solutions increase the chances of sales conversion, customer loyalty, and the likelihood of repeat purchases throughout the year. Furthermore, system outages, processing errors, and other technical failures mean significant losses in lost sales. “Check if the platform has done any kind of planning for this period and prepared to absorb demand peaks, with prior studies and load testing. This helps mitigate the risk of bugs ,” recommends the Barte executive.
For those who use card payment terminals and need a backup, it's important to order them in advance – they often run out of stock during this period, and orders can take up to 40 days to be fulfilled. Complementing the consumer offering with other formats, such as payment links tap-to-phone , which allows customers to pay using their own cell phones, is a way to protect against problems with the card payment terminals.
In case of technical payment issues, a support team that responds quickly provides security and peace of mind, helping to guarantee the best sales results. “When comparing providers, check each one's support policy and the minimum response time required. In this final stage, a company that offers extended support hours, with on-call services outside of business hours, is more advantageous, especially when it comes to online ,” concludes Milaré.
“It’s important to understand that in recent years Black Friday has been extending, with sales opportunities both before and after the last Friday of November. Therefore, distributing energy, investment, and staff over a longer period is essential to avoid the mistake of focusing solely on the peak of the event,” corroborates João Lee, CEO of Simplex.
