Publication Date: August 29, 2024
Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
It seems like every year that major retailers advertise their Black Friday sales earlier and earlier. With a shorter time between Thanksgiving and Christmas in the US this year—only 28 days, early Black Friday sales are sure to be popular.
In past years, Black Friday has been one of the biggest shopping days of the year for US buyers. But what does this mean for you and your Etsy shop? Read below to learn some tips and tasks for you to check off in order to get ready ahead of your competition.
Summary (TLDR)
Prepare your shop now for Black Friday by:
- Double-checking your supplies and inventory
- Creating graphics and announcements for your shop to inform buyers about ordering and shipping cut off dates
- Sharing your gift-wrapping options
Prepare Your Shipping Station
Take some time to set up an area for packaging your items. Nothing’s worse than having orders to ship that end up taking over your entire dining room. Give yourself a set space with all your shipping essentials. Take a look at this eRank blog post for some ideas: Creating a Shipping Station For Your Workspace.
While you’re at it, double-check that you have enough packing materials to last through the end of the year. Ensure that you have tape, printer ink or toner, bubble wrap, boxes, and whatever promotional supplies you may need such as business or thank you cards. Don’t forget wrapping paper or ribbons, if you offer gift wrap services!
Bulk Up Your Inventory
Set aside a day to check if your inventory matches what you have listed on Etsy and make sure you have enough crafting supplies on hand to fill your holiday orders. If your shop happen to go viral and every item you listed sold, would you be able to fulfill the demand? If not, consider spending a few days prepping items so that you are able to ship orders with speed. This is also the ideal time to any perform tasks that you can ahead of time, such as filling out thank you cards or trimming tissue paper to size.
If you’re considering running a sale, consider Etsy’s Cyber Savings Spectacular, running on the platform from November 18th – December 3rd. Spend some time using eRank’s Listing Audit and Health Check tools to identify opportunities for improvement and get your shop in tip-top shape for buyers.
Change Up Your Graphics
This year, Thanksgiving is later than usual, meaning there are only a few weeks between Black Friday and Christmas. Holiday shoppers are going to be pressed for time, which means you need to be aware of shipping deadlines and relay these dates to your buyers.
Decide when you want your Christmas order cutoff date to be. Announce this date in your shop announcement and listing descriptions, add a graphic to your listing photos, and modify your shop banner to give buyers clear expectations about your shipping times. If you offer gift wrapping, include photos of what your gift wrapping looks like as well as any additional processing time required (if any) so that buyers know what to expect.
Prep Your Shop
With a little preparation and planning, you can make the holiday shopping experience easy for both you and your customers. Following these easy tips help to ensure a smooth and stress-free season for both you and your customers!