Historically, Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, with Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday seeing rising popularity. In 2023, Etsy saw record-level spending on both days. However, data in recent weeks shows that buyers in the US are already into full holiday shopping mode. According to Amazon, their Prime Big Deal Days this past October was Amazon’s biggest October shopping event ever, with buyers scoring deals on everything from electronics to jewelry.
Many other companies also held Early Black Friday or member sale events in October, such as Walmart’s Holiday Deals week and Target’s Circle week. With economic uncertainty and the cost of living on the rise, many shoppers started their holiday shopping earlier than ever, hunting out the lowest prices and best deals. In fact, Etsy reported that in Q3 of this year, “gifting hit a record high.”
When Should I Begin My Sale?
With buyers starting their holiday shopping earlier than ever, consider shifting your Black Friday sale period to earlier than planned. This may give you an edge over the competition who are waiting until Thanksgiving to offer their best deals and discounts of the season. Etsy is beginning their Cyber Sales Event before Thanksgiving, starting Monday, November 18th. Be sure to announce any sales on social media and send a message to customers on your email list, letting them know that your shop—and you—are ready for their holiday orders!
How Can I Prepare My Shop?
Shoppers generally take into consideration shipping times for online purchases, especially if their orders have extended processing times or are for custom items. To get yourself ready for meeting shipping deadlines, read eRank’s blog article Prepare for Shipping This Holiday Season, where you can find shipping cutoff dates for a variety of shipping providers.
Back in August, eRank posted an Early Black Friday Prep blog article highlighting ways you can improve your shop and be ready for holiday shoppers. Although the shopping season has already begun, you can still take these steps to ensure that you are ready:
- Double-check your supplies and inventory
- Create graphics and announcements for your shop to inform buyers about ordering and shipping cut off dates
- Share your gift-wrapping options
Once those orders start coming in, be sure to keep track of them using eRank’s Delivery Status tool and message customers if their orders are going to be delayed.
Looking for More Resources?
Check out other recent blog articles on the eRank blog page such as Is Your Etsy Shop Holiday Ready? And Fourth Quarter Holiday Guide for Handmade Sellers for additional help this holiday season. Stay on top of eRank’s Trend Buzz and Monthly Trends reports to see what’s rising in popularity as the holidays progress.
