Black Friday and Cyber Monday (aka BFCM) are some of the largest opportunities of the year for many ecommerce brands. According to Adobe Digital Insights, the 5-day period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday accounted for almost $1 in every $5 spent with online retailers. 

With this boom in traffic, it’s crucial to get your site and backend ready to process this higher volume of orders. If your site isn’t ready to handle the high influx of traffic, you can potentially miss out on major sales. With that in mind, here are Rewind’s tips on how to get your site prepped and secure for this Black Friday and Cyber Monday season: 

#1: Fix What’s Broken

Make sure your images are recent and of high quality. Fix any blurry, dated, or broken images. A lack of access and information about products drives up abandonment. The same goes for broken links— use 301’s to redirect shoppers from your 404’s.

#2: Keep the Lines Moving

“Half of online shoppers expect your page to load in under two seconds or they will bounce.” -Rewind, BFCM Playbook

Don’t leave money on the table by ignoring slow load speeds on your website. 

Pro Tip #1: Check your site load speed with a free online tool like Gtmetrix. Gtmetrix provides a detailed list of recommendations on what to change. 

Pro Tip #2: Having too many plugins and apps can also slow down your site. 

#3: Add Payment Options People Trust

Without trusted methods of payment installed and working, shoppers may move on to a competitor. Make sure your PayPal, Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, and any other payment options are functional and working properly across your funnel.

#4: Revisit Third-Party Integrations & Back-Up Your Store

Third-party integrations make our lives easier, but can cause problems, especially if they’re just sitting idly in the background. 

Case study: GymShark

On Black Friday of 2015, the Gymshark website went down for eight hours straight. Customers took to social media to express their disappointment and instead of enjoying the benefits of the most profitable weekend of the year, Gymshark was on damage control.

Pro Tip #1: GymShark’s solution was to implement a backup solution like Rewind. Don’t let someone deleting the wrong data collection or a third-party app change your price have your site down. 

Pro Tip #2: Create a list of all the apps embedded into your site and figure out which ones you really need.

Pro Tip #3: Initiate a “code freeze” before the start of Black Friday. 

We hope these tips help you reevaluate how to protect your backend during the peak ecommerce season. Rewind and ShipStation wish you happy, safe, and secure selling during Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

Want more tips on international holiday strategy, product page optimization, or shipping and packaging? Download the Black Friday and Cyber Monday eBook.