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If you are wondering how to prepare your business for Black Friday without burning out your team, you are not alone. We asked some of our customers, brands who have lived through the madness, to share their Black Friday ecommerce tips. Add in what we have learned helping SMBs automate fulfillment with Pio, and you get a clear strategy that works.
How to Prepare for Black Friday Ecommerce
Before diving into the dos and don’ts, here is a quick checklist to see if your business is ready for Black Friday.
- Do you know how much inventory you can realistically move in one day?
- Can your warehouse team keep up with spikes in order volume?
- Do you have a clear plan for returns and customer service during the busiest week of the year?
If you hesitated on any of these, don’t worry. That is exactly why preparation matters.
The Dos
These are lessons straight from our customers, SMBs who have been through Black Friday and learned what works (and what doesn’t).
1. Focus on value, not just discounts
Our customer Dapper shows us you don’t need to slash prices to win.
“Rather than giving deep discounts, we focus on how and where our products are manufactured and what value they give to the customer year-round. Customers are increasingly thinking about the environmental impact of Black Week, so do not feel like you must join the craziness.”
Still planning big discounts? Make sure you also plan for the pressure that comes with them. That means having enough stock, enough people in the warehouse, and a clear plan for handling a surge in orders.
2. Test before the big day
Famme keeps it simple:
“Be sure to test your offer before Black Friday so you know it works. The simplest offer is often the best.”
It doesn’t need to be complicated. Try out your promotion on a smaller scale before the big day to see if customers respond the way you expect. That way you can go into Black Friday confident your offer will land.
3. Plan before, during, and after
Ko:Ko is all about strategy:
“Make it clear what is discounted, and when. Use a countdown if you can. Run campaigns before Black Friday so sales do not freeze the week before. And plan good promotions after. There is no point in having a spike if the weeks around it are bad.”
Black Friday should not be a one-day flash in the pan. It should kick off weeks of growth, not cause a slump right after.
4. Put customer experience first
Vakre Vene nails it:
“Prepare well in advance by setting up a landing page for SEO. Build customer lists on email and social media. Have enough people to handle the flow of goods and service. Make it easy for customers to find return policies.”
Because the sale is not really a win if customers don’t come back in December.
The Don’ts
1. Don’t fake your discounts
Dapper is clear:
“Raising prices before Black Week and then running fake discounts? Just don’t. Customers notice, and you will lose trust.”
Trust beats a short-term win every time.
2. Skip discount codes
Both Famme and Ko:Ko agree:
“Discount codes never work as well as direct discounts. They just create extra emails and headaches.”
Keep it simple. The last thing you want is customer frustration at checkout when your warehouse is already running at full speed.
3. Don’t overcomplicate offer
As Vakre Vene puts it:
“Do not make the offers too complicated.”
If your customer has to solve a riddle at checkout, you’ve already lost them.
Black Friday is Won in the Warehouse
Most people think Black Friday is about discounts, ads, and getting customers through the checkout. For ecommerce businesses, the real story starts after the order is placed. That is when fulfillment takes over, and that is where the winners and losers are made.
Fulfillment is about having the right products in stock, picking and packing at speed, and shipping orders on time. It is the moment where all the planning and sales campaigns are tested inside the warehouse. If fulfillment cracks under pressure, even the best sales strategy cannot save the day.
The SMBs and MMBs we spoke with have one thing in common. Fulfillment is no longer their bottleneck. With warehouse automation, fulfillment stress disappears, especially when peak season hits. No sleepless nights juggling stock. No scrambling to find seasonal staff. No chaos when orders spike. Instead, fulfillment becomes a strength that gives them the confidence to grow.
Warehouse automation is the ultimate Black Friday “do.” Make fulfillment work for you so your business can deliver without breaking a sweat. With Pio’s cube storage system and robots-as-a-service, small and mid-sized businesses can scale up for peak season and scale back when things calm down, all without chaos.
