E-commerce on point: preparations for Black Friday

Black Friday 2026 it's coming soon, and like any big event, preparations begin well in advance of the big day.

To leave your e-commerce in order to meet a demand that could triple, a general review of logistics operations is recommended.

Ultimately, there's no point in attracting customers with good offers if the store isn't prepared to process orders, organize inventory, and meet promised deadlines.

Black Friday: Is your e-commerce business ready to profit?

Famous for "opening" the Christmas shopping season, Black Friday attracts consumers who look forward to the period to purchase discounted products.

At the same time, retailers and e-commerce owners are preparing to boost end-of-year sales, encouraged by the large increase in demand.

According to Adobe Analytics, U.S. consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online on Black Friday 2025, an increase of 9.1% compared with the previous year.

Across the five-day Thanksgiving shopping weekend, a record 202.9 million consumers shopped either online or in person.

Although the revenue is exciting, it's important to remember that the number of orders to process and deliver also increases, so preparation shouldn't be limited to promotions: it's necessary to review the entire operation, especially when we're talking about e-commerce.

Black Friday 2026 will be held inNovember 27th, this makes October an important period for reviewing processes, testing systems, and negotiating terms with suppliers and logistics partners.

Next, see the main points you need to review for preparing your online store.

– How to create an online store

1. Product registration

Product registration is a time-consuming process that requires attention to detail to avoid errors, such as incorrect prices and inaccurate information about the advertised items.

This type of error can cause problems for the consumer and damage the company's image.

Therefore, weeks before Black Friday, make sure all products are properly registered. This includes:

Updated prices, including Black Friday discounts;
Good quality images;
Detailed and easy-to-understand descriptions;
Available payment methods;
Delivery time and conditions;
Actual product availability in stock.

TIP: Use the product description to create relevant content for the user and optimize your website's SEO. Explain the features, benefits, dimensions, and uses of the item. This information helps the consumer make a decision and also makes the page more useful for search engines.

To provide a space for the product evaluation it can also help the consumer decide whether to buy.

Encourage your customers to share honest opinions about the items they purchased.

Another important precaution is to review how pages work on mobile devices.

Slow-loading images, difficult-to-click buttons, and hidden information detract from the shopping experience.

It's also worth checking if the structured data on the product pages is configured correctly.

According to Google's documentation, this information can help display data such as price, availability, and reviews in search results, when the page meets the applicable requirements.

- SEO for e-commerce: how to write the right product descriptions

2. Shopping cart abandonment

Even on Black Friday, no e-commerce site escapes shopping cart abandonment.

According to the Baymard Institute, the average global shopping cart abandonment rate in e-commerce is around 70%.

The research indicates that the main reasons for this are:

High shipping costs;
Delivery was slow;
Distrust regarding payment;
Complicated checkout processes.

To reduce shopping cart abandonment on Black Friday, pay attention to the factors that lead to purchase abandonment.

Request only the information that is truly necessary and simplify the checkout process as much as possible, reducing the number of steps the customer needs to take to complete the purchase.

Inform customers of the shipping cost and delivery time before the final payment stage.

Unpleasant surprises at checkout can cause them to abandon their order and even speak negatively about your store.

Regarding payment, security certificates help convey credibility. But it's also important to offer familiar payment methods, explain exchange and return policies, and make customer service channels easily accessible.

– How to ensure security in e-commerce

It's also worth testing the checkout process on different mobile phones and browsers.

Make a test purchase from start to finish and check if the discounts are applied correctly and if the order confirmation reaches the customer.

– 5 ways to improve the checkout process

3. Inventory and order organization

Preparing for Black Friday also depends on good inventory control.

Ultimately, selling more products than the store has available leads to cancellations, delays, and complaints.

Analyze sales history, identify the most sought-after products, and talk to suppliers to plan restocking.

If possible, establish a safety stock for items with the highest expected demand.

It is important to keep the physical inventory synchronized with the online store's system and with other sales channels.

When the same product is sold on different platforms, quantity updates need to happen quickly to avoid duplicate sales.

In addition, organize the storage space and define how orders will be separated, packaged, and shipped.

Labels, packaging, and protective materials must be available before the start of the campaign.

TIP: Don't wait for Black Friday to discover operational bottlenecks. Simulate a larger volume of orders and assess how long it takes the team to locate products, prepare packages, and ship them.

- Inventory strategy: how to create one for your e-commerce business

4. Customer service

Increased sales often lead to a rise in questions about products, payments, delivery times, and returns.

If the store is not prepared to serve the customer, a good sales opportunity can end up turning into a negative experience.

Before Black Friday, organize the most frequently asked questions and prepare clear answers about shipping, payment methods, cancellations and returns.

Make this information easily accessible on the website and train your team to answer questions and assist customers with their purchase.

If the store offers customer service through different channels such as email, phone, and messaging apps, define how requests will be distributed and tracked.

The important thing is to prevent the customer from having to repeat the same problem multiple times.

It is also worth establishing a procedure for complaints related to delivery.

Knowing who should contact the delivery person, check the tracking, and update the customer speeds up the resolution of problems.

- Tips to improve customer service in your online store

5. Marketing and promotions

There's no point in preparing the entire operation if the public doesn't know what offers will be available. Therefore, plan the Black Friday announcement in advance.

Use email marketing, social media, advertisements, and other channels to showcase the products that will be on sale and inform customers about the terms and conditions of the promotions.

If there are limited-time offers, clearly explain the rules and schedules.

A good strategy is to segment communication according to customer interests and purchase history.

That way, you can present products that are relevant to each audience, instead of sending the same message to the entire database.

Before announcing discounts, check that the promotional prices are correct and that the advertised conditions match what will be offered in the store.

Communication must be transparent, no fake discounts or promises that can't be kept.

Also, monitor the results during the campaign. Track traffic, conversion rate, average order value, customer acquisition cost, and shopping cart abandonment.

These indicators help identify problems and adjust actions while the campaign is still ongoing.

- Email marketing: 5 ideas to help your e-commerce sell more

6. Website stability

An online store needs to be prepared for the increased traffic.

Slow performance, websites being down, and payment failures are jeopardizing sales precisely at the time of highest demand.

Speak with the platform provider or technical team to verify access limits, server capacity, and how integrations work.

Test the most important pages, especially the product, shopping cart, and checkout pages.

Keep your systems updated. Make backups and confirm that there are procedures in place to recover the service in case of failure.

Also check if the payment methods and logistics integrations are working correctly.

Finally, monitor the website during the campaign.

Quickly identifying an error page or a problem during checkout can prevent the loss of many orders.

7. Fast delivery

Delivery delays can cause losses for e-commerce owners and compromise the customer experience.

During Black Friday, the surge in orders demands even more attention to shipping capacity and contracting of delivery services.

Delivery is an important part of the shopping experience.

The customer doesn't just evaluate the product price; they also consider the shipping cost, the stated delivery time, and the ability to track their order.

Therefore, always have a plan B. Many e-commerce businesses rely on the postal service, but working with other shipping options helps distribute demand, reduce dependence on a single partner, and speed up shipping.

E-commerce application focused on fast delivery, Delivery365 app has a base of hundreds of registered delivery drivers.

Ideal for those who want to offer a good service this Black Friday, Delivery365 app has its own system of freight quote and provides a tracking code to the consumer.

Before Black Friday, simulate deliveries to the main destinations served by the store.

Compare prices and delivery times, assess collection conditions, and confirm how you will be notified in case of delays.

It is also important to track your orders after they've been dispatched.

Tracking allows you to identify stalled packages and take action before the problem reaches the consumer.

- Advantages of real-time tracking for e-commerce

Checklist: preparations for Black Friday

black-friday-checklist-app-delivery365

To make organization easier, review the key points before starting the campaign:

Review product prices, discounts, descriptions, and images.
Test the website on mobile phones and different browsers.
Clearly display the shipping cost, payment methods, exchange and return policy, and delivery time.
Check stock availability and synchronization.
Prepare packaging, labels, and shipping processes.
Organize customer service and responses to frequently asked questions.
Plan the campaign's release and monitor its results.
Update the system and ensure an infrastructure capable of handling the increased traffic.
Close deals with partners who guarantee fast delivery.