Black Friday 2024 is just around the corner, and online store owners are already fine-tuning their strategies to make the most of this event. While the landscape has evolved in recent years, one thing remains constant: the need to stay ahead of trends and adapt to consumer behavior.
Online shopping has grown exponentially, driven by mobile commerce, personalization, and the demand for fast shipping. In 2024, consumer expectations will be higher than ever, and stores that aren’t prepared could fall behind.
Feeling concerned? Don’t be. In this article, you’ll discover the most important trends for OpenCart this Black Friday, based on past patterns and the latest online shopping trends. These insights will help you maximize your sales, whether you’re just starting out or have been in the market for years.
The rise of mobile commerce
The first trend for Black Friday 2024 is one we’ve seen grow significantly: the dominance of mobile commerce. Mobile shopping has skyrocketed in recent years, and this is expected to be an even more critical factor this Black Friday.
According to Statista, more than 70% of online sales in 2023 were made through mobile devices, and this figure continues to rise. Consumers want convenience and speed, and their mobile phones have become their primary shopping tool.
For OpenCart stores, this means that having a fully mobile-optimized store isn’t optional—it’s a must. If your store doesn’t offer a seamless experience on mobile devices, you’ll lose sales. We recommend using responsive themes and optimizing your site’s load time. Also, keep in mind that Google favors mobile-optimized sites in its ranking.
To achieve this, we recommend our Mobile Pro extension. It’s a tool that helps you provide a perfect shopping experience on mobile devices, improving your site’s performance and ensuring it’s ready to handle high traffic during Black Friday.
Mobile Pro is approved by Google to ensure a superior user experience and only activates when users access your store via mobile or tablet. It also allows you to customize your store’s design, choose from 10 themes or create your own, and adjust the visible modules on the mobile version. With Mobile Pro, your store will be ready to maximize sales during Black Friday.
Fast and hassle-free checkouts
Another key trend for Black Friday 2024 is the growing preference for fast, straightforward checkout processes. Consumers are looking for quick, hassle-free shopping experiences, and this has become a crucial factor in avoiding cart abandonment. According to a Baymard Institute study, 22% of consumers abandon their purchases due to long or complicated forms, meaning an efficient payment process can be the difference between a successful sale and a lost customer.
During Black Friday, when every second counts, it’s essential not only to offer fast payment methods like Apple Pay or Google Pay but also to optimize the entire checkout flow. A smooth checkout not only enhances the user experience but also reduces barriers at the point of purchase.
For this, we suggest two tools. First, our Quick and Easy Checkout extension simplifies the checkout process, making it fast and efficient. It works with all external payment and shipping methods and is optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop. You can also fully customize the design, make the forms adjustable, and offer login options via Facebook, Google, PayPal, or LinkedIn, reducing the need for users to input information manually.
Additionally, our Swish för handel extension integrates with the Swish mobile app, providing a secure and simple payment method for your customers. Compatible with all OpenCart versions, this tool syncs orders with Swish, offering customers a convenient mobile payment option, particularly useful during Black Friday.
Tailored Offers and Dynamic Discounts
Another relevant key trend for Black Friday 2024 is the personalization of offers and promotions. Shoppers aren’t just looking for discounts, they expect these to be relevant to their interests and needs. In fact, according to an Epsilon study, 80% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences.
For OpenCart store owners, this means that generic promotions are no longer enough. Simply raising your prices and then applying discounts doesn’t work either. On the contrary, consumers expect specific discounts based on their purchase history, browsing behavior, or even products they’ve left in their cart. This kind of personalization not only increases the likelihood of conversion but also fosters customer loyalty, as they feel valued by receiving tailored offers.
A useful tool for implementing these kinds of promotions is our Discount PRO. With this extension, you can offer specific discounts based on the type of products the customer adds to their cart. For example, you can offer a discount when two products from the “Cameras” category or three products from the “Apple” manufacturer are added. You can also customize the type of discount (percentage or fixed amount) and apply it only to certain customer groups.
Additionally, the extension allows you to define whether the discounts will be applied once or multiple times, include or exclude taxes in the calculation, and set start and end dates for promotions. You can also display a custom message in the cart to inform the customer about the available discount, which is perfect for capturing their attention and motivating purchases before the offer expires.
Performance optimization
One of the most important factors that will influence conversions during Black Friday 2024 is site load speed. As consumers face hundreds of offers and discounts, a slow store can cause users to abandon their carts in seconds. In fact, a Hobo study indicates that if a site takes more than three seconds to load, more than 50% of users will abandon it.
For OpenCart store owners, performance optimization is crucial, especially on a high-traffic day like Black Friday. Ensuring that images are compressed, code is clean, and server response time is fast is essential to keep customers browsing and buying products.
Use tools such as image compression, file minimization, and caching to improve your store’s speed. It’s also recommended to optimize resource usage on the most visited pages, such as product categories and the checkout page, to ensure that even with high traffic, your store runs smoothly. Remember that a fast store not only improves the user experience but is also a key factor in improving your search engine ranking.
Omnichannel marketing
Black Friday 2024 isn’t just a day of offers—it’s an opportunity to interact with consumers across multiple channels. Today’s shoppers don’t limit themselves to one medium; they browse social media, see Google ads, open emails, and finally make their purchases from their preferred device. Studies show that customers who interact with a brand across multiple channels have a significantly higher conversion rate.
For OpenCart store owners, having an omnichannel marketing strategy is essential to attract consumers at every stage of their buying process. It’s not enough to rely on organic traffic or a single marketing channel. You need to be present at multiple touchpoints, whether through social media ads, Google Ads campaigns, or automated email marketing strategies.
If you’re unsure how to integrate an omnichannel strategy, we can help you. Our marketing services are specifically designed for OpenCart store owners, offering complete solutions that include Google Ads campaigns, remarketing, and email marketing automation. With our 360° approach, you can ensure that your Black Friday campaigns reach the right consumers at the right time, maximizing conversions and increasing your store’s visibility.
Conclusions
Black Friday 2024 promises to be one of the most competitive yet, with consumers more demanding and expectations higher than ever. OpenCart stores that want to succeed in this event must be prepared to tackle key trends we’ve seen in previous years and that continue to be relevant today: the growing importance of mobile commerce, the need for fast and frictionless payments, personalized offers, and secure transactions.
While Black Friday represents a huge sales opportunity, it’s also a challenge for businesses that aren’t ready. Site performance optimization, a well-executed omnichannel marketing strategy, and implementing robust security measures are essential aspects that cannot be overlooked. Tools like Mobile Pro, Quick and Easy Checkout, Swish för handel, and Discount Pro extensions can make the difference between a smooth shopping experience and one filled with obstacles that cause customers to abandon their carts.
In summary, success on Black Friday isn’t just about offers; it’s about delivering a comprehensive, well-optimized shopping experience that captures the customer’s attention and keeps them engaged until the purchase is complete. If you prepare your OpenCart store with the right tools and a solid strategy, you’ll be ready to make the most of this opportunity.
