How to Get Your Online Store Ready for Black Friday in Chile

Every November, the same story: stores crashing, discounts that don't work, and stressed ecommerce owners who "didn't have time to prepare." The truth is, Black Friday is won or lost weeks before the event.

I've spent several years helping Chilean stores prepare their end-of-year campaigns. Here's what actually matters.

What should be ready before November?

Preparation breaks down into three fronts:

Technical:

• Test your store's speed with Google PageSpeed. If it takes more than 3 seconds to load, you have a problem
• Verify your payment gateway can handle the expected volume
• Do a full test purchase, from product to confirmation email
• Make sure your store looks good on mobile -- 70% of traffic comes from there

Inventory:

• Decide which products you'll put on sale (it doesn't have to be everything)
• Confirm stock with your suppliers NOW, not in November
• Have a Plan B if a star product sells out

Marketing:

• Build your email list ahead of time
• Prepare social media creatives
• Set your real discounts -- Chilean shoppers have learned to spot inflated prices

How much discount should you offer?

This is the million-dollar question. The honest answer: it depends on your margin.

Gross margin	Suggested discount	Strategy
Over 60%	20-30%	Straight discount
40-60%	15-20%	Discount + free shipping
Under 40%	10-15%	Bundle or gift with purchase

Don't copy what a big brand with margins you don't have is doing. A 10% discount with free shipping can work better than a 40% discount that wipes out your profit.

The most common mistake I see

Preparing everything for Black Friday and forgetting about post-sale. Think about this:

• Who answers customer inquiries on Friday night?
• Do you have enough packing materials in stock?
• Can your logistics partner handle the volume?
• Are your follow-up emails set up?

Black Friday doesn't end when the customer pays. It ends when they receive their order and are happy. A customer who's well taken care of during Black Friday becomes a Christmas customer.

If you need help getting your store ready for November, we can review what you're missing together. Sometimes the small details make the biggest difference.