With sales expected to near £2 billion during Black Friday alone this year it is clear that this is a profitable trading period for large retailers, but what about small businesses – should they get involved?

There are some strong benefits to taking part in Black Friday for small businesses such as using the high shopping intent to drive footfall towards your local business.

Small retailers should make the most of the hype around Black Friday and promote the convenience of local shopping, showing customers that they can still get great discounts in local stores while supporting regional and independent businesses. This messaging will be further strengthened as Small Business Saturday falls just a few days after Black Friday this year.

Independent shops can offer better customer service as well as competitive prices

Discounts present a great opportunity to win over new customers but small businesses must be mindful to keep profit at the front of mind and maintain a sale but healthy margin on all sales.

Retail giants, such as Amazon, are able to slash prices and swallow significant margins in a bid to sale unwanted stock and beat competitors but this will not be the case for small retailers. It is, however, a tactical move to use the peak in traffic during Black Friday to shift out-of-season stock or surplus that is taking up store-room space and proving tough to sell at full price.

So what common pitfalls can small businesses find themselves in when it comes to Black Friday?

The event is saturated in hefty discounts and minimum margins where almost all UK retailers partake in the event, meaning competition is high. It is important not to forget that retail giants have invested in marketing promotions ahead of Black Friday in a bid to ensure that customers are geared up and ready to purchase in their stores.

There is a lesson to learn here for small businesses who should hint at and promote deals for Black Friday via social media and email. By optimising customer databases to deliver promotions and one-off offers to loyal customers, small businesses will begin to reap the rewards of engaged customers.

Shops like Amazon are gearing up for a trade bonanza in the next few days

Once interest is provoked and customers are prepped for the rush, it is essential that businesses are prepared for the onslaught of purchasing. Small businesses must critically review existing infrastructures and adjust staffing and payment options – such as bringing in extra temporary chip and PIN machines – to ensure that customers won’t be left unimpressed by long queue times or empty shelves.

If small businesses have a transactional website then a streamlined checkout process is needed to drive maximum conversions. Additionally, businesses need to implement enough workforce on the ground to effectively cope with high delivery demand without negatively impacting customer experience in store.

With the right preparation Black Friday can prove to be a profitable success for small businesses and any mishaps should be considered and amended so that lessons are learnt in time for Christmas and not repeated.

By placing the customer experience first, carefully considering profitable margins in sale prices, and ensuring the business can logistically cope with the crowds, small businesses can enjoy a slice of the £2billion sales that are predicted this Black Friday.