It’s that time of the year again, folks.

Ever since Amazon decreed that the Friday after Thanksgiving should be an official annual shopping event in the distinctly un-Thanksgiving-y UK, businesses (us included) have been keen to offer attractive flash deals to consumers over a 24 hour period (longer if you include Cyber Monday).

In a few days, we’ll be unveiling our very own, unique Black Friday offer, but in the meantime, if you’re thinking about putting your own deal together, we say go for it.

You’d be forgiven for offering the usual price cuts, freebies and time-sensitive, “limited-stock” bargains, but, as a small business, this is a chance for you to impress new customers and reward your loyal ones using more creative means.

Rather than focus your sights solely on the day itself, why not think long-term and offer a discount every Friday for the rest of the year to customers who spend X amount on Black Friday weekend?

Or, if you have goods to post, throw in a surprise item with all Black Friday orders – it can be anything, just so long as it’s interesting/useful/entertaining/cool (delete as applicable), and strengthens your professional relationship with your customers.

Even something as simple yet personal as a handwritten note can make a lasting impression.

Be prepared: Activate KashFlow Payments

Personally, we like to spend our Black Friday kitty online from the safety of our own home (so as not to risk losing a limb in a human stampede), and, sure enough, statistics dictate that that’s where the vast majority of money will change hands on the day.

You’re probably well aware of our new Payments feature, so we won’t go on about it too much.

What we will say is that now’s an opportune time to ensure both card and bank payments are activated within your KashFlow portal, that way you’ll be ready to start taking instant payments from customers on what could be the busiest sales day of your year.

As we all know, paying for goods and services via the internet is now commonplace; unsurprising given that over 150 million cards are estimated to be in circulation in the UK alone and more than 90% of the UK’s population are online.

As we become more and more internet-dependent, these numbers are destined to further increase, so with KashFlow Payments activated you’ll be able to reach more customers than ever before, 24 hours a day – and there’s a myriad of other benefits available, specifically designed to ensure you’re getting paid on time, all the time.

Future-proof your business now by joining the online payment revolution.

See how IRIS KashFlow works with your business and your books