{"id":72624,"date":"2024-11-21T18:12:04","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T16:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=72624"},"modified":"2026-01-29T14:11:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:11:55","slug":"black-friday-dos-and-donts-for-small-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/black-friday-dos-and-donts-for-small-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Friday: 9 top tips to help small businesses boost sales"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/category\/growth-customers\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Growth &amp; Customers<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBlack Friday: 9 top tips to help small businesses boost sales\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2024-11-21T18:12:04+02:00\">November 21, 2024<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Black Friday: 9 top tips to help small businesses boost sales\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/black-friday-dos-and-donts-for-small-businesses\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/author\/yassirmalik\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/03\/Yassir-Malik.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"yassir-malik-profile-picture\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Yassir Malik<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Until a few years ago, many of us would look forward to the post-Christmas sales starting on Boxing Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that\u2019s no longer the case with the widespread adoption of Black Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s become a day known for steep discounts, with businesses of all types jumping on the Black Friday bandwagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll give you tips on how to boost sales and capitalise on Black Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-here-s-what-we-ll-cover\">Here\u2019s what we\u2019ll cover<\/h4>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-the-rise-of-black-friday\" data-level=\"2\">The rise of Black Friday<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-1-plan-your-finances-carefully\" data-level=\"2\">1. Plan your finances carefully<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-2-build-anticipation-for-your-offers-through-ads-on-social-media-and-in-person\" data-level=\"2\">2. Build anticipation for your offers through ads on social media and in person<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-3-pre-plan-your-social-media-posts-and-emails-for-black-friday\" data-level=\"2\">3. Pre-plan your social media posts and emails for Black Friday<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-4-do-a-virtual-walkthrough-of-your-online-store\" data-level=\"2\">4. Do a virtual walkthrough of your online store<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-5-do-a-mail-out-to-your-loyal-customers\" data-level=\"2\">5. Do a mail out to your loyal customers<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-6-make-sure-your-offers-are-unique-and-irresistible\" data-level=\"2\">6. Make sure your offers are unique and irresistible<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-7-check-your-stock-levels-in-advance\" data-level=\"2\">7. Check your stock levels in advance<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-8-check-your-staffing\" data-level=\"2\">8. Check your staffing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-9-encourage-customers-to-share-their-purchases-on-social-media\" data-level=\"2\">9. Encourage customers to share their purchases on social media<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-final-thoughts\" data-level=\"2\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Small business survival toolkit<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get practical advice to help your business thrive.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-80195606-5387-4569-bfaf-b6a518449b24\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1305268048-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1305268048-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-rise-of-black-friday\">The rise of Black Friday<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Typically, Black Friday was held on the last Friday in November, but now it can extend across the whole month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many businesses have been planning for Black Friday sales for quite a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What started as a one-day shopping extravaganza has now extended for some businesses to become a month of special offers and deals leading through the week up to Black Friday and through to&nbsp;Cyber Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stores having a landing page for Black Friday in place well in advance, with an email opt-in for consumers to subscribe to hear about the latest offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From local sports centre offering customers&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/black-friday-how-retailers-can-prepare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Friday<\/a>&nbsp;deals to entice people to invest in annual memberships, or even a local book store offering itself to shoppers as a place for peace and tranquillity while everyone else is frenetically shopping on the high street, there are ways to maximise the value of this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spikes in the search term \u201cBlack Friday\u201d that begin weeks in advance will surface these landing pages as the retailers have already put their digital marketing plans in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With online sales on the rise, expect to see a blended approach where retailers are selling both at their bricks and mortar stores and via e-commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not too late to refine your plans for Black Friday success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are nine tips to help you boost your sales:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-plan-your-finances-carefully\"><strong>1. Plan your finances carefully<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Black Friday is a great way to move stock, gain customers, and generate profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, a certain level of planning should be done in advance to make sure all the fantastic discounts have the right impact on your bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you give too much of a discount or spend too much on Black Friday advertising and marketing, you may find it reduces your profits so much that it\u2019s hardly worth the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s easy to over or underestimate stock purchasing too, especially if you\u2019re collecting purchasing data manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Factor in any additional costs like store staffing, warehousing, shipping, and customer support staff, as well as additional ad or influencer marketing costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you rely on a complex supply chain for shipping items, it\u2019s essential to look ahead to anything that might affect them during this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, you want to find the balance between giving customers what they want (juicy discounts) and maximising the profit you can make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking the time to really understand your financial position and put the right offers on the table in advance will help ensure a successful Black Friday for you and your customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-build-anticipation-for-your-offers-through-ads-on-social-media-and-in-person\"><strong>2. Build anticipation for your offers through ads on social media and in person<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you have your financials locked in, it\u2019s time to build anticipation and excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your social media channels are the perfect place to post teasers in advance of Black Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider using targeted Facebook or search ads to reconnect the fans of your business and even re-activate past customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Things like social media countdowns, competitions, and early access to the sales are a fun way to generate some shopper excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a local business, don\u2019t forget the power of local advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where can you position your ads so they\u2019ll have maximum cut-through?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If in doubt, listen to the customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consumers are posting about their Black Friday shopping plans well in advance of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can set up a social listening centre tuning in to people in your local area, to see what you can learn about this potential customer base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can then engage with them, offering help with their shopping pursuits and directing them to your own offers where appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of your business becoming a local \u201cBlack Friday concierge service\u201d. This will also help you boost the visibility of your products and services online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-pre-plan-your-social-media-posts-and-emails-for-black-friday\"><strong>3. Pre-plan your social media posts and emails for Black Friday<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may want to take care and not schedule your content in case you run out of stock (see the previous point to help you manage this).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, you can prepare your images, video content, emails, and posts that you plan to send on (and before) Black Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adding the right hashtags and geolocators can help spread word quickly in a trackable way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-do-a-virtual-walkthrough-of-your-online-store\"><strong>4. Do a virtual walkthrough of your online store<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider having a mystery shopper make a purchase from your site and explore how you can refine the online sales process to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/cart-abandonment-close-crucial-sales\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">minimise shopping cart abandonment<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ensure you have direct links from your social posts showcasing any items or bundles to the correct page on the store, so that customers can switch from social, to webstore, to purchase, seamlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Optimising your store for mobile is essential for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You are trying to catch the attention of shoppers wherever they might be, and you don\u2019t want to frustrate them with a bad experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many website creation tools offer dynamic sizing of the website which adjusts the view depending on device so make sure your website is ready for an increase in customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Black Friday sales start, there can also be a rush of customers using your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is essential to have enough bandwidth built in to manage in increase in hits, so the site doesn\u2019t crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Run tests and ensure your webstore servers can handle the increase in traffic before you open your virtual doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Factor this increase in server power into your overall costs for the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Small business survival toolkit<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get practical advice to help your business thrive.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-80195606-5387-4569-bfaf-b6a518449b24\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1305268048-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1305268048-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-do-a-mail-out-to-your-loyal-customers\"><strong>5. Do a mail out to your loyal customers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a mailing list of clients and customers or a moderate social media following, give them a sneak peek and a first chance to reward them for their loyalty throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If they\u2019ve opted into text or email messaging from you, use that as a way to remind them of some of the offers you\u2019ll have available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your loyal customers expect some level of personalisation from you, offer them your best deals or create exclusive deals just for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-make-sure-your-offers-are-unique-and-irresistible\"><strong>6. Make sure your offers are unique and irresistible<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Consumers will be expecting steep discounts and a great shopping experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think about how you can package the offers you have so shoppers will feel they\u2019re getting real value for money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Discounting best sellers that you know will be replaced soon, is a great way to use customers\u2019 demand for a product to sell more inventory of it and clear the stock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-check-your-stock-levels-in-advance\"><strong>7. Check your stock levels in advance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure you\u2019ve got the right amount of stock, so your customers aren\u2019t left disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll want to ensure you have enough of your top-selling products so you can meet demand and maximise profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, having too much of a product that\u2019s not going to sell will cost you in the long run, in terms of unwanted inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use good&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/sage-business-cloud\/accounting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">accounting software<\/a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/sage-business-cloud\/accounting\/features\/stock-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">track your stock levels<\/a>&nbsp;and generate insights so you have the right amount of products to sell at this busy time of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One way of ensuring you get the most out of Black Friday demand is to extend your sales to the weekend, or even the whole month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This takes the pressure off moving a large amount of inventory in a single day and customers don\u2019t miss out on great deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-8-check-your-staffing\"><strong>8. Check your staffing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your stock isn\u2019t the only consideration on Black Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ensure you have the staff to pick, pack, and deliver it for a timely despatch and deal with any support queries afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While customers love a discount, they are less keen if this isn\u2019t followed up with the item as soon as possible, as it ruins the immediate reward of getting a bargain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may need to hire more warehouse or customer service staff, or make specific arrangements with the post office if you expect to be sending in bulk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;So, make sure you have all the infrastructure in place to deliver on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using flexible <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/sage-business-cloud\/payroll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">payroll management software<\/a> can help keep your short-term hire process smooth and efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-9-encourage-customers-to-share-their-purchases-on-social-media\"><strong>9. Encourage customers to share their purchases on social media<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, the sale is complete. Your customers are happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But to get the most out of this engagement, invite customers to post all about the fantastic bargains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a bit of free advertising for you which will help expand your customer base for next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also use this time to gather customer reviews and get valuable feedback that helps you improve their experience for next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And remember, a happy customer is your best advocate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-thoughts\"><strong>Final thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, as well as Black Friday, you also have&nbsp;Cyber Monday&nbsp;when you can look to boost sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take the time to evaluate what works this year so you can plan your next Black Friday campaign in advance and don\u2019t forget there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/industry\/retail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plenty of tools<\/a> to help you get the most out of your customer data.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice enewsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-84fe79b5-668d-41f8-a0cc-6229018c4ac9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/business-strategy\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness Strategy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/customer-acquisition\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcustomer acquisition\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/financial-insights\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfinancial insights\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/staying-competitive\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tstaying competitive\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-76286 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-trends-insights tag-accountants tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-data-analysis tag-financial-insights tag-making-financial-decisions tag-profit-loss tag-trending-topics business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1213\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/11\/HR-and-Payroll-image--1213x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/11\/HR-and-Payroll-image--684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/11\/HR-and-Payroll-image--768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2021\/11\/HR-and-Payroll-image--1213x810.jpg 1213w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-22T12:28:04+02:00\">May 22, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">9 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accounts-payable-reconciliation\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tThe ultimate guide to accounts payable reconciliation\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tAre you a business owner or part of the accounting team? Discover how to take control of accounts payable reconciliation and optimise your payment process.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-76206 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-trends-insights tag-accountants tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-financial-insights tag-profit-loss business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accrual-basis-accounting\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1316107530-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1316107530-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1316107530-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1316107530-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-15T12:46:05+02:00\">May 15, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">16 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccrual accounting: What it is, benefits and examples\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-76031 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-trends-insights tag-accountants tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-news-insights 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\/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-15T10:34:49+02:00\">May 15, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow accounting is changing for South African small businesses\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-76152 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountants 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card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-76128 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountants tag-audit tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-compliance tag-financial-insights tag-profit-loss tag-staying-competitive tag-trending-topics business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accounts-payable-journal-entry\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T13:42:18+02:00\">May 1, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccounts payable journal entry explained: Definition, types and examples\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many businesses plan all year for Black Friday. Discover nine essential tips to help you boost Black Friday sales for your small business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1774,"featured_media":68570,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[316,325,189,209],"business_type":[2],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[16],"imagine_tag":[68,83,96,85,86],"coauthors":[401],"class_list":["post-72624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth-customers","tag-business-strategy","tag-customer-acquisition","tag-financial-insights","tag-staying-competitive","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Yassir Malik","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/11\/Black-Friday-1675x1275.jpg","imagine_tags":{"68":"Grow your business","83":"Growing business","96":"Retail","85":"Small business","86":"Start up business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1774"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72624\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/68570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72624"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=72624"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=72624"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=72624"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=72624"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=72624"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=72624"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=72624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}