Black Friday and Cyber Monday are no longer just a weekend; they're an entire season. BFCM 2025 is just around the corner and the numbers prove why it’s unmissable.

In 2024 alone, U.S. shoppers spent over $20B online across Black Friday and Cyber Monday alone, and eCommerce businesses that were ready captured massive gains. The ones that weren’t? They drowned in site crashes, high CPCs, and missed retention opportunities.

This year, don’t just “get through” BFCM. Build a playbook that wins new customers, maximizes retention, and sustains growth long after the holiday rush is over.

1.  Planning, Forecasting & Goal Setting

Start by mapping out clear revenue goals, inventory planning, and promotional timelines for BFCM. Use last year’s performance as a benchmark, but factor in growth opportunities and operational capacity. A solid plan upfront avoids last-minute chaos.

• Audit Last Year’s Performance

  • What channels drove the most revenue? (Email, Meta, Google, affiliates)

  • What was your CAC vs. LTV ratio?

  • Where did you lose efficiency? (e.g., high CPC spikes on Black Friday morning)
    
    

• Define Clear Goals

  • Example: “Acquire 2,000 new customers at <$40 CAC”

  • Example: “Lift AOV from $85 to $100 through bundles & upsells”

  • Example: “Drive 30% of total sales from email/SMS instead of paid”
    
    

• Promotional Planning

  • Decide discount depth vs. perceived value: Will it be “30% sitewide” or “Buy 2 Get 1 Free”?

  • Layer offers: sitewide + bundles + loyalty/VIP exclusives.

  • Lock in shipping cut-off dates for Christmas delivery.

2.  Audience Building & Segmentation

Warm up your audience weeks in advance by growing your email and SMS lists. Segment by engagement level, purchase history, and interests so you can deliver targeted offers. The more personalized, the higher your conversion rates.

• Segment Early

  • VIP repeat buyers, offer them early access & deeper discounts.

  • Loyal customers (1–2 past purchases), encourage them to stock up.

  • Window shoppers (site visits, no purchase), retarget with urgency.

  • Dormant customers (6+ months inactive), send winback offers before the season.
    
    

• Build Paid Audiences

  • Upload first-party email lists into Meta, TikTok, and Google Ads.

  • Create lookalike audiences based on high-LTV customers.

  • Exclude past customers when running acquisition campaigns to control CAC.
    
    

• Grow Your List

  • Add pop-ups with early-access lists (“Get VIP access to our BFCM sale”).

  • Run giveaway campaigns tied to your hero products.

  • Incentivize SMS opt-ins with exclusive offers.

3.  Website & Landing Page Optimization

Your site should be fast, mobile-friendly, and built to handle surges in traffic. Optimize landing pages with clear CTAs and make your promotions front and center. Test everything ahead of time to avoid site crashes on the big days.

• Site Performance

  • Run load tests—your traffic may spike 3–5x normal levels.

  • Compress images & enable a CDN for faster load times.

  • Add sticky add-to-cart and fast checkout buttons on mobile.
    
    

• User Experience

  • Remove distractions and make discounts front & center.

  • Add countdown timers on product pages.

  • Use exit-intent popups for abandoning visitors.
    
    

• Landing Pages

  • Create a dedicated BFCM hub (e.g., /black-friday) for all offers.

  • Build SKU-specific landing pages for paid traffic.

  • Test layouts: banner-first vs. product-first.

4.  Checkout Optimization

A smooth checkout flow means fewer abandoned carts. Reduce friction by offering guest checkout, multiple payment options, and transparent shipping. Add urgency with countdown timers or low-stock alerts.

• Payment Options

  • Add PayPal, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Klarna, and Afterpay.

  • Highlight installment payments for higher-priced items.
    
    

• Upsells & AOV Boosters

  • Add in-cart upsells (“Add gift wrap for $5”).

  • Use post-purchase upsells with one-click acceptance.

  • Set free shipping thresholds slightly above current AOV.
    
    

• Reduce Abandonment

  • Auto-fill shipping details.

  • Provide clear estimated delivery dates.

  • Offer order tracking immediately after purchase.

5. Email & SMS Plan

Email and SMS are your biggest revenue drivers during BFCM. Schedule a mix of teasers, VIP early access, and last-chance reminders. Automate key flows like cart abandonment and back-in-stock alerts to catch every sale.

•  Pre-BFCM Warm-Up

  • Send teaser campaigns 3 - 4 weeks out.

  • Create early-bird sign-ups for VIP access

•  BFCM Weekend

  • Day-before reminder (“Tomorrow it begins”)

  • Black Friday morning (sitewide launch email/SMS)

  • Black Friday night (“Last chance today”)

  • Cyber Monday (new set of deals or urgency messaging)
    
    

• Automation

  • Revamp cart, browse, and checkout abandonment flows.

  • Add SMS reminders triggered by abandoned carts.

  • Insert urgency-based subject lines: “Only 2 hours left…”

6. Paid Media Strategy

Ramp up paid ads early to build awareness and retarget shoppers who engage with your brand. Focus budgets on your best-performing channels and audiences. Keep messaging consistent with your email and onsite promotions.

• BFCM Tactics

  • Increase budgets by 30–50% during key days.

  • Retarget with specific SKUs people viewed.

  • Cap frequency at 4–6/day to prevent fatigue.
    
    

• Diversify Spend

  • Google Search: Capture bottom-funnel intent (“Best Black Friday deals on for xyz”)

  • Meta: Retargeting + lookalikes.

  • Display: Dynamic remarketing banners.

7. Creative & Messaging

Stand out with bold, time-sensitive creativity that emphasizes urgency and exclusivity. Tailor your messaging to each channel, but keep the overall campaign cohesive. Test different offers to see what resonates.

• Ad Formats

  • Carousel ads with bundles.

  • UGC + testimonials for social proof.

  • Video ads with countdown timers.
    
    

• Messaging

  • Emphasize scarcity: “Selling Fast”

  • Leverage urgency: “Ends at Midnight”

  • Highlight savings: “Save $100 today”
    
    

• Consistency

  • Match paid ads → landing pages → email banners.

  • Keep promo codes identical across all touchpoints.

8. Post-Purchase Experience

The sale doesn’t end at checkout, wow customers with fast shipping, branded packaging, and thoughtful follow-ups. Use thank-you emails and loyalty rewards to encourage repeat purchases. A great post-purchase experience turns BFCM shoppers into long-term fans.

• Clear Communication

  • Proactive shipping updates.

  • Thank-you emails with upsells for holiday gifts.
    
    

• Retention

  • Create winback flows for BFCM buyers starting January.

  • Incentivize loyalty sign-ups.

9. Customer Support

Expect a spike in questions around shipping, returns, and discounts. Prep your support team with clear FAQs, automated responses, and extended coverage during peak hours. Quick, helpful replies reduce churn and build trust.

• Prepare for Surge

  • Staff up temporary support teams.

  • Extend support hours.
    
    

• Self-Service

  • Update FAQs with shipping, return, and promo info.

  • Add chatbots for basic questions.

10. Post-BFCM Analysis

After the dust settles, dig into your data: which channels, offers, and audiences performed best? Compare results to your goals and identify opportunities to improve. Document insights now so you’re even more prepared for next year.

• Campaign Recaps

• Analyze CAC, AOV, conversion rate.

• Measure email/SMS vs. paid contribution.

• Customer Cohorts

• Compare retention of BFCM buyers vs. normal cohorts.

• Feed Learnings into Q1

• Double down on channels with the strongest ROI.

Even if your brand nails every checklist above, you’ll still lose up to 98% of traffic without the right retention tools. That’s is where Instant comes in:

• 🚀 Identify 10x more lost shoppers your cookies can’t track.

• 📧 Trigger more high-performing email flows (browse, cart, checkout abandonment).

• 💰 3x email revenue during BFCM by sending personalized AI flows at scale.
  
  

• 📈 Proven Results:

  • Karen Kane → $707K incremental revenue in 60 days.

  • July Luggage → +21% revenue increase.

  • VRG GRL → 25x ROI.

Don’t let 98% of your BFCM traffic vanish. Book a demo today and make sure every click counts.