Black Friday and Cyber Monday—the biggest days for your ecommerce sales—are just around the corner and you’ve probably spent a huge chunk of time getting ready. At some point, you might have hit a wall and searched  “Black Friday tips for e-commerce stores” online

You wouldn’t be alone if you did. There are more than three million blogs offering tips and strategies on how to make the most of your Black Friday sales. Every e-commerce tool you use will have some sort of “17 strategies” for you—including us!—we created three blog posts (so far that is…), just to help you with your BFCM sales! For any e-commerce business, having a comprehensive marketing strategy is essential to streamline your Black Friday preparations and maximize results.

It’s not just articles… the Twitter gurus are out in force with a bevy of thoughts and threads if you’re looking for quick nuggets of helpful BFCM strategy and advice.

‘Tis the season for gifting subscriptions! Just ask our friends at Smartrr. Dropping some seriously helpful knowledge on positioning your subscriptions as gifts. MAJOR retention strategy. We’re into it!

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Sometimes keeping it simple is truly the chef’s kiss . Check out this reminder from Klaviyo on the value in reaching out to your holiday customers via SMS:

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And it’s not just your favorite tech stack companies dishing out the advice. There are individual marketing operators delivering the hacks too. And sometimes it’s the “what not to do” that we all need reminding of. Social media campaigns also play a crucial role in Black Friday success, helping brands engage audiences across platforms.

There’s no shortage of awesome advice all across social and the internet. And if you’re in search of “the perfect” checklist for your e-commerce store, you’re also not alone. There are some excellent tips out there by so many industry leaders, each offering a unique perspective. But the sheer volume of such blogs can lead to information overload and confusion.

So, to save you time and give you the best of all worlds, we’ve created (yet another) list, but it’s a little bit different this time. We’ve handpicked the best Black Friday strategies from industry-leading experts and summarized them in one place, leaving you free to focus on the implementation.

Introduction: Why Black Friday Matters More Than Ever

Black Friday isn’t just another date on the retail calendar—it’s the ultimate opportunity for e-commerce businesses to maximize sales, boost brand visibility, and win over new customers. As online shopping continues to surge, Black Friday has evolved into a global event, drawing millions of eager shoppers searching for the best deals and exclusive offers. For e-commerce brands, this means the stakes—and the rewards—are higher than ever.

To stand out in a crowded marketplace, it’s essential to develop smart marketing strategies that not only attract customers but also deliver an exceptional customer experience. From irresistible Black Friday promotions to seamless website navigation, every detail counts. By focusing on customer loyalty and leveraging the latest digital tools, businesses can turn first-time buyers into lifelong fans. With the right preparation, Black Friday can be the launchpad for long-term growth, setting the tone for a successful holiday shopping season and beyond.

Understanding Black Friday Sales: The Foundation for Success

Black Friday sales are more than just a one-day event—they’re the launchpad for the entire holiday shopping season and a golden opportunity for e-commerce businesses to maximize sales and build a loyal customer base. To truly capitalize on this pivotal moment, it’s essential to understand the unique dynamics that drive Black Friday success.

At the heart of every winning Black Friday marketing strategy is a deep understanding of your target audience and their shopping behaviors. By analyzing trends from previous years and leveraging tools like Google Analytics, you can gain valuable insights into what motivates your customers, which products are most appealing, and how shoppers interact with your online store. This data-driven approach allows you to tailor your marketing strategies, from crafting irresistible Black Friday deals to designing email marketing campaigns that speak directly to your audience’s needs.

Website speed is another critical factor—nothing derails a potential sale faster than a slow website, especially when website traffic is at its peak. Ensuring your site is optimized for performance not only prevents lost sales but also delivers a seamless customer experience that keeps shoppers coming back. Pair this with a robust social media strategy to create buzz around your upcoming sales, offer early access to exclusive deals, and engage both new and existing customers across multiple platforms.

Don’t underestimate the power of well-timed email marketing campaigns. Personalized messages that highlight special Black Friday discounts, early access offers, and curated product recommendations can boost sales and keep customers engaged throughout the holiday season. By focusing on these foundational elements—understanding customer behavior, optimizing your online store, and executing targeted marketing efforts—you’ll be well-positioned to increase conversion rates, raise average order value, and turn Black Friday into a springboard for long-term growth.

1. Technical Preparation: Build a Rock-Solid Foundation

Before you launch your Black Friday sale, it’s essential to make sure your e-commerce store is technically ready to handle the rush. Optimize your online store experience for Black Friday by leveraging analytics and automation tools to monitor performance and drive sales. A seamless, fast, and secure online shopping experience isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the backbone of your Black Friday sales strategy. Here’s how to set your store up for success and maximize sales during the busiest holiday shopping season of the year:

• Optimize Website Speed: Nothing kills conversion rates faster than a slow website. Online shoppers expect pages to load in under three seconds—any longer, and you risk lost sales as customers bounce to a competitor. Benchmark and improve your conversion rate by analyzing past performance and competitor benchmarks, then implement targeted optimizations before the big day. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to pinpoint what’s slowing you down and make improvements before the big day.
• Make Your Store Mobile Friendly: With more customers shopping from their phones and tablets, a mobile friendly site is non-negotiable. Responsive design, easy-to-tap buttons, and streamlined navigation ensure your store looks and works great on any device, helping you capture more online sales during Black Friday.
• Strengthen Security Measures: Trust is everything, especially when customers are entering payment details. Secure your e-commerce store with SSL certificates, keep your software up to date, and follow PCI compliance best practices. A secure site not only protects your business but also reassures shoppers, boosting their confidence to buy.
• Prepare for Traffic Surges: Black Friday can bring a tidal wave of website traffic. Use load testing tools to simulate high-traffic scenarios and identify any weak spots. Make sure your hosting plan can handle the spike so you don’t lose sales to a site crash or slow website performance.
• Streamline the Checkout Process: A complicated checkout is a conversion killer. Reduce friction by offering guest checkout, minimizing the number of form fields, and making shipping and return policies easily accessible. The smoother the process, the more likely you are to boost sales and keep customers coming back.
• Leverage Analytics Tools: Don’t fly blind—use Google Analytics and other analytics tools to monitor website traffic, track user behavior, and measure the effectiveness of your marketing strategies. Real-time data helps you spot issues, understand what’s working, and make quick adjustments to maximize your Black Friday sales potential.

By focusing on these technical essentials, you’ll create a solid foundation for your e-commerce business—one that’s ready to handle the demands of Black Friday and the entire holiday shopping season. Not only will you attract more customers, but you’ll also deliver a customer experience that keeps them coming back long after the sales are over.

1. Peel: Retention Is the New Acquisition

The main takeaway is to optimize your store based on your data to maximize profitability. Ad costs will shoot skywards during the holiday season and you need customers to return to your store to make higher profits. You can do this during the Black Friday sales by collecting and analyzing data to optimize for the best post-sales results, including increasing average order value through targeted recommendations.

Here’s an example. Based on the purchasing journey of existing customers, you can determine a pattern of second-purchase products. After the first purchase, you can segment and personalize customers’ emails with relevant product recommendations. By leveraging purchase history, you can tailor offers to boost customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.

Here’s what it looks like in action:

The second important piece of advice is to nail your outreach by balancing timing and personalization. This might sound like a lot of work, but in reality, it isn’t. All you need is hyper-targeted segmentation of your customers, which you can do in a few simple steps with Peel.

Adding just one step of segmentation will result in recurring customers. Why?

Your customers don’t want to be bombarded with emails immediately after they make a purchase. You need to find the sweet spot when your customers are ready to make their second purchase and then send a perfectly-crafted email just for them. To keep seasonal shoppers engaged and turn them into loyal customers, use strategies like retargeting, personalized offers, and exclusive deals.

Keeping customers engaged beyond the initial Black Friday purchase is key to building long-term relationships and fostering loyal customers.

2. Shopify: Prepare, Plan, and Start Early

Shopify, the go-to e-commerce platform, talks about the need to plan and start early, while also making sure the technical details are on point.

The e-commerce industry is still struggling with supply details, inventory, and shipping issues. In fact, 20% of shoppers planned to complete their holiday shopping before Black Friday itself. Based on this trend, your store can benefit from starting early, and extending the sale, if possible. In the weeks leading up to Black Friday, consider offering expedited shipping options to meet customer expectations and maximize sales.

Start your inventory preparation as early as possible, especially if you rely on third-party manufacturers. Suppliers are already working above capacity and last-minute orders might not be possible, leading to sales loss for your business.

To tackle this, take a look at the store’s past data and understand what products sell best to forecast demand. You can either use Shopify Reports for this or use Peel to analyze what products and bundles have performed the best for your store. Use projected sales based on previous season analytics, supplier capacity, and market data to inform your inventory, marketing, and logistics planning.

Next, get the technicalities right. A site crash can potentially lose thousands of dollars for you. So, check the following early on:

• Site speed and performance with heavy traffic
• Mobile-optimization
• Seamless checkout experience including one-click purchase

Additionally, have contingency plans in place for potential disruptions, such as technical issues or delays with your shipping company, to ensure smooth operations and customer satisfaction during peak periods.

3. Klaviyo: Learn from the Tried-And-Tested Tactics

Klaviyo, an email and SMS marketing automation tool,  focuses on the strategies that worked last year that you can replicate this year. This is important as consumer behavior has shifted post-pandemic. 2021 was the year that showed what works and not.

The main takeaway is to be honest and communicate clearly with your audience. While clickbait email titles and an all-capital “FREE GIFT” work to get your audience to open the email… is that the goal?

You want your customers to make a purchase from you AND have a nice experience doing so. When you create fake urgent sales, only to extend it a day further, or when you promise a 30% additional discount with an asterisk hidden at the bottom of the offer, customers lose trust in you and your brand. You want to be clear in your communication, and if possible, over-communicate. Also, make sure your checkout process is smooth and your POS systems are functioning correctly to handle increased transaction volume during peak periods.

If you’re expecting a delay in delivery, put it up front on your website, or if you’ll be ending your sale early. Tell your customers what to expect upfront. Be transparent about shipping costs and consider whether to temporarily extend your return policy for the holiday season to accommodate increased returns and improve customer satisfaction. This way, you’re not making one-time sales but rather creating an audience that’ll return once the holidays are over.

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The next important takeaway is to create special offers for your recurring customers. When a customer has been loyal to you in past, you want to give them a bonus for shopping with you. An extra 5% discount or a special gift can go a long way. Running a targeted email marketing campaign or a series of email marketing campaigns can also help drive repeat purchases and keep your loyal customers engaged.

4. Yotpo: Build Systems Now for Long-Term Retention

E-commerce marketing platform, Yotpo, gives an interesting point of view on customer retention: Create a loyalty program for your Black Friday sales.

BFCM is one of the lowest resistance times to get shoppers to sign up for your loyalty programs because shoppers are primed for their first purchase. You can then create incentives for their next purchase, going beyond points, like early access to upcoming sales, access to limited bundles, an extra 10% discount, and more. These strategies not only help retain loyal customers but also attract new customers and encourage repeat business.

The next important takeaway is to create subscription models. The goal is to keep in touch with your consumers and have them recognize your brand. Even if you don’t have a product that’s regularly consumed, you can create access or curation models of subscriptions. By analyzing customer behavior, you can tailor offers to your target audience and boost ongoing engagement.

For example, Pela, a phone accessories brand created an access subscription that gave the members exclusive benefits like additional discounts and free credit every month. Leveraging multiple channels to promote these exclusive benefits can help you reach and engage a wider audience.

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5. Hootsuite: Lean on Social Media

Hootsuite, a social media management platform, explains how you can use social media ads and organic reach to get shoppers to check your store out (and make a purchase).

One of the biggest takeaways is to not ignore TikTok when creating your social media strategy. Hootsuite’s 2022 Social Trends report suggested that TikTok is the most effective social media platform for 24% of businesses.

Next, to increase your organic reach, create gift guides on Instagram to help shoppers decide what to purchase. Focus on creating niche guides like “sustainable products” or “skincare gifts” like Sephora. Leverage social proof in your posts to build trust and drive conversions:

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You can use the same concept to create video guides for TikTok and Instagram Reels.

And, if you have to pay for ads, you can lower the costs by increasing engagement and creating interactive creative ads like Ikea’s #BuyBackFriday. It's important to utilize paid ads and set up the Facebook pixel for retargeting previous visitors and old customers, which can help maximize conversions and reduce acquisition costs.

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To create excitement and urgency during Black Friday, consider adding a countdown banner to your website to clearly show shoppers how much time is left to grab your deals.

Enhancing Customer Experience: Make Every Interaction Count

In the fast-paced world of holiday shopping, delivering a standout customer experience can make all the difference. Start by ensuring your product pages are visually appealing, informative, and easy to navigate—clear images, compelling product descriptions, and customer reviews help build trust and drive conversions. Offering early access to Black Friday deals for your most loyal customers or members of your loyalty program can create a sense of exclusivity and reward repeat shoppers.

Don’t underestimate the power of social media campaigns to attract customers and keep them engaged. Share behind-the-scenes content, highlight user-generated reviews, and showcase limited-time offers to build excitement. Use Google Analytics to monitor customer behavior in real time, allowing you to refine your marketing strategies and optimize your site for higher conversion rates. By focusing on every touchpoint—from the first ad to the final checkout—you’ll increase average order value, encourage repeat purchases, and foster a loyal customer base that keeps coming back long after the holiday shopping season ends.

Conversion Optimization: Turn Browsers into Buyers

Getting shoppers to your site is only half the battle—turning them into buyers is where the magic happens. Start by streamlining your checkout process: minimize the number of steps, offer guest checkout, and make payment options clear and convenient. Well-written product descriptions that highlight Black Friday deals and answer common questions can help overcome hesitation and drive purchases.

Create urgency with countdown banners, limited-time offers, and scarcity messaging to encourage shoppers to act fast. Don’t forget the power of email marketing campaigns—send targeted reminders about abandoned carts, exclusive Black Friday discounts, and last-chance deals to keep your brand top of mind. By focusing on these conversion optimization tactics, you’ll increase sales, reduce cart abandonment, and ensure your Black Friday efforts deliver maximum results.

Contingency Planning: Prepare for the Unexpected

Even the best-laid Black Friday plans can hit a snag, so having solid contingency plans in place is essential. Prepare for potential website crashes by stress-testing your site and ensuring your hosting can handle traffic spikes. Work closely with your shipping company to anticipate and communicate any possible delays, and keep a close eye on inventory levels to avoid disappointing customers with out-of-stock items.

Establish clear communication channels—use order-related emails and website banners to keep customers informed about shipping times, delays, or changes to your Black Friday campaign. Consider temporarily extending your return and exchange policies to give shoppers extra peace of mind during the busy holiday season. By being proactive and transparent, you’ll minimize lost sales, maintain customer trust, and ensure your Black Friday campaign runs smoothly, no matter what surprises come your way.

Post-Black Friday Follow-up: Turning Shoppers into Loyal Customers

The end of Black Friday doesn’t mean your work is done—in fact, it’s just the beginning of building lasting relationships with your new and existing customers. The days and weeks following your Black Friday sales are a prime opportunity to turn first-time buyers into loyal customers who return to your e-commerce store again and again.

Start by launching a thoughtful follow-up email marketing campaign. Thank your customers for their purchases, offer them early access to upcoming sales, or surprise them with exclusive discounts as a token of appreciation. Personalizing these messages based on purchase history not only makes your customers feel valued but also increases the likelihood of repeat purchases. This is also the perfect time to introduce or promote your loyalty program, giving shoppers a compelling reason to stay engaged with your brand long after the holiday season ends.

Keeping customers engaged goes beyond just offers—maintain open lines of communication by providing timely updates on order status, shipping, and any potential delays. Transparent, proactive customer service enhances the overall customer experience and builds trust, which is essential for fostering customer loyalty.

As you move forward, continue to monitor website traffic, analyze sales data, and gather customer feedback to refine your marketing strategies. By focusing on delivering exceptional service, relevant offers, and ongoing engagement, you’ll transform your Black Friday shoppers into a community of loyal customers—setting your e-commerce business up for sustained success throughout the holiday season and beyond.

Make This Year Your Best Black Friday Sales/Cyber Monday Yet

With all these creative and data-backed techniques, implementation will be key to moving forward. Along with increasing revenue, use this holiday season to build long-term customer relationships by leveraging data. Integrate apps from the Shopify App Store to enhance your online store's performance and analytics. When taking actionable steps, be sure to optimize your product pages and product descriptions to highlight Black Friday promotions and Black Friday discounts, making your offers stand out and drive conversions.

With Peel, you can use and connect data from multiple sources to get a comprehensive insight into your upcoming sales. Take a free 7-day trial to get started, and leverage BFCM promotions to increase sales. These strategies are especially valuable for small businesses looking to maximize their impact during the holiday season.

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