For many eCommerce brands, the BFCM rush often translates into a whirlwind of one-time bargain hunters, leaving little room for cultivating lasting customer relationships. BFCM is part of the broader holiday season and stands out as one of the most popular shopping events globally. Sure, your sales numbers look fantastic for a few days, but what happens when the confetti settles and the discount signs come down?

Turning these fleeting BFCM shoppers into loyal, year-round customers isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a game-changer for your bottom line. Studies by Bain & Company have shown that increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can boost profits by a whopping 25% to 95%. During the biggest shopping weekend of the year, the surge in online shopping and online sales makes it even more crucial to focus on retention. Now that’s a deal even the most hardcore bargain hunter couldn’t pass up!

You’ve worked hard to attract these shoppers – wouldn’t it be great if they stuck around for more than just your doorbuster deals? Brands can build anticipation leading up to BFCM with teasers and early promotions to maximize results. Let’s look at some strategies and tactics to turn that BFCM fling into a long-term thing!

In the following sections, you’ll find actionable BFCM marketing tips to help turn one-time shoppers into loyal customers.

A tale of two customers

Before we jump into retention strategies, let’s talk about who these BFCM shoppers really are and their diverging behaviors. Pick two shoppers: Deal-Seeking Dan and Potential-Loyal Paula. Understanding your target audience is key to tailoring retention strategies that resonate with each group.

Deal-Seeking Dan is all about the discounts. They’ve got price comparison apps, deal alerts, and a tight budget. They’ll buy from anyone offering the lowest price, and brand loyalty isn’t in their vocabulary.

On the other hand, Potential-Loyal Paula is different. Sure, they love a good deal, but they’re also interested in quality, brand values, and overall shopping experience. They might be trying your brand for the first time during BFCM, but with the right approach, they could become a repeat customer. This is how they differ.

First-time shoppers during BFCM often behave differently from loyal customers. Analyze whether their buying patterns align with existing segments based on their past shopping behavior. It’s important to segment customers according to their BFCM shopping patterns to better personalize follow-up marketing and offers. Here are some metrics and qualitative factors to spot them:

• Purchase history
• Email Engagement
• Average Order Value
• Return Rate
• First-purchase value
• Customer service interactions
• Social Media Engagement

Compare their BFCM AOV with your median AOV. Shoppers with a lower-than-average AOV may have purchased purely based on price, whereas those whose AOV aligns or exceeds the median are more likely to be quality-focused. The first-purchase value during BFCM is also an early indicator. Analyzing customer preferences can help you identify which shoppers are more likely to become loyal customers and what motivates their purchasing decisions. Customers who spend more on their first purchase are often more willing to invest in your brand long-term.

Recognizing the distinction between these two types is crucial for maximizing your BFCM success and long-term growth. Here’s why:

• Resource Allocation: Focusing retention efforts on Potential-Loyal Paula offers a higher ROI. She’s more likely to become a repeat customer, increasing your Customer Lifetime Value.
• Brand Perception: Tailoring your approach helps maintain brand integrity. Constantly catering to Deal-Seeking Dan with rock-bottom prices can devalue your brand in the long run.
• Marketing Efficiency: Understanding your customer types allows for more targeted, effective marketing campaigns, both during and after BFCM.

Building a long-term engagement strategy Post-BFCM

During BFCM, you are dealing with a pool of newly acquired shoppers. However, because you’re acquiring them very quickly, it does not necessarily mean that they like your brand—they’re buying based on product and price at the time. Post-BFCM campaigns are just as important as the initial BFCM campaigns, as they help drive sales and increase sales by re-engaging these new customers.

The weeks following BFCM is a golden opportunity to transform those bargain-hunters into brand enthusiasts. Now, it’s not just about keeping customers; it’s about nurturing a community around your brand. Building long-term relationships with BFCM shoppers can increase brand awareness and create more engaged customers who are more likely to return and advocate for your business. Imagine turning that one-time BFCM shopper into a year-round advocate who returns for more and brings friends along for the ride.

The insights gained from post-BFCM retention efforts can also help inform and improve your future campaigns.

Sending a Warm Thank-You Email

A warm thank-you email is more than just a receipt—it’s your first step toward turning a BFCM shopper into a loyal customer. After the Black Friday Cyber Monday rush, a personalized thank-you message can make your brand stand out in a sea of transactional emails. Start by addressing the customer by name and referencing their specific purchase, then provide clear details about shipping times and tracking so they feel informed and valued.

But don’t stop there! Express genuine gratitude for their business and let them know how much you appreciate them choosing your brand during the busiest shopping event of the year. To encourage repeat purchases and boost customer lifetime value, consider including an exclusive discount code or a special offer just for them. This small gesture can go a long way in building trust and increasing the likelihood that they’ll return long after the BFCM sales are over.

A thoughtful thank-you email not only enhances the customer experience but also sets the stage for a lasting relationship—helping you transform one-time Black Friday Cyber Monday shoppers into loyal customers who keep coming back for more.

Creating a First-Time Buyer Automation

Welcoming new customers with a tailored first-time buyer automation is a smart way to nurture relationships and drive more sales after the BFCM weekend. This automated email series should go beyond a simple order confirmation—think of it as a mini onboarding journey that introduces your brand, highlights your best products, and offers helpful tips related to their recent purchase.

Segment your new BFCM customers and send them personalized messages that speak directly to their interests and shopping behavior. For example, you might follow up with a “how to get the most out of your purchase” guide, a behind-the-scenes look at your brand, or a special offer on complementary products. By targeting specific customer segments with relevant content, you’ll not only improve customer retention but also reduce customer acquisition costs by encouraging those new customers to make a second purchase.

Automating this process ensures that every new shopper receives a consistent, high-quality experience—helping you turn BFCM’s influx of new buyers into a steady stream of repeat business.

Post-purchase strategies

Craft killer thank-you emails and SMS

Tweak your automation flows to send a personalized Order Confirmation or Thank You email to your new customers who made their first purchase during BFCM.

Pro-tip: You can export this cohort as a segment directly from Peel Insights to Klaviyo or Attentitive.

Don’t settle for a boring “Your order is confirmed” message. Jazz it up! Include a limited-time discount on a complementary product or let them know about upcoming sales. Use SMS marketing to deliver timely, personalized post-purchase messages that keep your customers engaged. Send push notifications to alert customers about order updates or upcoming exclusive offers. Focus on building your list of email subscribers for ongoing engagement and future campaigns. Ensure your BFCM messaging is clear and transparent to build trust and avoid confusion. Consider running ad campaigns and paid ads to retarget recent BFCM shoppers and encourage repeat purchases.

Nail your fulfillment and shipping

In the age of Amazon Prime, fast and accurate shipping isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a must. Consider throwing in a little surprise – like a sample of a complementary product or a handwritten note. Allbirds includes a quirky “Owner’s Manual” with each pair of shoes, adding a fun touch to the unboxing experience. You can also offer free shipping or reduce shipping costs in your post-purchase emails to encourage repeat purchases and boost average order value.

Incentivize reviews

Reviews are worth their weight in gold for eCommerce brands. Offer a small discount or loyalty points for leaving a review. You can also incentivize reviews by offering discount codes or a free gift to customers who share their feedback. Glossier, the beauty brand, encourages reviews by featuring customer photos on their product pages, turning reviewers into micro-influencers.

Encourage social sharing

Include a card with your social media handles and a branded hashtag. You could say something like, “Love your new [Product]? We’d love to see it! Share a photo with #[YourBrandHashtag] for a chance to be featured on our page!” These strategies benefit both you and your customers by building community and increasing brand exposure.

Educate about product usage and benefits

If you sell skincare products, for instance, you could send a series of emails about skincare routines, ingredients to look for (and avoid), and how to address common skin concerns. Target customers with personalized recommendations based on their purchase to increase satisfaction and drive additional sales.

Finally, optimizing website speed can improve the post-purchase customer journey for existing customers, ensuring a smooth experience and encouraging loyalty.

Cross-sell and upsell

While many brands may choose to go quiet on promotions after BFCM, continuing to offer enticing bundle deals can draw customers back to your store. Cross-sell and upsell strategies can be extended beyond the BFCM sale to maintain momentum and keep customers engaged. By analyzing the performance of your BFCM bundles—tracking metrics like order value and total sales—you can identify top performers and craft similar offerings for the post-BFCM period. If you’re a Peel Insights customer, the market-basket analysis is where you need to go. You can even filter potential bundles with BFCM cohorts.

For example, if a customer bought a camera from you during BFCM, follow up with emails about accessories like lenses, tripods, or camera bags. Make sure to explain how these add-ons enhance the original purchase, and consider promoting exclusive BFCM deals as part of your post-sale bundles.

Some brands extend their offers for the entire week following BFCM to capture more sales and maximize the impact of their campaigns.

Use Social Media for retention

Social media isn’t just for acquiring new customers – it’s a powerful tool for retention too.

Don’t let your social media go quiet after BFCM. Social media is a great way to reach online shoppers after BFCM, keeping your brand top-of-mind and encouraging repeat purchases. Keep the momentum going with user-generated content, behind-the-scenes peeks, or tips for using BFCM purchases. For example, a fitness equipment brand could share quick workout videos featuring products that were on sale during BFCM. Here are some ideas:

• Feature BFCM shoppers on your social media platforms. Share their stories about why they chose your brand, how they use the product, and their overall experience.
• Encourage your customers to share their BFCM purchases on social media.
• Encourage customers to post unboxing videos of their BFCM purchases, and share the best ones on your page.
• If you sell beauty, fitness, or home improvement products, run a before-and-after challenge. Ask customers to share the results after using their BFCM purchases, whether it’s a new skincare routine, a fitness journey, or a home makeover.
• Create a series of short, engaging social posts offering tips on how to care for, maintain, or get the most out of their BFCM purchases.
• Promote a referral program where BFCM shoppers can share a discount with friends or family through social media.
• Share highlights from your Black Friday marketing campaigns, such as best-selling products, customer testimonials, or behind-the-scenes moments, to keep customers engaged and remind them of your brand’s value.

Using these strategies on social media helps you create more engaged customers who are likely to return and make future purchases.

Leveraging User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is a goldmine for building trust and driving more sales during the holiday shopping season. When your customers share photos, reviews, or stories about their BFCM purchases on social media, it creates authentic social proof that resonates with potential customers. Encourage shoppers to tag your brand or use a branded hashtag, and showcase their content in your email campaigns, social media ads, and across your marketing efforts.

Not only does UGC help increase average order value by inspiring others to shop, but it also reduces the cost and effort of creating new content for your paid advertising. Featuring real customers in your campaigns makes your brand feel more relatable and trustworthy, which is especially important when attracting new shoppers during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

By making UGC a core part of your BFCM strategy, you’ll foster a sense of community, boost engagement, and drive more sales—all while letting your happy customers do the talking.

Keep the BFCM momentum with your Loyalty Program for loyal customers

Many BFCM shoppers are drawn to steep discounts, which can make retaining them more challenging once the sales are over. To keep bargain-hunters engaged without hurting profitability, businesses need to carefully balance between offering value and maintaining brand integrity.

A well-designed loyalty program can turn occasional shoppers into brand advocates. According to a survey by Queue, 84% of customers are more likely to stick with a brand that offers loyalty programs.

Post BFCM is the ideal opportunity to introduce or promote loyalty programs, offering exclusive rewards, points, or discounts for future purchases, and VIP treatment to incentivize repeat purchases.

Your messages (emails and SMS) should clearly explain how the program works and the benefits customers can expect. Here are some examples of exclusive perks: early access to sales, free shipping, limited-edition products, free gifts for loyalty members, and a free gift as a reward for reaching certain milestones. You can also offer free shipping to loyalty members to offset shipping costs and increase retention.

Pro-tip: You can even run a limited time points multiplier campaign for new customers.

Offer subscriptions to encourage repeat purchases

If your brand deals in skincare, beauty, or any products that require replenishment, you have a really good opportunity to encourage them to subscribe and show them how much they could be saving as a regular subscriber, highlighting the value and convenience your package can provide. Consider targeting existing customers with subscription offers, encouraging them to switch to a subscription for added convenience and savings. Customers who subscribe to your package are less likely to shop from a different brand which further increases their LTV.

Providing exceptional customer support

Shoppers who feel valued after a positive support interaction are much more likely to become loyal customers. BFCM can be chaotic but make sure your customer service is top-notch because great customer support can turn a one-time buyer into a lifelong customer. Offer multiple swift delivery options, including in-store pick-up at brick and mortar stores for added convenience, personalized support, and consistent stock availability. Going the extra mile in customer care can be the key to fostering loyalty. Here’s how to nail it:

Offer omnichannel support: Be available where your customers are – email, phone, chat, social media.

Implement chatbots: Use AI-powered chatbots to handle common queries quickly. However, ensure there is an easy way for customers to reach a human representative for more complex issues. This balance can improve response times while maintaining a personal touch.

Train your team on retention: Your support team should be empowered to go above and beyond to keep customers happy. Provide them with the tools and training needed to resolve issues effectively and to create positive customer experiences.

Proactively address common issues: If you know a product tends to have a learning curve, reach out to customers a week after purchase to see if they need any help.

Building a Smooth Shipping Experience

A seamless shipping experience can make or break your BFCM sales event. With so many shoppers looking for fast, reliable delivery, it’s essential to provide clear information about shipping times, costs, and options tailored to different customer segments. Use data and analytics to streamline your shipping processes, minimize delays, and keep customers informed every step of the way.

Offering perks like free shipping or discounted rates can be a powerful incentive to increase average order value and encourage more sales. Make sure your shipping policies are front and center during checkout, so customers know exactly what to expect—this transparency builds trust and reduces the risk of lost sales due to unexpected costs.

By prioritizing a smooth shipping experience as part of your BFCM strategy, you’ll not only delight your customers but also lay the groundwork for repeat business and long-term loyalty. After all, a great delivery experience is often what brings shoppers back for more, long after the sales event is over.

Measuring post-BFCM marketing success with customer lifetime value

Tracking the right metrics is crucial to understanding the effectiveness of your retention strategies for BFCM customers. Beyond simple measures like repeat purchase rate, focusing on more nuanced metrics helps businesses assess the long-term value of customers. You should also compare the metrics of your BFCM customers with other cohorts to understand the quality of your BFCM acquisition program as well as your BFCM retention program. Analyzing these metrics not only measures current performance but also provides valuable insights to optimize future campaigns.

Lifetime Revenue

BFCM brings in deal-hunters, but which ones will stick around and spend more over time? LTR helps you figure out which customers are worth focusing your retention efforts on.

Profitability

Sales during BFCM often involve steep discounts, so it’s important to find whether your repeat customers are profitable. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) vs. Post-BFCM Revenue can show if the shoppers you’ve retained are generating sustainable profit, or if you’re relying too much on discounts.

Churn Rate

Another crucial metric is churn rate—the percentage of customers who make a purchase during BFCM and then disappear. If your churn rate is high, it’s a red flag that your retention strategies need work. Maybe the post-purchase experience wasn’t strong enough, or perhaps customers didn’t feel incentivized to return.

Customer Engagement Score

Post-BFCM engagement is key: Are customers opening your emails, clicking on social media posts, or returning to browse your site? Analyzing these behaviors shows how invested they are in your brand after the deals have passed.

Repeat Purchase Rate

This metric reveals how many of your BFCM shoppers make a second purchase. Tracking how quickly and frequently they return helps you gauge the effectiveness of your retention campaigns.

Average Order Value

It’s not just about getting repeat purchases—AOV tells you if your shoppers are spending more over time. Compare the AOV of your BFCM shoppers with that of your regular customers to see if you’re successfully cross-selling or upselling.

Purchase Frequency

How often are your BFCM customers coming back? Tracking purchase frequency over time helps you identify customers who are transitioning from one-time buyers into regulars.

If you’re using Peel Insights, you can find all these reports (and more). You can filter these for your BFCM cohorts and arrive at some fantastic insights.

Build long-term relationships with your BFCM marketing

Retaining BFCM customers isn’t just about making more sales (although that’s a nice bonus). It’s about building a community of loyal customers who love your brand and keep coming back, deal or no deal. Focusing on the entire customer journey is key to building lasting relationships and ensuring customers feel valued at every touchpoint.

From well-crafted loyalty programs to personalized subscription recommendations, each strategy plays a crucial role in your retention strategy. Add to this mix the invaluable insights gleaned from customer feedback, the charm of exceptional post-purchase experiences, and the power of targeted re-engagement campaigns, and you’ve got a recipe for lasting success.

Remember, the strategies we’ve discussed aren’t just for BFCM. They’re year-round tactics that can help you build a more sustainable, profitable business. So, as you’re planning your next BFCM campaign, don’t just think about how to attract new customers. Think about how you’re going to keep them coming back long after the holidays are over.