Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) are two of the busiest shopping days of the year. To maximize your success during this peak shopping season, it’s essential to have a well-planned Black Friday e-commerce strategy in place.

You will get 20 useful tips from this blog to help you improve your Shopify shop for BFCM.

1. Analyze the previous year’s performance.

2. Create a data-driven inventory plan.

3. Start marketing early

4. Optimize your website for mobile.

5. Implement abandoned cart recovery.

6. Personalize your marketing campaigns.

7. Offer exclusive deals to VIP customers.

8. Leverage influencer marketing.

9. Use scarcity and urgency tactics.

10. Invest in social media ads.

11. Focus on product bundling for bigger sales.

12. Provide free shipping on all orders.

13. Optimize the checkout process for fast transactions.

14. Prepare for a surge in traffic.

15. Build hype with limited-time flash sales.

16. Provide 24/7 customer support during Black Friday.

17. Highlight “Buy Now, Pay Later” options.

18. Manage shipping expectations transparently.

19. Use retargeting ads Post-Black Friday.

20. Follow up with post-sale email campaigns.

1. Analyze the previous year’s performance

We can analyze sales patterns, customer feedback, and the most successful promotions related to your BFCM sales goals. This will help us see where you’re doing well and where you might need some help.

Here are some key performance indicators (KPIs) for Black Friday e-commerce strategy last year:

• Total sales looked at how sales during Black Friday compared to earlier record-setting periods.
• Product-specific sales to identify the top-performing products and categories.
• Conversion rates to analyze the percentage of website visitors who made a purchase.
• Website traffic is examined as the increase or decrease in website visits during the holiday sales.
• Return rates is checked for the number of  BFCM post-sale customer retention.

If you run a Shopify store, you can use the Shopify Analytics feature to see these metrics. Read Shopify’s guide to learn more about tracking your holiday performance with Shopify Analytics.

2. Create a data-driven inventory plan

In addition to using last year’s sales data to analyze the strengths and areas for improvement of BFCM campaign planning. You can use it and combine it with current trends to forecast demand.

However, in our experience, the best seller will not be the best seller for some stores, especially if your store has seasonal products. So, we recommend using inventory planning software to forecast which products are more likely to be in demand at certain periods, such as summer and winter products, and to track different trends. 

3. Start your Black Friday e-commerce strategy early

We advise you to launch your Black Friday e-commerce strategy two to four weeks. You may use social media postings, email teasers, and countdowns.

Get 35 Black Friday marketing ideas for E-commerce sales in another of our blogs.

4. Optimize your website for mobile

The truth is that mobile users are getting impatient with websites that aren’t mobile-friendly as time goes on in this fast-paced digital world. So, if you own a website, you need to learn responsive design right away.

Here are some tips for making your website mobile-friendly:

• Use a collapsible menu and show them when people click on a button.
• Minify your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code by removing unnecessary whitespace, comments, and redundancies.
• Use mobile payment option to help customers pay faster and more automatically.

Check more on the 27 steps to prepare for Black Friday e-commerce strategy.

5. Implement abandoned cart recovery

Many add items to their shopping carts, but many never make a purchase. This is particularly true at peak periods, like as Black Friday. It is possible for people to get sidetracked and forget what they intended to purchase.

So, we recommend setting up automated emails to remind customers of items left in their cart. These emails are a great way to get people to come back and finish their buy.

You can also offer a deal that only lasts for a short time to get people to buy. Rudy’s is a good case. People who leave their carts get funny emails from them. “Don’t put this off like a software update” is written in one of their emails along with a coupon code. Someone might miss out if they don’t buy the things they want. This is a funny way to remind them of that.

6. Personalize your marketing campaigns

It doesn’t matter how nice the design is or what the deal is if you don’t send it to the right people. This is why BFCM customer segmentation is important: it helps you send emails to the right people.

Also, you can use dynamic content to personalize your BFCM customer journey mapping, like recommending products based on what people have bought in the past. We highly recommend a cart abandonment popup with a countdown timer. This can create a sense of urgency and make people want to buy right away.

7. Offer exclusive deals to VIP customers

Send special emails to your best customers so they can see your early BFCM deals and discounts before anyone else. This will make them feel important and encourage them to buy. It will also help you spread out your orders so you’re not overwhelmed during the busiest time of year.

You can follow the example of BH and promote VIP-exclusive deals through emails and your loyalty program.

If you have a Shopify store and still think the loyalty app works for you, we suggest BON Loyalty. This Shopify loyalty app has a full points and rewards system, VIP levels, and recommendations that make it easy to give early bird discounts to customers.

8. Leverage influencer marketing

According to a Kaspersky survey, almost 58% of people check online to see what influencers are buying on Black Friday. You can work with both macro and micro-influencers, depending on how much you want to spend.

Get ideas from Gymshark. It is a brand known for its limited-time deals, worked with influencers like Zac Behzinga for their Black Friday sale. They used the hashtag #BigDealEnergy to promote their products.

9. Use scarcity and urgency tactics

You can create a sense of urgency for BFCM sales by let people know that the deals are only available for a limited time. Also show them how many products are left in stock to make them want to buy before they’re gone. The fear of missing out will push them to make quick buying decisions.

The important tips is offering big discounts for a short time. Let the flash sales period be just enough, limited to 1 day or less, it will be most effective.

10. Invest in social media ads

Customers spend a lot of money during Black Friday weekend. So, it won’t be a waste of effort if you utilize paid advertising on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. 

These platforms let you target your ads to specific people based on what they like, what they do, and what they’ve bought in the past. This will help you reach more people and sell more products.

Get ideas from Levi. They uses a simple but effective strategy for their Black Friday ads on Facebook. They have a clear logo and a cool Black Friday design. This might lose some people, but it attracts people who are really interested in their products. 

11. Focus on product bundling for bigger sales

Showcasing the cost savings customers can achieve by purchasing bundled items is opt for increasing average order value during BFCM. 

You can create bundles of products that people often buy together. This makes it easier for customers to shop and can help you sell more. Also, create bundles based on different themes or holidays. For example, you could create a holiday gift set.

12. Provide free shipping on all orders

In fact, a Statista survey found that 70% of people say free shipping is why they buy things online. However, if you can’t offer free shipping on everything, you can set a minimum purchase threshold. For example, Nike offers free shipping on orders over $50. 

13. Optimize the checkout process for fast transactions

The checkout process on websites makes it easy for people to leave without getting anything. Some people don’t like having to sign up before they can buy something. Some people get annoyed when they have to fill out too many forms.

To make it easier for people to buy, you should put all the checkout information on one page and keep it simple.

14. Prepare for a surge in traffic

If you do every Black Friday e-commerce strategy we suggest, you need to make sure your website can handle all the traffic. You want it to be fast and reliable for your customers.

We recommend using a content delivery network (CDN) for this. With a CDN, your website loads faster, and your computer doesn’t have to work as hard.

15. Build hype with limited-time flash sales

If you want people to get really excited about your Black Friday deals, try having short, exciting flash sales all day. People may feel rushed to buy during these sudden sales and want to do so right away.

Send exclusive push notifications or SMS alerts to subscribers about upcoming flash sales. Ensure they have real-time updates to stay ahead of the action.

16. Provide 24/7 customer support during Black Friday

Using a chatbot can help you give your customers instant support, especially when you’re really busy. This can make your customers happy and help them get answers faster.

With tools like Gorgias, you can even use AI to suggest articles to customers when they ask questions. This can help them find the answers they need quickly.

17. Highlight “Buy Now, Pay Later” options

Many people in the US are worried about using their credit cards during the holidays. In fact, almost half of them doubt they can pay it all back, according to a survey by Klarna. They are also interested in buy now, pay later (BNPL) options because they want to spread out their payments.

To attract budget-conscious customers, you should offer payment solutions like Klarna, Afterpay, or PayPal. Make sure to promote these options during the checkout process so people can easily see them.

18. Manage shipping expectations transparently

Dealing with your shipping company ahead of time will help your Black Friday e-commerce strategy go smoothly. Then, on your product page and checkout page, you should let people know when they can expect their order to arrive. You can also offer fast shipping for people who need their items right away.

19. Use retargeting ads Post-Black Friday

If people visit your website but don’t buy anything during Black Friday, you can use ads to remind them to come back. This is called retargeting ads. Pact Apparel is a good example of a brand that uses discounts in abandoned cart ads. This can be a powerful way to get people to finish their purchases.

20. Follow up with post-sale email campaigns

Don’t go silent after e-commerce sales. Send them a thank you email and offer them special deals for future purchases. This is the best post-BFCM customer retention strategy to increase your customer loyalty.

Explore more: 24 thank you BFCM email templates & examples for ecommerce.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can small e-commerce stores compete with larger brands during Black Friday?

Black Friday Cyber ​​Monday marketing ideas for small businesses are focused on personalized offers, niche products, and community building. 

What are the most cost-effective Black Friday marketing strategies?

In our opinion, email marketing and organic social media campaigns is the most cost-effective black friday e-commerce strategy. 

Emerging trends for Black Friday 2024

Each year, new trends come up that shape Black Friday. These trends are caused by changes in technology and customer behavior analysis. It is important to keep up with these trends if you want your online store to stay competitive and get a big part of the holiday shopping market.

How are eco-conscious shoppers influencing Black Friday sales?

On Black Friday, lots of people buy lots of things, and shops have big deals. It’s bad for people and the earth, though.

We need to shop in ways that are better for people and the earth. Businesses can support environmental causes by selling items made from recycled materials, giving deals on eco-friendly items, or selling these items at a lower price.

How are AI tools changing eCommerce during peak sales periods?

New technology is making online shopping change quickly. One of the most important changes is artificial intelligence (AI). AI is giving companies new ways to connect with their users.

Customer service is essential for online stores. AI-powered chatbots can help answer customer questions quickly and at any time.

These chatbots can also use information about customers to suggest personalized products and promotions. This can help stores sell more and make customers happy.

Pro tips for small e-commerce brands

Despite the fact that large corporations have access to more resources and marketing budgets, our approach may help tiny online retailers compete during discounts.

How can small businesses leverage micro-influencers for promotions?

According to Statista Top Influencer Marketing Statistics, the average minimum price per post of TikTok mega-influencers with more than one million worldwide followers was 1,200 U.S. dollars in 2022. 

That means working with influencers, especially micro-influencers, usually requires a lower budget than running big social media campaigns. And because influencers already have followers, you can reach a specific audience more easily to 

How do you encourage customers to share user-generated content on social media?

The best way to encourage customers to share user-generated content on social media is to create BFCM social media content.