We don't need to tell you that Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) is an awesome opportunity to drive massive sales through your ecommerce platform. Last year, Shopify merchants reached a record of $9.3 billion in sales* over Black Friday-Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend.

With increased traffic and tougher competition, it’s really important to invest time in preparation. The more strategic you are, and the earlier you start refining your approach—building on past efforts and getting your team ready—the higher your chances of boosting sales this year.

Here’s how you can prepare for a successful BFCM season and take your sales to the next level:

1. Analyse Last Year’s Performance

Start by looking back at last year’s BFCM results. What worked well? Where did you see room for improvement? This data will help you focus on the most important areas this year. Look at:

- Sales and return data: Review your conversion rates and returns. Identify which products performed best and which had issues, such as high return rates or low conversion.

- Customer feedback: Take note of any negative reviews or complaints. Working through this with your team now can help reduce similar issues during the upcoming sale.

- Competitive analysis: Review last year’s market trends. Did competitors outperform you in any areas? This can help shape your pricing, deals, and how you engage with customers.

2. Optimise Your Inventory Management

Now is the time to get your inventory in order. Avoid stockouts and make sure your most popular items are ready to go. Some other points to think about here for managing inventory and keeping your loyal customers happy:

- Early access for VIP customers: Offering early access to your best customers not only rewards loyalty but also helps manage inventory levels. Consider a VIP sale before BFCM kicks off to secure sales while reducing the risk of overselling during the peak period.

- Subscription-based sales: If you’ve got a significant number of subscription customers reach out to them before BFCM and let them know that any promotional pricing will be applied to their subscriptions. You don’t want your most loyal customers pausing or cancelling their subscriptions because they feel they’ll be paying higher prices.

- Attract and upsell: You may choose only to have a selection of products on sale to attract customers and then promote other items at full price. Boost average order value with product bundles, add-ons, gift cards, memberships, or free shipping on minimum purchases.

3. Marketing, Promotion & Retention Strategies

Planning your content and promotions ahead of time is key to keeping your marketing efforts consistent across all channels. A well-structured content calendar will keep your messaging on point throughout the BFCM period. Your messaging needs to be consistent across all platforms to create a cohesive customer journey from start to finish.

- Teaser campaigns: Start teasing your BFCM deals ahead of time with gated content or early-access offers. This builds excitement and helps you capture leads for when the sale goes live.

- Channel coordination: Ensure your website, email campaigns, social media posts, and ads align with your BFCM strategy. Customers should receive consistent messaging wherever they engage with your brand.

- Strategic discounts: Fine-tune your offers based on what worked best last year. Can you introduce new options like mystery boxes or special add-ons like insurance at checkout to boost conversion rates?

- Retention strategies: BFCM isn’t just about one-off sales. Build retention into your strategy by offering incentives for second purchases, exclusive membership deals, or loyalty programs that encourage customers to come back after the sale ends, and build this into your marketing efforts.

4. Ensure Your Website is Optimised for High Traffic

We don’t need to remind you that your site needs to be ready to handle the traffic spikes that come with BFCM (but we will anyway!). A slow or glitchy site will cost you sales, so make sure everything is running smoothly.

- Full site audit: Use tools like Screaming Frog to identify any broken links, slow-loading pages, or image glitches. Fix them now to prevent a poor customer experience during peak traffic.

- Speed optimisation: Site speed is crucial during BFCM. Slow load times can lead to abandoned carts and lost sales. Ensure your website loads quickly and efficiently, especially with high traffic.

- Dedicated BFCM pages: Create a dedicated navigation link and collection page specifically for BFCM deals. This makes it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for, improving the overall shopping experience.

5. Elevate the Customer Experience

Your customers expect a seamless shopping experience, especially during BFCM. Any friction at checkout or lack of support can result in lost sales.

- Extend customer support: Increase your customer service hours, especially for live chat, to manage the spike in inquiries during BFCM. Quick responses will help prevent cart abandonment.

- Checkout improvements: Consider adding features such as providing customers with the ability to edit their orders post-purchase or upsell them if additional items can be added with no additional shipping costs. Showcasing relevant reviews, user-generated content and upsells at checkout can all increase conversions or improve order value.

- Transparent delivery messaging: Be upfront about delivery times and out-of-stock situations. Clear, transparent messaging will help set the right expectations and reduce frustration.

- Activate a Chatbot: Chatbots can significantly boost performance on e-commerce sites. Consider enabling this during checkout too.

6. Leverage Data to Make Smarter Decisions

Data is your most valuable tool for BFCM planning. Use it to make smart decisions and improve your strategy.

- Review Sales Channels: Identifying your top sales channels for BFCM helps you focus your efforts where they’ll have the biggest impact. By knowing which platforms drive the most traffic and sales, you can allocate resources, tailor promotions, and engage customers more effectively, boosting overall performance during the event.

- Customer segmentation: Segment your customer base into VIPs, first-time buyers, regular shoppers, and those who rarely buy. Tailor your offers to each segment for maximum impact.

- Launch new products: BFCM is the perfect time to launch new, full-priced products. With increased traffic and visibility, this is a great opportunity to drive sales on higher-margin items.

Need Help Getting Ready for BFCM?

You’ve got the checklist—now let’s make it happen! If you want expert help to make sure your e-commerce site is set for success this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we can help. Get in touch with the team, and we’ll help you fine-tune your strategy, boost your site’s performance, and maximise your sales. Let’s make this BFCM the best one yet.

The Ultimate BFCM Checklist for Ecommerce Brands to Skyrocket Sales