Black Friday planning starts now – not in November
Even though summer is still upon us, now is the time to begin your Black Friday and Cyber Monday preparations. When Q4 hits, prices on paid advertising channels rise, competition intensifies, and the cost of lead acquisition increases significantly.
Here are the key tactics that successful e-commerce brands use in their email strategy – so you can hit the ground running when peak season begins.
5 key messages you need to act on now
- Build your email list now – before ad prices rise.
- Optimise your pop-ups for higher conversion.
- Secure deliverability so your emails land in the inbox.
- Collect phone numbers for SMS marketing.
- Plan three campaign phases: Early Access, Black Friday week, and Cyber Monday.
Why you should be thinking about Black Friday right now
You can never be too early when it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday preparations. For most businesses, a very large share of revenue needs to come from Q4 – so if you miss the mark, you lose a significant portion of your turnover.
Once your customers have signed up to your newsletter, you have opened a direct marketing channel that often accounts for 20–40% of e-commerce brands’ revenue via email and SMS. Here you own the customer data yourself – unlike paid channels that rely on third-party data (Klaviyo, 2024).
Follow these strategies now, and you’ll be in the best possible position for your best ever Black Friday season.
Build your email list now (while it’s still affordable)
The volume of ads on paid channels increases week by week leading up to November. The more competition there is – the more expensive it is to advertise. In a few months, you could be paying 50%+ more per click for the same leads.
- Start building your list with advertising right now
The cost per lead rises sharply in the run-up to Black Friday. If you start collecting leads now, while prices are lower, you can acquire more quality leads at a fraction of the cost.
- Optimise your pop-ups
Every extra percentage point in sign-ups can translate into thousands in additional revenue during the Black Friday period. - Test and fine-tune
Do you have a 3% sign-up rate on your pop-ups? Aim for 6%. Already at 10%? Go for 12%. - Test multiple formats
Test different sign-up form formats. We have seen up to 15% more sign-ups with a spin-to-win that distributes discounts, compared to a standard sign-up form offering a simple 10% discount.
It may seem like a small change to increase your sign-up rate from 10% to 12%, but that’s 20% more subscribers – which could deliver a massive payoff in the upcoming peak season.
We have written about collecting leads with paid social here: How a solid email list is the key to strong data-driven paid social
Land in the inbox or lose the revenue
The most effective tip for boosting revenue from your Black Friday campaigns is simple: make sure your emails land in the inbox rather than spam – but this requires a strong email reputation.
- Warm up your list now
Send only to segments that have opened or clicked within the last 60 days. - Build your segments based on interests and preferences
If you haven’t done this already, now is the time to find out what your recipients want to hear about. Are they more into sparkling wine or a robust red? Knowing your recipients ensures maximum relevance in your emails. Ask your users to indicate their preferences through quizzes, sign-up forms, welcome emails, or the preference centre on your email platform.
- Focus on click-friendly, text‐based emails
You might not expect it, but our experience shows that text-based emails perform really well. A high click rate signals valuable content to email providers. - Clean your list monthly
Remove inactive subscribers and bounces – they drag down your deliverability rate. - Avoid mass sends
Before you blast your entire list during the Black Friday period, your regular campaigns should be achieving at least a 50% open rate. This again comes back to creating smart send segments based on preferences and behaviour (what do your recipients want to hear more about, how often have they purchased, and what have they bought?)
We have written more about email deliverability here, with additional tips on ensuring your emails land in the inbox: How to ensure your emails keep landing in the recipient’s inbox
Start collecting phone numbers right away
SMS marketing typically delivers a 98% open rate and a response within five minutes, because the phone is always in people’s pockets. But this requires you to build the list before November, so you have an audience to send to:
- Add SMS sign-up to your pop-ups and sign-up forms.
- Reward early sign-ups with a small “early bird” discount code.
- Plan an SMS sequence that gradually teases your Black Friday offers.
Even without an existing SMS setup: get started now – this could become your biggest revenue channel in weeks 47–48. We have seen surprisingly strong results from several lifestyle brands that sent SMS messages during the Black Friday period.
Plan three offers now – not just one
Get the most out of the campaign period. Drop the idea of a single Black Friday campaign. Split your offers into three campaign tracks:
Phase 1: Early Access
Purpose: Reward your most loyal customers first – SMS is ideal for this campaign
Phase 2: Black Friday week
Purpose: Main push with your strongest offers
Phase 3: Cyber Monday
Purpose: Last chance with an extra twist
Three campaigns create 3× the hype, 3× the urgency, and 3× the chances to convert – without wasting energy by starting Black Friday three weeks too early.
Key takeaways from this blog post
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are not just one weekend – they are an entire season that starts today. When ads get more expensive and all your competitors are panicking, you’ll stand out if:
- Your list has grown and been warmed up
- Your pop-ups are sharp and converting
- Your emails hit the inbox (not spam)
- You have three strong offer campaigns ready
- Your SMS channel is ready to go
Make Q4 your best ever. Good preparation now pays off later!
PS. My advice here goes against everything I have just recommended: give your email recipients the option to opt out of BFCM emails, so you avoid too many unsubscribes during peak season.
