Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the busiest days of the year for many online stores. They're also the most competitive: inboxes fill up, ad costs rise and shoppers compare offers. The stores that do best treat it as a season, not a single day, and do most of the work before it starts.
A preparation timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 8–12 weeks before | Decide offers and margins, order stock, plan creative |
| 4–8 weeks before | Grow your email and SMS list, warm up audiences with ads and content |
| 2–4 weeks before | Build discounts, landing pages and emails; test checkout and speed |
| Black Friday week | Early access for subscribers, launch, reminders, monitor stock |
| Cyber Monday | A final offer or a new angle, last-chance messages |
| After | Thank-you emails, post-purchase flows, holiday gifting |
1. Choose offers that fit your numbers
- Sitewide percentage off: simple, but costly on thin margins
- Tiered offers: spend more, save more, which also raises order value
- Gift with purchase or bundles
- Free shipping or express shipping upgrades
- Early access for subscribers instead of deeper discounts
Check profit per order at the offer price before committing (profit calculator).
2. Build your list early
People who join your list before Black Friday are the cheapest customers to reach during it. Run a "get early access" sign-up in the weeks before, on the store and in ads.
3. Get the store ready
- Test checkout, payment methods and discount codes
- Check speed on mobile and remove unused apps (speed guide)
- Create a clear Black Friday landing page or collection
- Show delivery cut-off dates for the holidays
- Prepare saved replies for support
Shopify scales automatically for traffic peaks, so your effort goes into the theme, apps and offers.
4. Email and SMS
- Teaser: what's coming and when
- Early access for subscribers
- Launch
- Reminder, and best-sellers
- Last chance
Segment by past behaviour and keep abandoned-checkout flows running. See email marketing.
5. Ads
- Prospect before the peak, when costs are lower
- Retarget site visitors and subscribers during the event
- Refresh creative so people don't see the same ad repeatedly
- Make sure Shopping feeds show the sale prices
6. Keep the customers you win
Black Friday buyers are often new. Welcome them properly, follow up after delivery, ask for reviews and give them a reason to buy again at full price. That's where the season's real value lies.
Read more on planning promotions and limited-time offers, or let us run the campaign with our email and SMS marketing service.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start preparing for Black Friday?
Ideally two to three months ahead for stock and creative, and at least four to six weeks ahead for list building and campaign setup.
Do I have to give a big discount?
No. Gifts with purchase, bundles, free shipping or donating to a cause can work well and protect margins. Choose what suits your brand and numbers.
Is it worth running ads during Black Friday when costs are high?
Often yes for retargeting warm audiences, who convert well. Prospecting to cold audiences is usually cheaper in the weeks before.
Author
Uğur KeskinFounder @ShopiuzmanFounder of Shopiuzman. He builds, migrates and grows Shopify stores for brands in Türkiye, Europe and the US, and leads the development of our apps on the Shopify App Store.
