BFCM Campaigns: 13 Strategies for 2026

Shopify store owners generated $14.6 billion in sales over Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) 2025, a 27% increase from the year before. More than 81 million customers bought from independent businesses over that weekend, with sales peaking at $5.1 million per minute.

BFCM is the biggest sales weekend of the year, and store owners who plan their campaigns early are best positioned to capture demand as shoppers look for deals, get ahead of gift buying, or treat themselves over the long weekend.

Here are some of the most creative Black Friday marketing campaigns to help you plan yours.

Pre-BFCM campaign preparation checklist

Thirty-seven percent of store owners cite marketing as their top Year One challenge, according to a Shopify survey conducted in Q4 2025. Having the right groundwork in place makes marketing easier. Before you start planning BFCM campaigns, make sure your site and customer segments are ready.

Technical readiness checklist

Before the big weekend, make sure your store is fast, functional, and ready to handle extra traffic. With sales peaking at $5.1 million per minute during BFCM 2025, even the smallest of friction points can cost you sales.

Online store readiness:

• Test your website speed, particularly its average load time on mobile. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 46.9 million consumers shopped online by mobile device on Cyber Monday 2025.
• Optimize your checkout flow to reduce friction and cart abandonment.
• Set up backup hosting or CDN support if you’re expecting a surge in traffic.
• Create a dedicated BFCM landing page for all offers.
• Double-check inventory levels and make sure they’re synced with your fulfillment provider.
• Install a real-time analytics tool (like Hotjar or Lucky Orange) to monitor user behavior.
• Add urgency tools like countdown timers or low-stock alerts.
• Enable site-wide search and filtering for faster navigation.
• Make sure all discount codes and marketing automations are tested and fully functional.

Omnichannel readiness:

Selling online and in person during BFCM means managing more moving parts. 

Here are three areas to check before the weekend:

1. Inventory. Stock levels need to update in real time across every channel. If a product sells out in-store, online availability should immediately reflect that and vice versa. Shopify’s retail and POS solution keeps inventory, orders, and customer data synced across locations.
2. Fulfillment. If you’re offering buy online, pickup in-store (BOPIS) or local delivery, test those workflows before the weekend starts.
3. Channel consistency. Prices, promotions, and discount codes should be the same whether a customer finds you through an ad, on their phone, or in store. After BFCM weekend, use customer segments to follow up based on how and where they bought.

Storefront readiness checklist

Run through these before BFCM weekend:

• Mobile speed. Test load times on mobile and desktop. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to identify what’s slowing your site down. Compress images, reduce redirects, and enable caching, if you haven’t already.
• Checkout friction. Walk through your checkout as if you were a customer. Check that Shop Pay and any other accelerated checkout options are enabled and guest checkout is on.
• Traffic spikes. Contact your hosting provider to confirm your plan can handle a surge. If you’re on Shopify, this is handled automatically, but if you’re using third-party apps or custom integrations, test them under load.
• BFCM sale collections and landing pages. Build and publish your BFCM collection pages and landing pages before the weekend. Check that all product links, images, and filters work. 
• Sticky banners and on-site pop-ups. Set up a sitewide banner for your headline offer and configure any pop-ups for email or SMS capture. 
• Campaign links. Confirm every URL in your email, SMS campaigns, and ad campaigns points to the right page. 
• Discount codes. Test every code you plan to use: single-use, bulk, automatic discounts, and any combinations. Check expiry dates, usage limits, and eligibility conditions.
• Customer support workflows. Set up saved replies in Shopify Inbox for common BFCM questions about shipping times, return policies, and discount eligibility. If you’re running a small team, consider adding a chatbot or extending support hours for the weekend.
• Automation testing. Trigger every automation manually before the weekend: welcome flows, abandoned cart emails, post-purchase sequences, and any customer segment-based flows. Confirm sends, timing, and content are correct.

Email, SMS, and audience segmentation

Get the most out of your email campaigns by targeting the right people with the right message.

• Segment first-time and repeat customers to deliver personalized offers.
• Create VIP or high-spender segments and offer early access or exclusive discounts.
• Identify engaged versus unengaged subscribers and tailor messaging accordingly. Reserve higher-frequency sends for shoppers who’ve opened, clicked, or purchased recently.
• Build segments based on product interest or past purchases.
• Tag shoppers who clicked on past BFCM campaigns for retargeting.
• Use predictive analytics to segment customers likely to purchase.
• Create “wish list” or “add to cart but didn’t buy” segments from the past 60 to 90 days. Shoppers in these segments have already shown purchase intent, making them strong candidates for more frequent outreach in the lead-up to the weekend.
• Test personalized subject lines and product blocks tailored to customer behavior.
• Set up triggered flows (e.g., viewed product and no purchase) to run before and during BFCM.
• Schedule reminder emails for expiring BFCM deals or items with limited inventory.

13 BFCM campaign strategies

BFCM rewards store owners who plan early and execute precisely. The strategies below cover the full campaign mix, from email and social to paid media and on-site experience.

On paid media, get your creative and landing pages ready to go before the weekend. The offer in your Meta or Google ad should match exactly what’s on the page it points to. It’s also worth testing simple offer-led creative against more polished brand creative in the weeks before BFCM. 

• Gamified discount campaigns
• Mystery box and surprise offers
• Sustainability-focused campaigns
• Customer retention campaigns
• In-app exclusives
• Wish list and planning guides
• Limited edition charitable campaigns
• Anti-consumerism campaigns
• Reverse psychology pricing
• Extended return policies
• Free shipping incentives
• Viral email campaigns
• Scarcity-driven campaigns

1. Gamified discount campaigns

Everyone likes a good deal, but 22 Days Nutrition took it a step further and gamified their BFCM campaign. The popular food supplement brand offered a unique discount code for each subscriber that unlocked a randomly generated discount of between 20% and 50%.

Tips to get it right:

• Start planning four to six weeks before BFCM to set up and test the randomized discount system. Send codes via email one to two weeks before the weekend.
• Give each subscriber a unique code that unlocks a surprise discount within a set range so there’s enough variance for it to feel exciting, but bounded so margins stay predictable.
• Try Wheelio or Tada for gamified pop-ups. Use Klaviyo or Omnisend for personalized code delivery and automation.
• Test every code type before launch. Confirm usage limits and expiry dates are set correctly in Shopify admin.
• Add a countdown timer showing how long each unique code is valid to encourage faster checkout.

2. Mystery box and surprise offers

Craighill’s mystery box offers two tiers: a Standard Mystery Box at $75 containing at least three items worth more than $175 MSRP, and a larger option with the contents kept deliberately hidden. 

An SMS sign-up drives VIP early access, building a warm, high-intent list before the boxes go on sale. 

Tips to get it right:

• Begin sourcing and bundling products six to eight weeks in advance. Tease mystery boxes on social and email two weeks before BFCM.
• Sell a curated box at a fixed price with an implied value higher than the retail cost. 
• Use Shopify Bundles, Bold Bundles, or Rebuy to manage mystery box logistics and inventory.
• Budget for slightly reduced margins and factor this into your pricing before launch.
• Promote limited quantities (“Only 500 mystery boxes available”) and display remaining stock in real time to drive urgency.

3. Sustainability-focused campaigns

Tentree’s Green Friday campaign is one of many small business Black Friday campaigns that aim to promote sustainable practices during the consumer event.

During their Green Friday campaign, Tentree offers a sitewide percentage discount alongside additional daily promotions, like mystery bonus gifts, new product releases, and free shipping.

To reward their top customers, Tentree also offers early access and exclusive BFCM deals. They announce Green Friday and other promotional offers through Black Friday email campaigns that show a live goal meter displaying the number of trees being planted. The campaign is also advertised on social media.

Tips to get it right:

• Plan six to eight weeks in advance to align with charity or environmental partners and prepare messaging. Begin social and email promotions two to three weeks before BFCM.
• Tie each purchase to a specific, measurable outcome, like trees planted, meals donated, a dollar amount to a named cause. If you’re making environmental claims in your campaign, review the FTC’s Green Guides before publishing to stay compliant.
• Use EcoCart or Shop for Good to connect purchases to environmental initiatives. 
• Add a live tracker or visual goal bar to show customers the real-time impact of their purchase. 

4. Customer retention campaigns

When Wallack’s opened their Shopify store, artists in remote places could purchase supplies and browse the shop’s inventory.

“When artists get inspired, they want to figure out what materials or colors they’ll need to complete a project, so our website is a helpful place for planning and inspiration,” says Michael Wallack, the current president and owner. 

Wallack’s first participated in Black Friday Cyber Monday to stay competitive with American art suppliers and Canadian companies who adopted the sales period. Now, their main motivation is to benefit lifelong customers.

Michael highlights the company’s 12-month planning cycle as a key component to building a Black Friday ecommerce promotion that fits profitability, inventory, and, most importantly, customers’ needs.

“This period is an opportunity to help customers replenish their supplies at a better price. We don’t view it as a way to get new customers, but rather a way to give our customers a deal they need,” Michael says.

In previous years, customers enjoyed Black Friday sales on supplies and materials that frequently need to be restocked, like oil and acrylic paints.

Tips to get it right:

• Plan your retention strategy during BFCM prep. Launch post-purchase emails and SMS within two to five days after a customer buys.
• Focus discounts on products customers will need to restock regardless. Pair with a limited-time code for a second purchase to extend the relationship beyond the weekend.
• Use Klaviyo, Postscript, or Shopify Flow for retention automations. LoyaltyLion or Smile.io work well for rewarding repeat purchases.
• Target high-LTV segments and bundle replenishment items.
• Offer a limited-time discount for a second purchase (e.g., “Come back within seven days and get 15% off”). 

5. In-app exclusives

Sunday Swagger kicked off their BFCM early bird deals by giving app users first access to 13 new product launches, starting Thursday, November 16. Shoppers received a push notification to check out the New Arrivals section. That day became their highest-grossing online sales day to date.

The app-exclusive campaign drove more than 1,300 new downloads, a 107% jump in sessions, and a 25% lift in conversion rate. Daily active users surged by 82%. Results will vary depending on your existing app audience, product category, and campaign execution.

To maintain momentum, Sunday Swagger updated their app icon, refreshed the launch screen, and released one new product per day throughout BFCM, giving app users first access via push notifications each time.

Tips to get it right:

• Start planning 8 to 10 weeks in advance to finalize exclusive inventory and design app-specific assets. 
• Tease app exclusives one to two weeks before BFCM across email, SMS, and social.
• Reserve new launches or steeper discounts for app users only.
• Use push notifications for real-time drops and SMS and email to drive app downloads in the lead-up. For SMS, keep messages short, time them to coincide with each drop, and include a direct deep link into the relevant app section. Segment by engagement and send higher-frequency push notifications to users who’ve opened the app in the past 30 days.
• Use Tapcart or Shopney to build or optimize your mobile app. Connect Klaviyo for segmented push notifications and automated post-purchase flows.
• Confirm your app can handle a traffic spike before launch by testing load performance. Coordinate inventory allocation carefully if app-exclusive stock is also available in store or online.
• Add urgency by using countdown timers to highlight each drop’s limited availability or emphasize limited inventory (“Only 100 units available”).

6. Wish list and planning guides

Clothing is one of the hottest product categories for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Understanding the popularity of their products, Gymshark helped shoppers make the most of their Black Friday deals by putting together a detailed gift guide.

In addition to highlighting what discounts shoppers could expect, the brand included a step-by-step guide for creating a wish list, helping customers cash in on the best BFCM deals.

Tips to get it right:

• Release wish-list-building guides three to four weeks before BFCM to give customers time to plan purchases before the weekend.
• Combine a gift guide with a native wish list feature so customers can save specific products. When those items go on sale, trigger an automated alert.
• Embed the guide on your site rather than hosting it as a PDF to keep shoppers in your ecommerce store.
• Use SWYM Wishlist Plus or Growave to let customers save products. Build guides with Canva or Figma. 
• Make sure wish-listed items are well-stocked heading into BFCM.
• Offer VIP early access or a price-drop alert to customers who wish-list items before BFCM. 

7. Limited edition charitable campaigns

Poppy Barley’s Future Fund is a three-year commitment to raising $100,000 for girls and non-binary youth, and BFCM is a central part of how they get there. In 2025, the fund raised $17,461 across three partners: KidSport Canada, Junior Achievement’s financial literacy programming, and Canadian Girls Baseball, which was added to the roster for the first time.

Rather than running a one-off charitable campaign, Poppy Barley has built an ongoing initiative that BFCM feeds into each year. The 2025 campaign extended beyond the weekend itself, with a December “Gift for Good” event where $50 per order was donated to a Canadian charity supporting girls in sport, up to $10,000.

Tips to get it right:

• Start planning six to eight weeks in advance to confirm your charitable partner, define the contribution structure, and prepare any campaign assets you’ll need. 
• Set a clear donation window. 
• Tie the donation to a measurable outcome (a dollar amount, a number of people helped).
• Use Pledge or Shop for Good to automate the giving process and track contributions.
• Be transparent about your contribution structure before launch, whether it’s a percentage of profits, a dollar-per-sale model, or a capped donation. 
• Share results publicly after the campaign closes.

8. Anti-consumerism campaigns

Patagonia’s approach to Black Friday is a consistent expression of how they run the business. Their Black Friday page promotes repairs, product care, and grassroots activism, with the message that “a healthy planet needs a better model than buying and selling more and more things people don’t need.”

That position runs through everything the brand does. Patagonia donates one percent of sales to environmental causes, offers free repairs through Worn Wear, and has transferred ownership of the company to a trust and nonprofit structure so that profits go toward environmental work. 

The brand’s "Don’t Buy This Jacket" ad, which was published in The New York Times on Black Friday, was the moment it brought this thinking to the world. Their current Black Friday page asks shoppers to focus on quality over quantity.

Tips to get it right:

• Start campaign planning six to eight weeks ahead. Tease messaging one to two weeks before BFCM via blog, email, and social.
• Lead with a values-driven message rather than a discount.
• Use storytelling to encourage thoughtful purchases (e.g., “If you really need this, buy it, but here’s how to care for it so it lasts”). 

9. Reverse psychology pricing

Cards Against Humanity is another brand that bucks the traditional Black Friday trend. Like Patagonia, the card game company decided to use the holiday shopping season to promote its values and spotlight the effects of consumerism.

Instead of reducing prices, the brand increased them. This isn’t the first time Cards Against Humanity has played around with traditional marketing trends on Black Friday. One previous campaign “allowed” shoppers to buy nothing for five dollars, while another campaign saw the brand slash its prices by a whopping 99%.

Tips to get it right:

• Plan your “anti-sale” four to six weeks ahead. Schedule price changes and marketing materials one week before BFCM.
• Monitor customer service volume closely. Have clear, on-brand responses ready.
• Use curiosity and humor to drive shares (“We raised our prices. Buy now if you’re brave”).

10. Extended return policies

Luxury jewelry brand Cartier extended their Black Friday returns window to three months, giving shoppers until January 15 to return any unwanted items. The extended window reassured hesitant buyers and reduced purchase friction during a high-spend period.

Returns are a significant consideration for any BFCM campaign. According to the NRF’s 2025 Retail Returns Landscape report, total retail returns were projected to reach $849.9 billion in 2025, with 19.3% of online sales expected to be returned. The same report found that 82% of consumers say free returns are an important consideration when shopping online.

Tips to get it right:

• Set extended return windows at least two weeks before BFCM and make them clearly visible on your website, product pages, and emails before and during the sale.
• Define the extended return window clearly.
• Use AfterShip Returns Center, Loop Returns, or Returnly to manage extended policies and automate return communications.
• Highlight the no-risk element in ads and on product pages (“Try it risk-free with our extended holiday returns”). 

11. Free shipping incentives

Primary.com removed one of the biggest friction points in online shopping for BFCM: shipping costs. Anyone who spent $50 or more received free shipping for an entire year, which is a way to encourage larger baskets while building loyalty well past the holiday weekend.

Tips to get it right:

• Set up free shipping rules and promotional banners two weeks before BFCM. Communicate the offer early in email and ad campaigns so it factors into purchase decisions.
• Tie free shipping to a minimum spend threshold to protect your margins and increase AOV. 
• Use Shopify’s built-in shipping features to set threshold-based free shipping rules. Easyship or ShipStation can help manage logistics and carrier rates at volume.
• Use a sitewide banner with a countdown (“Free shipping ends in 48 hours”) to drive action before the offer closes.

12. Viral email campaigns

After suffering a double herniated disc at a golf tournament that left him bedridden for three months, Jeremiah Curvers used his recovery to research mattresses with superior support and comfort. That research led him to connect with foam manufacturers and ultimately to found Polysleep, a Montreal-based foam mattress company.

With large venture-backed competitors dominating the market, Jeremiah worked closely with suppliers to differentiate on material quality and competitive pricing. For BFCM, the Polysleep team created a mock “leaked” email that appeared to accidentally reveal an upcoming BFCM sale to subscribers.

“A lot of people, after seeing that email, started interacting with the brand on a more personal level, because it pulled back a corporate curtain and showed people Polysleep’s personality,” Jeremiah says.

Many subscribers forwarded the email to friends and family, giving the campaign organic reach beyond Polysleep’s own list.

Tips to get it right:

• Write and schedule the campaign three to four weeks before BFCM to allow for testing. 
• Include an early access discount or exclusive deal inside the “leak” to reward subscribers who act quickly.
• Use Klaviyo or Omnisend to segment your email and SMS lists before sending. Prioritize engaged subscribers (opened or clicked in the past 60 to 90 days) for the initial send. Test subject lines with a small segment first, and set cadence rules so subscribers who already converted aren’t hit with follow-up urgency emails.
• Test it with a small segment before sending to your full list to gauge reaction.
• After the campaign, use engagement data to build a high-intent segment for post-BFCM follow-up and future campaigns.

13. Scarcity-driven campaigns

Big Discoveries leaned into scarcity during Black Friday with a daily deal format. Each day, a new product was unlocked, available for 24 hours only, and capped at 10 units per customer. 

To build anticipation, the brand used email to tease the next day’s deal, keeping shoppers engaged and coming back day after day. This drip-style approach turned their Black Friday campaign into an event, fueling urgency and encouraging repeat visits throughout the week.

Tips to get it right:

• Begin teasing the scarcity angle two to three weeks before BFCM. Launch your first drop early on Black Friday morning to catch shoppers before competitors do.
• Use Countdown Timer Bar by Hextom for time-limited deal displays. For inventory-based scarcity and custom discount logic, Shopify Functions allows for more flexible, app-based customization without code limitations. 
• Allocate inventory to each daily deal before the campaign starts and confirm stock levels are accurate. 
• Show low-stock alerts in real time and emphasize exclusivity in copy (e.g., “This is our only sale of the year, don’t miss out”). Combine with a daily email tease for the next drop to keep subscribers opening throughout the weekend.

Post-BFCM retention tactics

BFCM has the potential to bring in a flood of new customers. Instead of letting those new buyers disappear after the weekend, it’s worth making an effort to keep them around. How you follow up should depend on how they behaved during the sale.

A first-time buyer who purchased at full price deserves a different message than someone who only converted on a steep discount. Someone who browsed but didn’t buy is also a different conversation. Use purchase data, browsing behavior, and discount usage from the weekend to segment your post-BFCM flows before they send.

Here are a few effective tactics to keep the conversation going after the sale:

1. Send a warm thank-you email

Show customers some love for shopping with you during BFCM, and let them know what to expect next (including shipping times, exclusive perks, future product drops). Bonus points if it feels personal. For example, mention the product they bought or include a cheeky GIF that reflects your brand’s personality.

2. Create a first-time buyer automation

Set up an automated flow specifically for new customers that kicks off after their first purchase. This might include a how-to guide for getting started with the product, a behind-the-scenes look at your brand, or a discount for their next order.

In Shopify Flow, use the Customer Joined Segment trigger to fire the flow automatically when a customer is added to a “First-time buyer” segment. Pair this with a customer segment condition to exclude anyone who purchased using a discount code above a set threshold, so deal-seekers and brand-new loyal customers get different follow-up sequences.

3. Invite them to your community

If you have a loyalty program, Facebook group, or SMS list, include an invite in your post-BFCM follow-up sequence. Customers who join a loyalty program or community channel after their first purchase have more touchpoints with the brand, which gives you more opportunities to drive a second order.

4. Recommend products they’ll actually love

Use customers’ BFCM purchases to suggest complementary or frequently bought together items. For example, if someone bought a new pair of shoes, you can suggest some cute socks to go with them.

5. Check in after a few weeks

A follow-up email or SMS two to three weeks post-purchase gives you another touchpoint before the customer goes cold. Ask how they’re getting on with their product, share usage tips, or include a time-limited incentive for a second purchase.

6. Turn great experiences into user-generated content

Word of mouth was the most common Year One growth strategy for 53% of ecommerce brands, according to a Shopify survey conducted in Q4 2025. BFCM gives you a large, concentrated group of new buyers to reach. Encourage happy shoppers to share reviews, unboxings, or product photos on social media, then include that content in future emails and on your site to build credibility with new visitors.

7. Review performance and segment follow-up

Pull your BFCM numbers within the first few days after the BFCM sale closes: conversion rate, average order value, best and worst-performing products, traffic sources, and discount code usage. These tell you which campaigns earned their spend and which didn’t.

According to a Shopify survey conducted in Q4 2025, high-revenue store owners were six times more likely than low-revenue store owners to track customer acquisition cost (30% versus 5%). Knowing what it costs to acquire each BFCM buyer is the starting point for deciding how much to invest in retaining them.

Use that data to build your remarketing segments before the post-BFCM window closes.

Plan your 2026 BFCM campaign

Even though the BFCM strategies highlighted above are unique to each store owner, they all share one thing in common: They run campaigns that resonate with their most loyal customers. Setting your goals and coming up with a unique Black Friday Cyber Monday approach is essential for connecting with your intended audience.

Let these stories of creative Black Friday Cyber Monday campaigns spark your own campaign ideas. To help you prepare even more, see our BFCM checklist before you kick-start your 2026 plans.

Then, choose a few BFCM promo strategies that might work for your business, and A/B test them before the shopping event to see which drive the most engagement and sales.