The Ultimate BFCM Playbook: What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Do to Prep for Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2024

Hey Handmade Sellers! 🎉 The most exciting (and yes, let’s be real—one of the most intense) shopping seasons is almost here. Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) 2024 are just around the corner, and they’re set to break records yet again! With Shopify merchants pulling in a jaw-dropping $9.2 billion USD in sales last year and an average cart value of $105, it’s go-time for getting your shop ready. 🚀

If you’re thinking, “Wait, I haven’t started yet!”—don’t panic. Even if you didn’t begin prepping in Q2, you’ve still got time to map out your strategy, fine-tune your operations, and make BFCM 2024 your best one yet. Let’s jump into what to do—and what to avoid—as we gear up for the big event.

6 BFCM Mistakes to Steer Clear Of

1. Not Warming Up Your Email List Jumping straight into aggressive BFCM sales without nurturing your audience? Oof. If your email or SMS subscribers haven’t heard from you in a while, they’re going to ghost your big promo. Start now by sending value-packed, engaging content to warm them up before the big sale. You want them excited, not overwhelmed!

2. Failing to Forecast Demand Imagine running out of stock on your hottest products halfway through the sale or overstocking on slow movers. Not cute. Look at last year’s data, seasonality trends, and your bestsellers to get those inventory levels just right.

3. Offering Basic Discounts Everyone’s slashing prices during BFCM, so don’t settle for boring deals! Go big, get creative. Think bundles, BOGO offers, free gifts, or double loyalty points. Your customers are looking for that extra wow-factor, so give them something memorable.

4. Relying on One Marketing Channel Email marketing alone won’t cut it anymore, friend. Expand your reach by adding SMS, push notifications, and social ads into the mix. For example, offer VIP early access to your sale through SMS to give your best customers a sneak peek and keep them feeling special.

5. Ignoring Post-BFCM Follow-Ups Don’t be that brand that ghosts customers after BFCM. Once the madness is over, keep engaging! Send thank-you emails, provide helpful tips for product use, and continue nurturing your newfound customers into loyal fans.

6. Not Knowing Your Numbers Before you dive headfirst into BFCM, make sure you’ve got a clear grasp of your profit margins, acquisition costs, and goals. The last thing you want is to spend more on promotions than you’re making in sales.

BFCM Wins to Ensure Success

1. Build Your List: Grow That Customer Pipeline! BFCM is prime time to bring new customers into your fold. Start building your email and SMS lists now by running targeted lead-generation campaigns. According to Omnisend, brands that built early bird BFCM lists saw 5-10% higher conversion rates during the sale. The earlier you get them in your funnel, the more you can nurture them with sneak peeks and special offers.

👉 Tip: Set up a BFCM landing page or use Facebook lead ads to collect emails and offer early access to your Black Friday deals.

2. Run Pre-BFCM Tests & Optimize

Want to avoid launching an untested campaign during the biggest sales weekend of the year? September and October are your testing months. Try A/B testing your ads, emails, and landing pages to see what works best. This way, you’re not guessing when BFCM hits—you’re executing with precision.

3. Optimize Your Website for Mobile

Did you know 70% of BFCM sales in 2023 came from mobile shoppers? If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re leaving money on the table. Make sure your site is responsive, loads in under 3 seconds, and has a super-smooth checkout process. Don’t let slow load times or complicated checkouts drive customers away!

👉 Tip: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to audit your mobile site and make improvements.

4. Extend the Sale with a Month-Long BFCM Calendar

Why limit the action to just one weekend? Stretch your BFCM campaign over the entire month of November. By staggering your offers, running early access promotions, and keeping the excitement rolling all month, you’ll capture more customers at different points in their buying journey.

5. Get Your Abandonment Flows in Check

BFCM is a busy time—customers will get distracted, carts will be abandoned. But don’t worry! Make sure your cart, browse, and site abandonment flows are optimized to reel them back in. Add BFCM-specific urgency and dynamic product recommendations to those emails to drive conversions.

6. Run Smart, Targeted Ads

Ad spend during BFCM is a big deal, so you’ve got to balance your strategy. Invest in both prospecting ads to bring in new customers and retargeting ads to win back shoppers who’ve already shown interest. This way, you’ll capture high-intent shoppers while still reaching new audiences.

👉 Tip: Start prospecting ads in October to build awareness, then lean into retargeting during BFCM for visitors who abandoned their carts.

Wrapping It Up

There you have it—the BFCM playbook to guide you through one of the most exciting shopping seasons of the year. Remember, BFCM isn’t just about a single weekend. It’s about building long-lasting relationships, offering great deals, and delivering a seamless shopping experience. Start early, plan ahead, and make BFCM 2024 your most successful one yet.

Now it’s your turn

How are you preparing for BFCM? What strategies are you excited to try this year? Let me know in the comments! 🎉

Already feeling overwhelmed? Exhausted? Too much on your plate? 😩 Don't worry—we've got you covered! Check out our Done-for-You BFCM Toolkit. It’s packed with everything you need to plan, launch, and schedule your most profitable season yet. Think of it as a "plug-and-play" system—Mad Libs style—so you can focus on what matters most. Let us handle the heavy lifting while you sit back and watch the sales roll in! 🎉