How to Maximize Bfcm Sales Strategies

🎯 Countdown to BFCM: Here's Your Expert-Level Email Marketing Playbook! 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗼𝗳𝗳 • Outline your BFCM goals. Are you looking to boost revenue, clear out inventory, or attract new customers? This will guide your entire campaign. • Audit your current email flows. Are they optimized for the upcoming traffic surge? Start tweaking them now. 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟳: 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Dive deep into your data. Identify your VIPs, lapsed customers, first-time buyers, and holiday shoppers. • Create custom segments in Klaviyo based on purchase behavior, engagement, and preferences. The more personalized, the better. 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟰: 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Start building your email templates. Incorporate personalized elements with tools like Grid & Pixel to stand out in crowded inboxes. • Develop your content calendar, mapping out key messages, product features, and offers. Ensure every email has a clear CTA. 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟭: 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺-𝗨𝗽 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 • Launch re-engagement campaigns for dormant subscribers. Start warming them up with value-driven content to increase deliverability. • Begin testing subject lines, visuals, and layouts. Use these insights to refine your BFCM campaigns. 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭: 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 • Reward your VIPs with early access to your BFCM deals. It’s a great way to drive early sales and create buzz. • Set up your Klaviyo flows to trigger based on user behavior—abandoned carts, product views, or browsing history. 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟱: 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 • Start teasing your BFCM offers through your emails. Build anticipation with countdown timers and sneak peeks. • Segment your audience further based on engagement with your teaser emails. Prepare targeted follow-ups. 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭: 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Double-check your flows, triggers, and segmentations. Everything should be automated and ready to roll. • Test your emails across devices to ensure a seamless experience for every subscriber. 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟱: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗣𝘂𝘀𝗵 • Launch your BFCM campaign with a bang. Send out your first wave of emails highlighting the biggest deals and must-have products. • Monitor performance closely. Adjust your messaging or offers in real-time based on what’s resonating. 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟮-𝟮𝟰: 𝗕𝗙𝗖𝗠 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 • Keep the momentum going. Send timely reminders to segments that haven’t yet engaged or purchased.  • Use dynamic content to showcase remaining inventory or exclusive last-minute deals. 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟱: 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗕𝗙𝗖𝗠 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗨𝗽 • Don’t go silent after the event. Send a thank-you email and a post-purchase series to build long-term loyalty. • Analyze the results. What worked? What didn’t? Use these insights to refine your strategy for next year.

Everything you've heard about Black Friday strategy in 2024 is wrong. Here's why: - Most brands focus on discounts (we saw 40% higher LTV doing the opposite) - Everyone says pull back ad spend (we're increasing it) - "Save your budget for BFCM" (we're spending more right now) Here are more secrets directly from our 2024 BFCM playbook... 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Our November 1st start this year was based on two things. First, it came down to competitive necessity. When your competitors start early, you either adapt or lose market share. Second, over 40% of buyers start their holiday shopping BEFORE Black Friday these days. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗜𝗢𝗦 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁: BFCM is no longer a pure acquisition play. - Focus on rewarding existing customers - Avoid training customers to wait for deep discounts - Keep converting ads running - don't pull back 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: Instead of deep discounts, we focus on excitement: - New category launches (face masks) - Product line expansions (hair brushes) - Limited edition flavors - Exclusive bundles Why? Because our data shows loyal customers want newness more than discounts. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 50% Meta - Still drives highest volume 25% TikTok - Focus on reach, not just conversions 15% Google - Protect brand terms 10% Influencer/affiliate marketing Key Insight: On TikTok, we've learned to value reach over direct conversion. It has: 📉 Lowest CPMs in market 👨👩👧👧 Highest reach potential 👀 Discovery-first mindset 💰 Most affordable traffic 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽: Last year taught us valuable lessons... - Start QA 2 weeks before launch - Work on a separate theme - Test all features extensively - Have backup plans (our app saved us during a website crash) 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Stop chasing credit card points. Focus on runway → - Use tools like Parker for 60-day interest-free terms - Convert ACH payments to card payments with Plastic - Order inventory without compromising cash flow 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: We're building businesses in unprecedented times. Pre-recession economy + Post-inflation market + Post-iOS tracking + Ongoing supply chain challenges Yet brands are still scaling. Why? Because they're adapting faster than their competition. The greatest opportunities often come from the biggest challenges. If you can navigate this landscape successfully, you're building something truly resilient. Want to dive deeper? Check out the Surprising Back Friday Strategies That Work episode of the Chew On This podcast where we break down our complete Q4 playbook in detail. Thoughts? 👇

BFCM is a make-or-break moment for ecom brands. Don't shoot yourself in the foot by overcomplicating your email strategy. Here's how to simplify your approach so you can execute with confidence: 1. Analyze Past Performance Look at last year's data to see which products, promotions, and channels drove the most sales. Focus on metrics like revenue per recipient, conversion rate, and take rates on things like cross-sells or upsells. 2. Choose Your Hero Offer(s) Take a moment before you default to discounting –– that's what EVERYONE else will do. Consider options like free gift with purchase, contests/giveaways, or new product bundles. Customers expect great prices, but you can still give them an amazing deal without killing your margins. 3. Clean Your Lists Remove invalid emails and start re-engagement campaigns for inactive subscribers NOW to maximize deliverability. You're about to bring in a ton of new subscribers, so it's perfectly fine to prune your list heading into gifting season. 4. Create Strategic Segments Focus on curating lists of highly engaged subscribers, VIPs, and recent or repeat purchasers. These are your money makers. You can also create interest-based segments and send tailored messages to them to boost your conversion rate. Pro Tip: Give your subscribers the option to "snooze" email until after your BFCM campaign is over to lower your unsubscribe rate during this high volume period. 5. Nail Down Your Creative & Cadence Map out your message cadence, by segment, and build a promo calendar. Use that to draft attention-grabbing subject lines, design supporting graphics, and personalize content for different segments. 6. Go Omni-Channel Think about how you can supplement your email efforts with SMS, paid ads, social media, and mobile app strategies. Getting multiple channels to work together in harmony will dramatically improve your results. 7. Prepare For Life "Post BFCM" For many brands, their BFCM campaign is a "one and done" experience. But your long-term success hinges on your ability to turn those one-time buyers into repeat purchasers. Retention strategies like founder thank you's, "gift it again" messages, restock reminders, and loyalty programs are great ways to keep momentum going. Remember, the goal isn't just to boost sales for a weekend - it's to create experiences that turn one-time holiday shoppers into loyal, year-round customers. Don't let the pressure of the season lead you to overthink things. Start implementing these tactics now, and you'll be well-positioned for your most successful BFCM ever.

2 months away from Black November! I have 10 BF/CM seasons under my belt (agency & brand sides). Here are 5 things you MUST iron out before Q4 is upon us👇 1. Understand Your Audience One surprising insight I gathered from last year’s BFCM post-purchase data (s/o KnoCommerce) is that 1st-time buyers during BFCM typically fall into two categories: - known about your brand for 12+ months - just discovered you w/in the last month 1st group is waiting for the perfect deal to make their move. 2nd group is made up of deal-hunters who are ready to purchase if the offer is right. This means your BFCM strategy needs to cater to both audiences—long-time observers waiting to strike & new customers who are deal-driven. Consider different deals for different audience segments. 2. Inventory Forecasting The most common & impactful mistake I continue to witness. Overshoot or undershoot- both equally painful. Under-stocking can completely wreck Q4. Gain confidence in inventory forecasting by tracking your competitors with Particl. When (& how much) are your competitors replenishing each SKU? You still have 2 months to account for any potential inventory shortfalls in November/December. Correct course ASAP. 3. Clear and Immediate Communication BFCM is a frenzy of deal shopping- consumers are bombarded with offers. I stress the ‘half-second rule.’ Your deals need to be understood w/in half a second of seeing your ad. If the deal isn't clear & understood w/in half a second, consider the prospect lost. Also, the offer must be clear throughout the customer journey. If a prospect clicks on a 25% off ad, that discount should be visible from the product page through checkout. Don’t expect them to hunt around for it — they won’t ✌️ 4. Create Urgency Urgency drives action. W/o a clear end time for the sale, customers may assume they have more time than they do and end up getting distracted by other offers. Use sticky countdown timers on your website, make the end date date clear in your ad and email copy, and make sure you iterate urgency throughout your comms... like "Stock Limited" 5. Agility and Segmentation Flexibility is your secret weapon during BFCM. BFCM planning and strategy does NOT stop once Black Friday begins! If a particular offer isn’t hitting your goals, don’t wait—pivot quickly. Yes, that means you may have to scrap all those creatives and ads you made that highlighted the particular offer you went live with. Use templates so you can easily edit your assets to reflect the new sale you're pivoting to. Additionally, segmentation is key. Tailor your email & SMS offers based on customer segments. EX-- offer a more aggressive discount to 1yr+ email subscribers who never purchased vs. a segment that that is less price sensitive. I see the same issues nuke DTC brands' most critical weekend each year. No margin for error in this 4-day span. It can make or break your month, quarter, or year. It's your Super Bowl. You only get one shot.

DTC brands — want to absolutely crush Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales this year? The key to maximizing your revenue starts and ends with clear user journeys. And taking a minimal approach to BFCM will just hinder your potential. Instead of creating a quick “Discounts” category for your sale and leaving everything else the same… Or only spinning up a quick landing page for the Holidays and calling it “good”... Focus on creating very thoughtful and guided user journeys for the two users who are most likely to visit your site during the big days of the year: 1. Users shopping for holiday gifts 2. Customers looking for BIG annual sales Here are what high-converting journeys for these two users look like. GIFTING user journeys start with ads and press about how your products make a great gift for XYZ users. The proposition has to be intriguing and trusted (i.e., validation that your products are a “top” gift). Once you hook them in, your eCommerce and web funnel needs to narrow their journey into the right products. Limited product discovery and/or a lot of handholding will help a user say, “Yes, this seems like the perfect gift for XYZ!” Finally, take them through a seamless checkout experience with a few key components, like: Express checkout options, on-time delivery, a no-hassle returns process, gift message/note, gift card (if possible), and gift wrapping. These may seem like small, trivial details, but extra touches like these encourage customers to convert faster than anything else you can do — because your store becomes a “one-stop shop” for gift buying! SALE user journeys start with ads, emails, and social content that hype your annual sale all the way leading up to the event with sporadic (yet planned by you) drops before the big day. Just like great marketing sold Barbie as the must-see movie in 2023, the same has to be done to get the word out about THE sale from your brand. Once the sale-seeking user comes to your site, your funnel should guide them towards collections and products that are on sale and content about what makes your products some of the best they can buy this season. This could be showcasing product benefits, highlighting how your products are limited in quantity, or how the deal the user is getting on your site won't return anytime soon. You really can’t overhype the urgency of your BFCM sale. So turn up the volume! From the discovery phase, you should create a checkout flow with upsells that unlock free gifts and/or additional benefits. BFCM 2023 is approaching fast. If you’re serious about making the most of it and coming out strong, start putting these journeys in place TODAY. And let me know if you want any advice on how to set them up! #ecommerce #shopify #blackfriday #dtc #customerexperience

If your mobile PDP isn’t selling above the fold,  it’s sabotaging your performance. Period. Most brands don’t set theirs up that way. They opt to go the traditional route. Standard product images on white or on model,  if you’re real lucky a lifestyle image or two. Drop in some brand fluff here and there…  And 🤞 hope the user scrolls for more. But here’s the truth: 100% of your users will see what’s above the fold. So if your sales pitch isn’t there, you’re wasting prime real estate. Here’s what your mobile PDP should do above the fold: 1. Nail your promotional details (during BFCM) - Show the price bold and clear. - Communicate the discount (dollar or percentage make it feeeeel big) - Include urgency: “Sale ends in 17 hours!” 2. Use your product media to sell. Your gallery isn’t just for pretty pictures and brand fluff. Every image, video, and graphic is an opportunity to pitch the product: - Show it in action. - Use annotated graphics to highlight key benefits. - Address anxieties visually. This is a sales pitch whether you see that way or not. 3. Hit the motivators and anxieties. What’s the biggest reason someone will buy? What’s the biggest fear holding them back? Your copy needs to tackle both.  And you need to do it fast. You can’t wait to halfway down the page to address these things. → If you don’t know what motivates or worries your customers? Go get the data. It’s all there. Start with your reviews. Customers leave gold in there. - What did they love? - What nearly stopped them from buying? Still not enough? Post-purchase surveys are an easy next step  and in 2 weeks you’ll have really good data. Your mobile PDP isn’t just a branded page. It’s where the sale happens, but for many it doesn’t… Think about the 90%+ that don’t convert. Get your above the fold right, and you’re already miles ahead of most brands.

💥BFCM Email Tips (Part 6/6): Boost Your Profits With These “Doorbuster Deals”. I saved the best tip for last in this series… (And quite possibly the trickiest one) After creating email marketing strategies for 120+ brands over the last 6 years, I can tell you that no two E-commerce stores are the same. Especially when it comes to structuring offers in a way that’s enticing for customers while still being profitable for the business. So you’ll have to do your due diligence before adding any of these offers. With that said… In addition to any site wide discount(s) reserved for BFCM… 99% of brands should be able to tack on one or more of these 3 “Doorbuster Deals” and see great success: ❇️ Tiered Discounts - offer different levels of discounts that “unlock” when customers reacher higher cart values. Here’s a simple example of what this could look like: Save 10% on orders under $100 Save 20% when you spend $100+ Save 30% when you spend $300+ This encourages customers to keep adding more products to their order to reach that next tier of savings. It’s highly effective and easy to implement for most brands. ❇️ Bundles - offer higher savings when customers buy various products together. For stores that sell products that complement each other well, bundles are a great option. You can also create “Tiers” for your bundles where you have more and less expensive options available. This helps customers get everything they need in one place while staying within their budget. ❇️ Free Gift with Purchase - give a free product to every customer who shops during BFCM. This one has become increasingly popular in recent years and for good reason. Adding on Free Bonuses is a great value-add offer any time… But it’s especially powerful during your biggest sale of the year for a couple reasons (at least). One - if your product is replenishable, it’s an easy way to get it in the hands of as many customers as possible… So when they use it and get the results, they’ll come back and re-order. And second - if you have a new or currently under-appreciated product your customers will love… It gives you a chance to let them experience it and ask for feedback you can use to market it in the future. As we head into the week before BFCM, I hope you’ll consider implementing at least one of these special offers into your lineup. The payoff will be well worth it! #bfcm #emailmarketing #ecommerce

Q4 and BFCM Preparation starts NOW… Especially if you’re aiming for results like these(Video shot November 2023 - BFCM of last year). Yes, it’s early September but it’s important to understand how the digital side works in DTC. You can’t just jack up ads budget and expect good results. Well, in 2015 2016 Facebook Ads era, sure. But it’s gotten so much more difficult that it requires a lot of homework. And it takes a while to ramp up(depending on marketing budget): - Anticipation - Hype Building - Audience Curation - Strategic Merchandising - Content Content Content (Paid and Organic) - Etc. Creative strategy should already be in place while A/B testing is on standby. The goal is to start accumulating your ideal audience. It’s a slow ramp up. It’s a smarter play because you’re essentially spreading your marketing budget over 2-3 months rather than the actual BFCM weekend. You won’t have to worry about high CPMs when it comes time to execute. All homework has been done. When everything is in motion, you can then focus on other aspects of BFCM: - Giveaways - BFCM Offer - Early Bird or VIP List - Influencer Collaborations - Email/SMS Campaigns/Sequencing - BFCM Sandwich (Pre-Sale, Actual Sale, Post-Sale) So if you haven’t started yet, here’s what you should do: 1. Refine your Creative Strategy - UGCs, Evergreen, Memeified, etc. Make sure to have enough to test, manage, and scale. 2. Start running ads–even if it’s just a little per day for building your audience. 3. Think about your merchandising and BFCM/Christmas offers 4. Organize your SMS/Email Marketing Strategies 5. Retarget retarget retarget. Believe it or not, time will fly by very quickly and BFCM/Christmas will be here in no time, so make sure to properly prepare for it.

After navigating 7 Black Fridays, I’m gearing up for my 8th in just under 100 days… The biggest lesson I’ve learned? Start preparing sooner than you think. I begin my planning 3-4 months in advance, and there’s a critical reason why—keep reading to find out. Black Friday isn’t what it used to be. Pre-pandemic, it was all about those four intense days from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. But now? Many brands are running sales all November long. The old playbook has been tossed out. To help you get ahead, here are 12 strategies to prepare for your Black Friday, November, and holiday sales: 1) Get your numbers in order. Understand what your costs were last year and what your costs are going into the sale. Are they up or down? Build out a predictive model so you can make sure you're going to be profitable 2) Make sure your inventory on your acquisition products and other best sellers will be healthy by the time your sales start (this is why you start now) 3) Create a product exclusive to your Black Friday offering. Maybe its a gift with purchase or something they can only buy during that time. This will be fun to promote before the sale starts (this is why you start now) 4) Keep your sale simple. You're competing with a lot of people. Also, we've done a lot of research and the average American doesn't think a sale under 30% is a great Black Friday sale. Do what you want with that info... 5) Get ready to communicate daily with your lists. Use proper segmentation. Remember we built lists to eventually get people to buy. Don't be afraid of people unsubscribing. 6) Match your email/sms opt-in offers with what your BFCM sales are going to be 7) Build up your ad creative repository, test ads, double down on winners 8) Seed product get their distribution, but more importantly get their content to use as ad content (this is why you start now) 9) Start surveying your customers using a post-purchase survey platform like Bestie AI. Learning more about your customers whey they shop with you, why they almost didnt shop with you, how they hear about you, etc is critical to winning over BFCM (this is why you start now) 10) Don't just decrease spend before sale season just because you see performance dip... Look at your Cohort report in Shopify and see if new customers in Aug, Sept, Oct tend to go ham in November (this is why you start now) 11) Build out landing pages that showcase your best selling products and the offer you're giving out 12) Think about doing a double sale. The brands we saw perform the best last year did two sales. One at the beginning of the month and one during BFCM. And there are more. If you listen to this week's most recent episode of the Unstoppable Marketer we dive deeper into each one of these plus add a few more things you can do to crush Q4!

Your profit margin will take a big hit during BF/CM. Here are 12 updates you can make to protect it. During Black Friday and the Holiday season, your profit margin will likely drop due to: - Bigger Discounts - Rising CPMs due to increased ad competition Now IS NOT the time to make massive changes. However, here are some last-minute tune-ups for your ecom site: Set up Server-Side Data for your ad platform conversions (Meta, Google, TikTok, Klaviyo, etc.) Ad platforms often don't capture all conversions due to cookie-loss (reduced signal) Server-side data can restore 15%+ conversions to the platforms (more signal) - This makes the ad algorithms more intelligent - Which makes your CPMs go down (yay) Tools like Elevar and Blotout can enable this in hours Conversion (CVR) Quick Hits Convert more of your traffic. - Make your BF/CM offer SUPER SIMPLE and visible on all pages - Build collection page(s) for your Best Deals. Don't make customers hunt or go to a coupon affiliate. - Build collection page(s) for your Best Sellers. You'll have a lot of new visitors, show them the most popular products. - Add scarcity triggers to the PDP ("only X left in stock") - Make sure all high-traffic pages load quickly and look good on mobile - Compress all images Remove Checkout Friction Don't lose them at the cash register. - Enable as many Express Checkout Options as possible (Shop/Apple/Google/Amazon Pay, Paypal, BNPL) - Make sure delivery times are accurate and CLEAR (wHeN wIlL iT aRrIvE?) - Ensure your FAQ answers everything (Shipping, Last Day to Order, etc.) AOV Boosters Boosting your AOV can counter the impact of large discounts. - Build bundles - Add up-sell/cross-sell (after adding to cart or post-purchase) TLDR - Profit margin will go down during the holidays - CPM and Discounts will go up - Combat this by boosting AOV and CVR - (Reduce CPM) Enable server-side tracking - Increase CVR - Reduce checkout friction - Add AOV boosters Good luck this Holiday season. What else would you add to this list? #ecommerce #blackfriday #cro #checklist