The Complete Guide to Planning a High-Converting Sale
Black Friday is one of the biggest opportunities of the year for ecommerce brands.
But a successful Black Friday sale isn't simply about offering 30% off and sending an email on the day. The brands that perform well are planning weeks and often months in advance.
Your offer, acquisition strategy, website, email marketing, paid advertising, content, stock and customer journey all need to work together.
If you want to generate more sales without relying on last-minute discounts, this Black Friday ecommerce strategy will help you build a campaign designed to attract, convert and retain customers.
When Is Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday, 27 November 2026, followed by Cyber Monday on Monday, 30 November 2026.
But your Black Friday strategy should start well before Black Friday weekend.
Ideally, begin planning 8–12 weeks before the sale.
This gives you time to decide on your offer, build your acquisition strategy, optimise your website, create your campaign assets, prepare your email marketing and test the customer journey.
1. Start With Your Black Friday Goal
Before choosing a discount, decide what you actually want Black Friday to achieve.
Your goal could be to:
- Increase revenue
- Acquire new customers
- Increase average order value
- Clear older stock
- Increase email subscribers
- Introduce customers to your brand
- Sell specific products
- Increase repeat purchases
- Hit a specific revenue target
Your goal should influence your strategy.
For example, a brand trying to clear excess inventory may use a different promotion from a premium beauty brand focused on acquiring new customers.
Set your numbers first
Look at last year's numbers:
- Revenue
- Orders
- Conversion rate
- Average order value
- Best-selling products
- Email revenue
- Paid advertising revenue
- Customer acquisition cost
- Returning customer rate
Then set realistic targets for this year.
Set a specific target:
"$100,000 Black Friday revenue with a $150 average order value."
Now you have something you can build your campaign around.
2. Build Your Black Friday Customer Acquisition Strategy
Black Friday isn't just an opportunity to sell to your existing customers.
It's one of the best opportunities of the year to acquire new customers.
But don't wait until Black Friday to start finding them.
Your acquisition strategy should begin weeks before your sale and give potential customers a reason to discover your brand, join your list and come back when your offer goes live.
Your goal is to build a pool of high-intent shoppers before Black Friday starts.
Create a Black Friday Early Access List
One of the simplest ways to build your audience is to create a dedicated Black Friday waitlist.
Instead of simply asking visitors to subscribe to your newsletter, give them a reason to sign up.
For example:
BLACK FRIDAY EARLY ACCESS
Be the first to shop our biggest sale of the year.
Promote your early access list across:
- Homepage
- Announcement bar
- Pop-ups
- Meta Ads
- Influencer campaigns
The important part is communicating the benefit.
Don't just say:
"Join our email list."
Give customers a reason to join.
3. Run a "Win Your Cart" Campaign
A Win Your Cart campaign can be a powerful way to grow your email list while creating excitement around your upcoming sale.
The concept is simple. Ask visitors to browse your products or build their Black Friday cart, then enter their email address for the chance to have their cart completely covered.
For example:
BUILD YOUR BLACK FRIDAY CART
Add your favourites to your cart and enter for your chance to have your entire order FREE.
You can run this several weeks before Black Friday.
It gives shoppers a reason to:
- Visit your website
- Browse your products
- Build a cart
- Join your email list
- Start thinking about what they want to buy
It also helps you identify shoppers who have already shown purchase intent.
Make sure your competition terms, eligibility, dates and prize details are clearly communicated.
4. Create a Black Friday VIP List
Your existing customers are some of your most valuable Black Friday shoppers.
Give them a reason to shop first.
Create a VIP segment and consider offering:
- Early access
- Exclusive products
- Additional offers
- Free shipping
- Bonus gifts
- First access to limited stock
For example:
VIP ACCESS STARTS THURSDAY
Our best customers shop first.
This gives existing customers a reason to return while making them feel recognised.
5. Create a "Coming Soon" Website Experience
Don't wait until Black Friday to announce your sale.
Start building anticipation.
Create a Black Friday landing page or website section where customers can sign up for early access.
Your messaging can evolve throughout the campaign.
4 weeks out
Something big is coming.
2 weeks out
Our biggest sale of the year is almost here.
1 week out
You're going to want first access.
Sale live
Black Friday is here.
Your website should become part of your acquisition funnel — not simply somewhere you send traffic once the sale starts.
6. Choose Your Offer Carefully
One of the biggest Black Friday mistakes is assuming the biggest discount automatically creates the most sales. It doesn't. Your offer needs to make sense for your margins, products and customers.
Consider:
Percentage discount
20% off sitewide: Simple and easy to communicate.
Tiered discounts
Spend $100 → Save 15%
Spend $150 → Save 20%
Spend $200 → Save 25%
This can encourage customers to increase their basket size.
Product bundles
Create bundles around your best sellers.
For example: The Everyday Skincare Bundle
Instead of asking customers to choose four products individually, you've created the solution for them.
Gift with purchase
Spend $150 and receive a complimentary product: This can work particularly well for beauty, wellness and lifestyle brands.
Buy more, save more
Buy 2 → Save 15%
Buy 3 → Save 20%
The best Black Friday offer isn't necessarily the biggest discount.
It's the one that creates enough perceived value to encourage a purchase while protecting your profitability.
7. Optimise Your Shopify Store Before Black Friday
Your Black Friday traffic is only valuable if your website can convert it. Review the entire customer journey before your campaign launches and ensure there is no friction.
8. Create a Black Friday Landing Page
A dedicated Black Friday landing page makes your campaign easier to navigate.
It can include:
- Black Friday offer
- Best sellers
- Key products
- Bundles
- Social proof
- Product benefits
- FAQs
- Shipping information
- Urgency
- Strong calls to action
Keep it focused.
The goal isn't to tell customers everything about your brand. The goal is to help them confidently make a purchase.
9. Build Your Email Marketing Strategy
Your email list is one of your most valuable Black Friday assets. Don't wait until Black Friday morning to email your customers.
A simple sequence could look like:
4–6 weeks before
Something big is coming: Start building curiosity.
2–3 weeks before
Your Black Friday preview: Give subscribers a reason to pay attention.
1 week before
Black Friday is coming: Tell customers when the sale starts.
Early access
You're in early: Give subscribers first access.
Black Friday
Black Friday is LIVE: Make the offer immediately clear.
Saturday/Sunday
Your favourites are selling fast: Use genuine stock or popularity information.
Cyber Monday
Last chance to shop: Remind customers when the promotion ends.
Final hours
Ends tonight: Create urgency without fake scarcity.
10. Use Klaviyo Segmentation
Don't send the exact same message to everyone. Consider creating segments for:
- VIP customers
- Previous Black Friday buyers
- Recent purchasers
- Customers who haven't purchased recently
- High-value customers
- Product-category buyers
- Engaged subscribers
- Product viewers
- Cart abandoners
For example, someone who has previously purchased your skincare products could receive recommendations for products that complement their previous purchase.
The more relevant your messaging, the more useful it becomes.
11. Prepare Your Abandoned Cart Strategy
Black Friday creates a huge amount of browsing.
That means abandoned carts become even more important, so review your flows and timing during this period.
Your flow could include:
Email 1: You left something behind
Email 2: Why customers love it
Email 3: Black Friday reminder
You can also use browse abandonment to bring shoppers back to products they've viewed. Not every customer who leaves your website is lost.
Sometimes they simply need another reason to return.
12. Start Your Paid Advertising Early
Your Black Friday advertising shouldn't begin on Black Friday. Use the weeks beforehand to build warm audiences.
Your campaigns could focus on:
Email acquisition: Join our Black Friday VIP list.
Product discovery: Show your best sellers and products customers may want to buy during the sale.
Engagement: Use Reels, video and educational content to introduce people to your brand.
Retargeting: Visited your website, Viewed products, Added products to cart, Engaged with Instagram, Watched your videos, Joined your email list
By Black Friday, you'll have an audience that already knows your brand.
13. Work With Creators Before Black Friday
Give creators time to introduce your products before the sale.
Content could include:
- "What I'm buying this Black Friday"
- Product wishlists
- Gift guides
- Product reviews
- Unboxings
- Beauty routines
- Get ready with me
- Founder stories
- Black Friday previews
Then retarget people who engage with the content. The creator introduces your brand. Your advertising and email marketing bring them back. Your website converts them.
That's a much stronger acquisition funnel than relying entirely on sale-day ads.
14. Build a Referral Strategy
Your existing customers can become one of your best acquisition channels.
Consider a Black Friday referral campaign.
For example:
REFER A FRIEND
Give your friend $20 off and receive $20 off your next order.
This can work particularly well for brands with strong communities and products customers naturally recommend.
15. Create Your Black Friday Content Plan
Your social content should support the sale before, during and after Black Friday.
Content ideas include:
- Black Friday announcement
- Sale countdown
- Best sellers
- Gift guides
- Product comparisons
- Customer reviews
- Founder picks
- Product demonstrations
- Before and afters
- Bundle reveals
- "What I'd buy" posts
- FAQs
- Behind the scenes
- Stock updates
- Last chance reminders
Don't make every post:
BUY NOW.
Give customers reasons to want your products before asking them to purchase.
16. Use Urgency Without Becoming Pushy
Black Friday is naturally time-sensitive.
Use genuine urgency around:
- Sale end dates
- Limited-time bundles
- Early access
- Limited stock
- Daily offers
- Free shipping deadlines
- Product popularity
But make sure your urgency is real.
Customers are becoming increasingly sceptical of fake countdown timers and manufactured scarcity.
17. Make Sure Your Website Is Fast
Black Friday can send a huge amount of traffic to your store.
The last thing you want is customers leaving because your website is slow.
Before the campaign:
- Compress large images
- Remove unnecessary apps
- Check mobile speed
- Review third-party scripts
- Test your theme
- Test your checkout
- Test discount codes
- Test payment methods
- Test shipping rates
- Check your cart
Then complete a full test purchase.
A discount code that doesn't work is an expensive mistake.
18. Prepare Your Customer Service
More orders usually mean more questions.
Prepare answers to:
- Shipping times
- Returns
- Exchanges
- Sale exclusions
- Discount codes
- International shipping
- Order changes
- Stock availability
- Gift cards
Consider adding a Black Friday FAQ to your website.
The easier it is for customers to find an answer, the less friction there is before checkout.
19. Don't Forget Post-Purchase Marketing
Your Black Friday strategy shouldn't end when the sale does. You've just acquired customers who may never have purchased from you before.
Now you have the opportunity to turn them into repeat customers. Your post-purchase strategy could include:
Order confirmation: Make the customer feel confident about their purchase.
Shipping updates: Keep them informed.
Product education: Show them how to get the most from their purchase.
Review request: Ask for feedback.
Cross-sell: Recommend complementary products.
Repeat purchase: Bring them back when they're ready to buy again.
It's what happens after it.
Black Friday Ecommerce Checklist
☐ Revenue target set
☐ Black Friday offer confirmed
☐ Products selected
☐ Bundles created
☐ Early access list created
☐ Website pop-up created
☐ Win Your Cart campaign planned
☐ VIP segment created
☐ Black Friday landing page created
☐ Shopify store optimised
☐ Mobile experience tested
☐ Discount codes tested
☐ Checkout tested
☐ Shipping tested
☐ Klaviyo segments created
☐ Email campaign scheduled
☐ Abandoned cart flow tested
☐ Paid ads prepared
☐ Retargeting audiences created
☐ Creator partnerships organised
☐ Referral strategy planned
☐ Social content scheduled
☐ Customer service FAQs prepared
☐ Stock reviewed
☐ Tracking checked
☐ Post-purchase strategy prepared
The Biggest Black Friday Mistake?
Waiting until November to start planning.
Your Black Friday campaign is not one email. It's not one discount. And it's not one weekend. It's an ecommerce strategy and the biggest one of the year.
Your acquisition, offer, website, products, email marketing, advertising, content and customer experience all need to work together.
The goal isn't simply to get more traffic on Black Friday.
It's to build a pool of high-intent shoppers before Black Friday arrives, convert them with a compelling offer and turn those first-time customers into loyal customers afterwards.
Ready to Get Your Ecommerce Store Black Friday Ready?
If your Shopify store needs a stronger customer journey before the biggest sales period of the year, Elevate Her Studio can help.
From Shopify design and conversion strategy to Klaviyo campaigns and ecommerce optimisation, the goal is simple:
Create a store that looks premium and works harder to convert.
Explore Shopify Website Design
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start planning for Black Friday?
Ideally, start planning 8–12 weeks before Black Friday. This gives you enough time to develop your offer, build your acquisition strategy, optimise your website, create marketing assets and test your customer journey.
What should an ecommerce brand offer for Black Friday?
Popular options include percentage discounts, tiered discounts, product bundles, gifts with purchase and limited-time offers. The best promotion depends on your margins, products and business goals.
Should I discount my entire store?
Not necessarily. Strategic discounts on best sellers, bundles, high-margin products or excess inventory can be more effective than discounting everything.
How can I acquire new customers before Black Friday?
Build an early-access list, run a Win Your Cart campaign, use email acquisition ads, work with creators, build retargeting audiences and use your website to capture visitors before the sale begins.
How can I increase Black Friday sales?
Focus on the entire customer journey. A strong offer, optimised Shopify store, targeted email marketing, paid advertising, social proof, acquisition strategy and post-purchase marketing can all contribute to better results.
How can I prepare my Shopify store for Black Friday?
Review your homepage, collection pages, product pages, mobile experience, checkout, discount codes, shipping, site speed and tracking. Consider creating a dedicated Black Friday landing page to make your promotion easier to shop.
How important is email marketing for Black Friday?
Very. Email allows you to reach existing customers and engaged subscribers directly. A planned campaign using segmentation, early access, abandoned-cart messaging and last-chance emails can help maximise revenue from your existing audience.