Online spending may reach $80 billion in the United States, marking a $20 billion year-over-year increase, according to Omnisend. Despite complicated financial situations and warned of rising prices, Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) remain the most crucial shopping events for e-commerce brands.
In this guide, we’ll explore creative BFCM marketing ideas from pre-sale preparation to post-sale engagement, to help your store attract more customers, boost conversions, and keep the momentum going through the holidays.
Before the shopping rush begins, the strongest BFCM marketing campaigns start with smart preparation. This stage is all about building anticipation, shaping your messaging, and warming up your audience long before the big discounts drop.
Here’s an easy hack - ensure your holiday marketing campaigns take your shoppers to your e-commerce store’s site. This way, people who are interested in your brand will be prompted to sign up for your email list.
Additionally, you can discover linking your sales emails to landing pages tailored for a specific holiday. If your buyers want to get a discount, newsletter, or premium membership, landing pages are awesome funnels.
Design your landing pages and create their copies to fit the events. Remind your shoppers they came to your landing page because it’s BFCM, not because you asked them to. That means you can sell yourself without selling yourself for higher-order values.
Tips:
Holiday e-commerce marketing means more than just an email with a “Happy Holidays” sticker. It’s vital to combine your target holiday’s theme with your brand by creating cohesive visual branding (colors, fonts, banners) across sites, emails, and ads.
Take a look at Starbucks’ landing page for the 2025 Holiday season. Red is a typical color for Christmas-themed marketing. Besides, red is as appealing as it is efficient in regard to psychology. This color also motivates feelings of excitement and stimulates your customers to finish their checkout process.
As Christmas is coming in 1 month after BFCM, most people will shop to find cool presents to gift. Thus, creating a gift guide will allow your customers (and those who buy gifts for your customers) to find you.
Along with releasing blog posts or collections about gift ideas, optimizing them for SEO is really important. Also, you can send emails to your subscribers and present those gift guides on your site to attract more customers.
Etsy has mastered the art of using themed gift guides to drive organic traffic and increase sales during the holiday season. By curating lists such as “Gifts under $50”, “Gifts for Him”, and “Gifts for Her”, Etsy not only targets diverse customer segments but also optimizes these guides for SEO, helping them rank high on search engines like Google. This approach enhances user experience by simplifying the search for gifts and improves conversion rates by attracting highly targeted visitors who are already ready to make a purchase.
Beside staying active on social media platforms, online stores also need to pay attention to attach hashtags in social posts - in order to stand out from multiple brands trying to do the same.
During shopping season try to include relevant BFCM hashtags (#BlackFridayDeals, #CyberMondaySale, etc.) to expand reach. By using these hashtags, customers who are craving to look for some gifts on the occasion of Black Friday only can reach your store without any difficulty.
Tips:
Once Black Friday and Cyber Monday officially begin, it’s time for competition. This is the moment when shoppers are actively hunting for the best deals, and your job is to capture their attention, keep them engaged, and guide them toward completing a purchase.
Having specific deals in certain hours will work best for high traffic stores. Offering special deals will keep your customers stay and curious then come back to your site more frequently to get your offers.
One thing you have to keep in mind is that keeping in touch with your customers and having them engage in this campaign will be the key factor. Hence, notice your customers frequently and continuously about what is happening in your online store is a must. Things which can be done include:
Every day, Best Buy showcases a range of time-sensitive offers on its website, featuring deep discounts on a wide variety of products, from electronics to appliances. These daily deals are displayed on a dedicated section of the homepage, making them highly visible and easy for shoppers to find.
To create urgency, Best Buy includes countdown timers on many of these deals, prompting customers to act fast before the offer expires. This tactic taps into the psychology of FOMO (fear of missing out), motivating customers to purchase before time runs out.
Tips:
Countdown timers instill urgency, which is ideal for time-sensitive events such as a Black Friday & Cyber Monday sale. This urgency can prompt impulse buying and push undecided shoppers to complete their purchase.
In addition, stores can add visible timers to pages or email newsletters and social media platforms, to reach a broad audience and encourage both new and returning customers to check out the latest offers.
For example, Surfdome - an Australian surf clothing & accessories brand incorporated a countdown timer into its email for Cyber Monday. This effectively communicated to customers: Act now to seize the discounts we’re offering, or risk missing out.
Learn more:
Bundling products is one of the most effective ways to bring more value to customers while boosting your store’s average order value, which is necessary for maintaining a healthy profit margin for your brand.
Depending on your business, you can develop this idea with a mystery bundle including some of your best-selling items, offered at a generous discount for those willing to purchase everything.
To make the offer more appealing, you can put some of the products in the bundle as a “mystery” and slowly showcase them on each day of the sale. By showing the products one at a time, you can attract a different group of your audience each day and grow consistent traffic and revenue during your entire sale period.
Sephora has mastered the art of creating value-driven bundles with their popular Sephora Favourites and other Value Sets. These bundles are carefully curated collections of high-quality beauty and skincare products, offered at a discounted price compared to purchasing each item individually. By grouping best-selling or exclusive products together, the brand not only adds value for the customer but also drives product discovery and increases sales.
Tips:
Who doesn’t love free stuff? Human needs and demands are unlimited; furthermore, gifting is a kind of tradition over this year-end season. Encourage higher spend by including free gifts in their checkout or giving away samples.
Remember that gifts should either come useful with your customers’ purchased products or help promote the items for your online store. For instance, shampoo samples with the similar scent will be the best gift for shoppers who purchase perfume.
Australian Wholesale Oils uses a clever approach to boost both customer satisfaction and revenue: offering free gifts for purchases over $75. This tactic feels like a festive bonus for shoppers, especially during the holiday season, while also motivating them to increase their order value to unlock the reward. It strengthens the perception of added value without relying solely on discounting, helping the brand maintain a healthy revenue stream. By turning a simple threshold offer into a “gift-with-purchase” experience, they make spending more feel effortless and rewarding.
Gift vouchers have been increasingly popular, as buying a gift certificate is beneficial to both sender and recipient. It is a win-win situation, as for the sender, purchasing a gift card is an easy way to give a gift, especially when they need a quick gift solution; on the other hand, recipients love the flexibility allowing them to choose what they truly want.
From a business perspective, gift cards also serve as an excellent marketing tool that encourages repeat business and drives new customers. It can be a great way to build brand awareness, especially during high-demand periods like the holiday season.
Gadgets taps into holiday buying behavior by offering 10% off all gift card purchases during BFCM, a smart move that aligns with how shoppers plan ahead for Christmas, New Year, and even Valentine’s Day. Since many customers use BFCM to stock up on gifts or future-ready presents, discounted gift cards feel like an easy win: they save now and spend later. This strategy drives immediate revenue, encourages early seasonal planning, and brings shoppers back during key gifting moments.
During BFCM, make sure your communication to customers stays as smooth as possible to maximize engagement and conversions. By combining automation, segmentation, and personalization, you can reach the right audience at the right time.
Airbnb is famous for its personalized email marketing by tailoring follow-ups to each user’s search behavior and journey stage. For example, after a user searches for a destination but doesn’t complete a booking, Airbnb sends a curated email featuring a “List of City Hosts” relevant to that specific location. Each host card includes personalized recommendations, photos, and ratings to help users make confident decisions. This approach not only recovers abandoned searches but also strengthens user trust through helpful, human-centered communication.
Social media is a marketing channel that can work overtime throughout the holiday season. Customers spend time browsing their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter feeds, and you want them to pay attention to your products. Uploading organic posts about the newest trends, new merchandise, and limited-time discounts can help update your current customer base with everything relevant to your brand.
Teaming influencers to endorse your product can be an efficient strategy for spreading brand awareness and trust. If executed correctly, influencer marketing can boost sales directly, especially during seasonal campaigns.
Loccitane UK partnered with lifestyle influencer Robin James, known for his clean aesthetic and expertise in men’s grooming, to promote a curated selection of his favorite L’Occitane products during the holiday season. Robin shared a series of Instagram posts and YouTube videos featuring his top picks from L’Occitane’s skincare and fragrance collections, presented as gift ideas for men. The campaign drove a significant spike in engagement across L’Occitane UK’s social channels, with click-through rates from Robin’s audience.
Tips:
Even though Black Friday & Cyber Monday has gone largely digital, physical and hybrid retailers still hold a powerful advantage: in-store visibility and last-minute impulse buying. Strategic product placement and pickup-oriented displays can help convert browsing customers into instant buyers. Highlight BFCM deals around the store and near the checkout counter.
Forever 21 uses eye-catching BFCM-themed window banners to draw shoppers into their stores during the holiday rush. Each banner features bold discount messages like “30% OFF Entire Store” in seasonal colors to create urgency and excitement. By pairing these displays with strategically placed in-store signage near trending items, the brand effectively turns window shoppers into buyers. This visual-first approach not only boosts impulse purchases but also reinforces Forever 21’s image as a go-to destination for fast, affordable holiday fashion.
Tips:
Running contests and giveaways during Black Friday & Cyber Monday is a smart way to boost engagement, grow your audience, and capture new leads. These campaigns spark excitement, encourage social sharing, and attract potential buyers who might not have discovered your brand otherwise. Whether it’s a tag-to-win challenge or a gift card giveaway, a well-planned contest can turn seasonal buzz into long-term customer relationships.
Types of Contests & Giveaways
Prizes to Maximize Engagement
The end of Black Friday and Cyber Monday doesn’t mean the end of opportunity. After the sales rush, your goal should shift from acquisition to retention and optimization. Use this period to analyze what worked, re-engage recent buyers through personalized follow-ups, and continue offering value with post-BFCM or holiday promotions.
Keep offers running through Cyber Week or the weekend to capture late buyers. It is reasonable to extend sales day after Black Friday to encourage customers to purchase more. Especially, when people receive gift cards or money as a gift on Friday, they have more tendency to use the money or vouchers to redeem for wishing items. You can offer “extended access” deals for subscribers or as a part of loyalty programs, which feels exclusive and prevents sharp drop-offs in sales.
NordVPN capitalized on Cyber Week’s extended sales period to strengthen its position as the go-to VPN for students. The brand combined its standard 15% student discount with an exclusive Cyber Week offer of four months free, creating a high-value promotion. This extended timeline gave NordVPN more visibility, allowing them to reach a wider student audience, sustain engagement, and drive steady conversions beyond just Black Friday.
The first impression of a shopper about your brand might be the holiday shopping season, so you need to leave a positive one by interacting with them at every open chance. Leveraging automated transactional emails is a significant part of this strategy. Follow up with thank-you notes, order confirmations, and cross-sell product recommendations. These targeted messages can be generated on certain occasions and reinforce the rapport between you and your buyers.
Nike smartly uses transactional emails as an extra marketing touchpoint during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In one campaign, their order confirmation email featured a clean, festive design with short messages promoting Nike Gift Cards and the latest kids’ collection. Since transactional emails naturally have higher open and click-through rates, Nike made use of this placement to re-engage recent buyers without being intrusive. The result was a subtle yet powerful way to drive additional sales while keeping the customer experience seamless and value-driven.
Once Black Friday and Cyber Monday wrap up, many brands make the mistake of going silent — but this is exactly when shoppers are still in buying mode. The key is to shift from flash-sale urgency to seasonal storytelling.
Right after BFCM, update your creatives, banners, and emails to reflect Christmas and New Year themes. Replace “Black Friday” visuals with festive imagery, winter colors, and gift-giving language to keep the momentum going. Consumers are now looking for meaningful presents, last-minute deals, and ideas for year-end celebrations, and your content should speak directly to that.
To analyze if your Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns are doing well, you need more than just sales figures. You need to figure out what’s going right and what’s not, so you can plan better for the future.
Here are our recommendations for you:
Black Friday and Cyber Monday can set the tone for the entire holiday season. With the right mix of planning, creativity, and customer-focused experiences, your store can capture massive demand, boost conversions, and turn once-a-year buyers into long-term customers.
From pre-BFCM preparation to real-time engagement and post-BFCM retention, these 17 BFCM marketing ideas give you a complete roadmap to stand out in a crowded market and maximize every opportunity the season brings.
If you’re ready to take your holiday strategy even further, don’t miss our Holiday Marketing Hacks 2025, packed with more tactics, examples, and ideas to keep your brand strong all season long.
Summer is the CMO and Digital Commerce Solution Expert with 10+ years of experience. She specializes in Magento, Shopify, ERP, CRM, AI, and Blockchain, delivering strategic solutions that transform businesses. With a deep understanding of digital commerce, she helps brands scale and stay ahead in a competitive market.
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