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The holiday rush is coming. Are you ready?
For ecommerce businesses, it’s a once-a-year opportunity to drive traffic, win new customers, and finish the year strong. But let’s be real, when orders flood in, the excitement can quickly turn into chaos. Inventory runs low, fulfillment slows down, and customers lose patience.
That’s why your BFCM strategy can’t just be about marketing. It has to cover the full picture: awareness, sales, fulfillment, and customer experience.
Here are 9 strategies to help you attract more shoppers and deliver on your promises this holiday season.
1. Start email campaigns early
If you wait until November to send your first Black Friday promo, you’re already behind.
Customers need warming up weeks in advance. Tease deals, build hype, and make your most loyal subscribers feel like VIPs with early access.
The secret? Segmentation.
- Reward first-time buyers with welcome offers.
- Target repeat customers with discounts that match their buying history.
- Use countdown timers to spark urgency.
The earlier you start, the more likely your customers will think of you when the sales frenzy begins.
2. Optimize your website for search and speed
Think of Google as the busiest shopping mall in the world. If you’re not showing up, you’re invisible.
- SEO: Update your product names and descriptions with terms people are searching for, like Black Friday deals, holiday gift ideas, or Cyber Monday sale [product].
- Site speed: Pages that load slowly kill conversions. Compress images, fix heavy scripts, and check your Core Web Vitals.
- Mobile-first: Nearly 70% of BFCM orders happen on mobile. If your checkout is clunky on a phone, customers will bounce.
This is one of the easiest fixes that pays off big during peak season.
3. Go big on social
Organic reach isn’t enough for BFCM. Paid ads and influencer collabs amplify your reach.
Platforms to focus on:
- Google Shopping: For many brands, this is the top sales driver. Shoppers type “Black Friday deals [product],” compare prices, and click straight to buy. Make sure your listings are accurate, up to date, and competitive.
- TikTok & Instagram: Short, creative videos drive impulse buys.
- Micro-influencers: Creators with <100K followers often drive higher trust and engagement.
- Social shopping: Use Instagram Shops, TikTok Shop, and shoppable posts to make checkout frictionless.
Pro tip: Combine Google Shopping (high-intent buyers) with social (discovery and impulse) to cover both ends of the funnel.
4. Do an inventory sweep
Here’s where things get real. Your marketing may be flawless, but if orders outpace your operations, the customer experience crumbles.
- Stock up on your bestsellers (and add a buffer).
- Refresh product pages with accurate info and high-quality photos.
- Bundle slow-sellers into special deals to move them fast.
Then look at fulfillment. Can your current setup handle 5x your normal order volume? Or will your team be buried in boxes at midnight?
This is where warehouse automation makes the difference. With solutions like Pio, ecommerce brands can fulfill orders up to 5x faster with near-perfect accuracy, no need to double your headcount for peak season.
5. Make deals easy to find
Discounts are table stakes. The magic is in how you deliver them.
- Highlight offers with pop-ups, floating banners, and landing pages.
- Apply discount codes automatically at checkout.
- Launch early-access deals before Black Friday to capture impatient shoppers.
- Extend your sale into the week after Cyber Monday to catch late buyers.
Customers don’t want to hunt for deals. Make it effortless.
6. Publish holiday gift guides
Holiday shopping is stressful. Shoppers are juggling lists for family, friends, coworkers, you name it. Help them out with curated gift guides.
Ideas:
- “Top 10 Gifts for Moms Who Have Everything”
- “Holiday Gifts Under $50”
- “The Ultimate Black Friday Tech Bundle Guide”
Gift guides are not only useful for customers, they’re also SEO gold. They attract searches like best “Black Friday gifts for dad and holiday gift ideas 2025”.
7. Create custom landing pages
Want to keep shoppers focused? Send them to pages built for BFCM.
- Feature your best deals in one place.
- Match landing pages to specific campaigns (email, influencer, or ads).
- Use them to track performance and customer behavior.
The more “shoppable” your landing pages are, the higher your conversion rates climb.
8. Stay in touch
On BFCM, distractions are everywhere. Shoppers open multiple tabs, compare prices, and abandon carts.
Stay present with:
- SMS marketing: With 98% open rates, texts beat email for last-minute reminders.
- Abandoned cart flows: Remind shoppers what they left behind with urgency (“Only 3 left in stock”).
- Exclusive SMS-only deals: Give people a reason to sign up for texts in October, so you’re ready by November.
- Communication doesn’t stop once they land on your site, it’s what nudges them back when they drift.
9. Build customer support into the experience
BFCM brings waves of first-time buyers. They’ll have questions, and they’ll expect fast answers.
- Add live chat or chatbots to handle quick inquiries.
- Expand your FAQ to cover shipping, returns, and gift policies.
- Train your team to answer fast, even outside normal hours.
Great support during BFCM isn’t just about solving problems, it’s about turning a one-time shopper into a repeat customer.
Once the orders start flying in, the difference between chaos and control comes down to preparation. Discover how in Built for Peaks: How to Handle Demand Surges Without Breaking a Sweat.
Wrapping it up
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are intense, but they don’t have to be chaotic. With the right mix of marketing, operations, and fulfillment prep, you can ride the surge instead of drowning in it.
And remember: customers don’t just remember the discount. They remember the experience. Fast delivery. Accurate orders. Smooth checkout. Friendly support. Nail those, and you’ll win beyond the holiday rush.
Want to be the store that scales without chaos this Black Friday? See how Pio keeps fulfillment running 5x faster.
