BFCM marks the official start of the holiday shopping season, and Australian retailers have an unprecedented opportunity ahead. With Shopify merchants achieving a record $11.5 billion in sales during Black Friday -Cyber Monday 2024, the stakes have never been higher for businesses looking to boost sales during this critical period.
What Really is BFCM and Why Should You Know About It?
BFCM stands for Black Friday–Cyber Monday. In Australia, it’s a major late-November sales period: Black Friday kicks off the weekend and Cyber Monday focuses on online deals. Although it started in the US, it’s now one of the biggest shopping moments here, prime time for small businesses to maximise sales, clear stock, and win new customers.
*(For 2025, Black Friday falls on Friday, 28 November 2025 and Cyber Monday on Monday, 1 December 2025 (Australian Eastern Time).
The evolution extends far beyond a single weekend, with the holiday shopping season now extending weeks before and after the traditional dates, and smart retailers can grow by implementing strategic approaches that supercharge store growth throughout this extended period.
Whether you're a seasoned retailer or preparing for your first major BFCM rush, these expert tips will help you maximise your performance, convert new customers into loyal customers, and build lasting relationships well beyond the holiday shopping season, for small business owners looking to compete with larger retailers, understanding that Cyber Monday BFCM represents a unique opportunity to rebuy can supercharge store performance through strategic preparation and execution.
BFCM Readiness Checklist for Retail & Ecommerce
Here's a quick overview of our comprehensive BFCM preparation strategies, which we’ll be discussing in the later parts of this blog:
- Plan for an Extended Sales Period Beyond Traditional Dates
- Use Data Analytics to Select Winning Products
- Create a Comprehensive Sales Map for Promotions
- Optimise for Mobile-First Shopping Experience
- Stress-Test Your Website Performance and Site Speed
- Develop Robust Contingency Plans
- Craft Irresistible Offers That Drive Sales
- Maximise Your Top-Performing Sales Channels
- Implement Strategic Retargeting Campaigns
- Launch Email Marketing Campaigns Early
- Update Homepage with Seasonal Creative Elements
- Expand into International Markets
- Benchmark and Improve Conversion Rates
- Integrate Buy Now, Pay Later Options
- Deploy Conversion-Driving Chatbots
- Streamline Your Checkout Experience
- Develop Strategic Shipping Options and Policies
- Optimise Fulfilment and Order Workflows
- Prepare for In-Person Sales Opportunities
- Create VIP Customer Reward Programs
- Scale Customer Support Operations
- Implement Hassle-Free Returns Policies
- Convert Seasonal Shoppers into Year-Round Customers
- Update Pop-Ups and Sign-Up Forms
- Implement Gamified Spin-to-Win Forms
- Simplify User Experience Design
- Optimise Browse Abandonment Strategies
- Enable Gift Hold and Ship Dates
- Leverage AI for Content Creation
- Monitor Analytics and Performance Metrics
Early Preparation and Strategic Planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025
Building Your Foundation for Black Friday and Cyber Success
What do winning brands do during BFCM?
- Start months in advance
Top performers plan well ahead of the rush, drawing on expert insights and building timelines long before November.
- Extend the sale window
Don’t limit offers to Friday–Monday. Stretch promos to capture early-bird demand and sustain momentum across an extended period.
- Capitalise on early-bird growth
Ecommerce sales from two weeks before through BFCM weekend grew 45% in 2024 vs. 2023, a clear signal to start early and stay active longer.
- Let data drive product decisions
Use analytics to identify likely winners, set inventory priorities, and refine pricing before campaigns launch.
- Map promotions with intention
Create an organised promotional calendar (pre-launch, peak, and post-peak) so every offer has a purpose and a slot.
- Build resilient workflows
Lock in processes for creative, approvals, site updates, ops, and customer support to stay ahead during the hectic BFCM weekend.
- Go beyond deep discounts
Success isn’t just cheaper prices; it’s standout customer experiences that drive immediate sales and long-term loyalty.
- Know your audience segments
Tailor messaging and offers to both loyal customers and new shoppers; align channels and creatives to what resonates with each group.
- Start prep in August or September
Most successful retailers begin planning by late summer to perfect details before the BFCM rush.
- Keep optimising throughout
Use real-time data during the extended period to adjust promos, inventory, and on-site experience for maximum lift.
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Maximising Black Friday Marketing Efforts Through Technical Excellence
Bulletproofing Your Store for Peak Performance During Black Friday
Technical preparation forms the foundation of BFCM success, as website failures can cost thousands in lost sales during this critical period. Mobile optimisation stands as a top priority, with 81% of holiday shoppers planned on using mobile apps during Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024. This means your customer experience must be flawless across all devices, with fast site speed and intuitive navigation that helps your brand stand out from competitors.
Website performance testing becomes crucial as increased traffic during the BFCM weekend can overwhelm unprepared systems. Security implementation protects both your business and customers, whilst contingency planning ensures you're ready for any technical challenges. These technical foundations directly impact conversion rates during peak shopping periods, making this preparation essential for any business serious about maximising sales during BFCM.
30 Expert Tips to Supercharge Your Black Friday Cyber Monday Performance
Why BFCM Matters in Australia, and How You Can Win This Year
BFCM is a major late-November sales moment. Winning brands start early, extend promotions beyond the weekend, and use data to shape offers across their best channels. Here are 30 practical tips, from mobile UX and site speed to shipping, retargeting, and analytics, to boost conversions and streamline execution throughout the season.
1. Plan for an Extended Sales Period Beyond Traditional Friday and Cyber Monday
The overview and significance of extending your sales period cannot be overstated. BFCM no longer confines itself to a single weekend. Ecommerce sales starting two weeks prior to Black Friday grew by 45% in 2024, demonstrating how small business retailers can maximise sales through extended promotional periods.
Understanding that Cyber Monday BFCM represents just the beginning of an extended shopping season, smart retailers start communicating their compelling deals as early as possible. This approach allows businesses to rebuy and supercharge store performance by extending promotions beyond the traditional dates when feasible, and including these extended timelines in your Black Friday marketing efforts helps supercharge store growth throughout the entire holiday shopping season.
2. Use Data Analytics to Select Winning Products for Deep Discounts
Leverage Shopify reports and analytics to make data-driven product decisions, including filtering by previous year's BFCM dates to identify top performers. Implement ABC analysis methodology for categorising products: A-grade products generating 80% of revenue should receive modest significant discounts, whilst C-grade products representing only 5% of revenue can be offered with deep discounts to clear inventory. Early supplier communication proves essential due to increased capacity demands across the supply chain.
3. Create a Comprehensive Sales Map for Your BFCM Promotions
Develop a detailed "planned sales map" using Google Sheets or Excel to outline all upcoming BFCM promotions and exclusive deals. Input products for holiday specials, schedule sales start dates and prices, set date ranges for shipping promotions, and plan the rollout of promotional messaging. This organisation becomes crucial when managing multiple moving pieces during Black Friday and Cyber Monday campaigns.
4. Optimise for Mobile-First Shopping Experience
Mobile optimisation stands as critical for success, with 81% of holiday shoppers planning to use mobile apps during BFCM 2024. Assess user experience on mobile devices, ensure intuitive purchasing processes, verify mobile responsiveness, and test website performance across different platforms. Mobile-first design proves essential for small businesses competing in the BFCM landscape, as most retailers now see the majority of their online shopping traffic coming from mobile devices.
5. Stress-Test Your Website Performance and Site Speed
Implement comprehensive website performance optimisation using tools like PageSpeed Insights and Pingdom to achieve faster loading speeds. Assess site architecture to remove unnecessary tools that slow performance, optimise pop-ups to minimise disruption, enhance product pages with clear CTAs, implement SSL certificates for security, and set up email authentication (DMARC, SPF, DKIM) to protect against spoofing during high-traffic periods when businesses are most vulnerable.
6. Develop Robust Contingency Plans for the BFCM Rush
Create comprehensive contingency plans by preparing for worst-case scenarios that could impact your Black Friday and Cyber Monday performance. Establish backup systems for site crashes, develop shipping company delay protocols, create supplier communication strategies, and prepare troubleshooting procedures. Upfront preparation minimises the need for crisis management when every minute counts during the critical period of the BFCM weekend.
7. Craft Irresistible Offers That Drive More Sales
Create compelling BFCM offers that attract customers whilst maintaining profit margins, noting that 67,000 Shopify merchants achieved record sales with an average cart price of $108.56 in 2024. Implement the "jaw-dropping sale" strategy on popular items to drive traffic, consider loss leader tactics, and explore creative alternatives like mystery boxes or gift-with-purchase offers. Research shows that significant discounts in the 10-15% and 20-25% ranges often outperform steeper cuts in terms of both order rate and value.
8. Maximise Your Top-Performing Sales Channels
Develop multichannel selling strategies focusing on identifying and doubling down on the most lucrative channels for your business. Shopify sales channels and other integrations make it easier to reach buyers across multiple channels, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest. Synchronise inventory across all platforms and centralise management through admin consoles to streamline operations during peak periods when customers are actively seeking online deals.
9. Implement Strategic Retargeting Campaigns for New Customers
Set up Meta Pixel for retargeting previous site visitors and customers, tracking specific actions like page views, purchases, and cart additions. Re-engage people familiar with your brand who may have forgotten about your store or missed your exclusive deals announcements. Retargeting increases conversion rates and drives ROI since these visitors already have brand awareness, making them more likely to become repeat customers.
10. Launch Email Marketing Campaigns Early for Maximum Impact
Develop a comprehensive email marketing strategy, including site optimisation for email capture with sign-up pop-ups and early access offers. Implement personalisation using customer names and purchase history, create warm-up email campaigns with hints and teasers, segment customers for VIP exclusive offers, schedule thank-you emails 5-7 days post-event, and set up abandoned cart email automation to capture lost conversions during the busy period.
11. Update Homepage with Seasonal Creative Elements for Black Friday
Optimise your homepage for seasonal offers by incorporating seasonal motifs into hero images and extending imagery across multiple channels for cohesive Black Friday marketing efforts. Use design resources like Canva for non-designers, consider hiring Shopify experts when needed, and utilise Shopify's theme editor for faster, more intuitive homepage changes with improved load times that enhance customer experience.
12. Expand into International Markets During BFCM
Explore international expansion opportunities, noting that top-selling BFCM countries include the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Germany. Shopify Markets enables global growth through custom buying experiences using local currencies, languages, domains, and payment methods. These features drive international conversions and increase search engine visibility in target markets, helping small businesses access new customer bases.
13. Benchmark and Improve Conversion Rates
Focus on conversion rate benchmarking and improvement strategies, recognising that just a 1% increase can lead to significant sales growth during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Research standard ecommerce conversion rates for similar businesses, considering geographic location, GMV, and industry verticals. Use ecommerce conversion rate calculators to identify gaps and improvement opportunities that can maximise sales.
14. Integrate Buy Now, Pay Later Options to Boost Sales
Implement BNPL options, noting that around 25% of US consumers have used these services. Shop Pay Instalments serves as Shopify's native solution, offering interest-free options and premium packages. Benefits include a 28% decrease in cart abandonment and up to a 50% increase in average order value, making BNPL a powerful tool for converting hesitant shoppers into buyers during BFCM.
15. Deploy Conversion-Driving Chatbots for Customer Experience
Implement chatbot solutions for 24/7 customer service when businesses may not have round-the-clock support during the BFCM rush. Chatbots answer specific queries quickly, improve customer experience, and boost conversion rates. Shopify Inbox features include customer context, cart visibility, FAQ integration, and post-purchase order status checking capabilities that enhance customer service.
16. Streamline Your Checkout Experience for Higher Conversion Rates
Assess checkout processes, especially on mobile devices, recognising that complex forms slow conversions during Black Friday when customers are comparison shopping. Integrate payment methods, including Shop Pay (the internet's highest converting checkout with a 50% conversion lift), Apple Pay, and Google Pay for autofilling saved information. Shop Pay speeds checkout by 4x and achieves 1.72x higher checkout-to-order rates.
17. Develop Strategic Shipping Options and Policies
Create shipping strategies including free shipping thresholds (reduced shipping over $50, free over $75), local delivery options like buy online, pick-up in store, and fast shipping for quick delivery. Address customer expectations (90% wait 2-3 days for delivery), communicate policies across FAQ pages and marketing channels, and provide transparent transit time communication at checkout, including information about potential delays.
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18. Optimise Fulfilment and Order Workflows to Fulfil Orders Efficiently
Organise fulfilment areas with adequate supplies and accessible popular products, recruit staff, including friends or temporary hires, for increased order volumes, establish clear communication using Shopify Timeline for internal instructions, and implement order grouping strategies. Cover organisation methods including customer priority, shipping requirements, and product type grouping, plus Shopify Flow automation for workflow streamlining.
19. Prepare for In-Person Sales Opportunities During the Cyber Monday BFCM Weekend
Recognise opportunities in brick-and-mortar sales, noting that ecommerce projected only 20.5% of retail sales globally, leaving significant potential for small business owners to maximise sales through physical locations. The overview and significance of omnichannel approaches become clear when considering that Black Friday falls on a day when many customers still prefer in-person shopping experiences.
Develop pop-up shop strategies at local markets or through retailer partnerships, implement Shopify POS for in-person sales, and create omnichannel integration to serve customers wherever they choose to shop. This approach allows businesses to rebuy and supercharge store growth by capturing both online and offline opportunities during the holidays and year-round, ensuring you don't miss sales from customers who prefer physical shopping experiences during the busy following Monday period.
20. Create VIP Customer Reward Programs for Loyal Customers
Enhance loyalty programs with tiered-spending rewards, extra discounts and coupons, early access to Black Friday sales, referral program perks, and bonus loyalty points. Email and retarget your most loyal customers to strengthen relationships, encourage repeat buyers, increase sales, and boost brand awareness through word-of-mouth marketing that extends beyond BFCM.
21. Scale Customer Support Operations for the Holiday Shopping Season
Prepare customer service for hectic periods, including training on communication best practices, conflict resolution, and problem-solving. Prepare standard phrases for common issues (lost orders, dissatisfaction, damaged products), implement team scaling strategies, manage expectations through delay announcements, and maintain empathy and listening skills for genuine customer engagement during busy periods.
22. Implement Hassle-Free Returns Policies
Develop returns policies, noting that 41% of shoppers won't purchase without free return options. Communicate policies across shipping pages, FAQ sections, product pages, and order emails with clear communication. Integrate returns management systems, consider temporary policy extensions during holiday seasons, and ensure clear, fair return policies that improve customer confidence and purchase decisions.
23. Convert Seasonal Shoppers into Year-Round Repeat Customers
Develop post-BFCM customer retention strategies, including social media account engagement, post-purchase email campaigns, and retargeting for non-subscribers. Maintain relationships with new customers acquired during BFCM, convert one-off buyers into repeat customers, and leverage extended customer lifetime value that comes from successful retention efforts beyond the initial sale.
24. Update Pop-Ups and Sign-Up Forms for BFCM
Optimise pop-up strategies by removing regular offers to spotlight BFCM discounts, create excitement with new pop-ups and banners for the biggest sale of the year, and implement SMS consent capture alongside email collection. Use Klaviyo's Smart Opt-in feature for phone number input and text confirmation, plus Forms AI for optimal display timing based on visitor conversion likelihood.
25. Implement Gamified Spin-to-Win Forms
Create interactive forms for engaging list growth through gamification that turns routine email collection into exciting experiences. Set up prize wheels with various offerings (free shipping, tiered discounts, freebies) without committing to site-wide promotions, A/B test against regular sign-up forms, and optimise engagement techniques during competitive BFCM periods.
26. Simplify User Experience Design for Black Friday
Implement UX simplification strategies for stressed-out shoppers, including homepage masthead optimisation as the top-converting element during sale periods. Follow expert recommendations for removing carousels, creating clear and concise CTA text, rotating imagery seasonally from BFCM to pre-Christmas, and maintaining promotions until the last guaranteed Christmas delivery date.
27. Optimise Browse Abandonment Marketing Strategies
Update browse abandonment and cart reminder email campaigns with BFCM messaging, set clear expectations for possible shipping delays, and optimise the window shopping experience. Many marketers focus only on immediate conversions without considering shoppers who don't purchase immediately. Proper follow-up can capture these potential customers and convert them during extended promotional periods.
28. Enable Gift Hold and Ship Dates
Implement customer-friendly gifting solutions that solve early gift purchase problems during BFCM, when recipients shouldn't receive items until closer to the holidays. Offer gift hold date and ship date features that save customers time and money whilst building loyalty through thoughtful service, eliminating the need for customers to receive and re-ship gifts.
29. Leverage AI for Content Creation in Your Marketing Strategy
Implement AI copywriting using tools like Klaviyo's Email AI, SMS assistant, and subject line generator for efficient campaign creation during busy periods. AI serves as a 24/7 copywriting assistant for brainstorming, drafting, and optimising marketing copy whilst maintaining creativity and authenticity.
30. Monitor Analytics and Performance Metrics Throughout BFCM
Set up comprehensive analytics using Shopify's built-in tools for tracking marketing campaign effectiveness, visitor data, and sales performance. Implement additional tracking tools, including heat maps and activity logs available in the Shopify App Store, to answer questions about visitor behaviour, reading patterns, and regional performance during increased traffic periods of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
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From Preparation to Profit: Your Path to BFCM 2025 Victory
BFCM 2025 success isn't just about offering the deepest discounts; it's about creating exceptional customer experiences that drive both immediate sales and long-term loyalty. By implementing these 30 expert tips, you're building the foundation for sustained growth throughout the holiday shopping season and beyond. The brands that achieve record-breaking results during Black Friday and Cyber Monday are those that start preparing early, plan thoroughly, and execute flawlessly.
Your preparation today determines your profits tomorrow. Begin implementing these strategies for success now, focus on offering compelling deals that resonate with your target audience, and remember that the goal extends beyond the BFCM sale itself. The most successful businesses use BFCM as a springboard to acquire new customers, strengthen relationships with existing ones, and build momentum that carries them through the entire holiday season and into the new year.
Start your preparation now, and watch your store achieve record-breaking results this holiday season.