Don't be left behind this BFCM
Posted in: Strategy

Don't be left behind this BFCM
Strategy
What top brands do DIFFERENTLY to make serious money during BFCM

Black Friday / Cyber Monday (BFCM) isn’t just a shopping weekend - it’s an opportunity to reset the momentum for the rest of 2025! Your customers are primed to buy - not just for themselves, but for the people they care about - think mums doing their christmas shopping in this 2 week period (I know I will be!). But if you approach BFCM with a quick-discount mindset, you’ll likely spike your sales… and your stress but not make any actual money.
See, it’s not just about revenue. It’s about profit. Are you actually profitable at the end of each campaign? Money talks, right?
Here’s what high-performing brands are doing differently:
Inventory & Cash Flow
I remember being told to pull an incredibly well performing ad because the product had sold out so fast….not ideal! The last thing you want is to miss out on sales because you’re out of your bestselling sizes, colours, or SKUs. Back your stock (if you can), now's the time to get your ratios right, back your winners, and order with intention.
And it's not just about inventory - you need to have cash to spend on Meta AND set your expectations on your targets and CAC - what are you spending to attain every sale? That will give you guidance on how much budget you'll need for the sales period. If you have winning campaigns- you will be scaling spend multiple times per day in Meta - you need to be prepared for this - fish where the fish are.
Smart Offers: Tiers, Bundles, Loss Leader, Oh My!
I'm so fortunate to have worked with elevated brands that didn't want to do a straight 20% off sitewide - don't get me wrong, there's definitely a time and place for sitewide offers, and BFCM is most likely that time…but does it make you money? If a sitewide offer is just cutting into your profits big time and you're not seeing the benefit, there's so many more options.
For those that want another approach and to avoid the race to the bottom, read ahead! Many online beauty retailers (and multi-brand retailers) use the approach of "Up to xx% off", that way they choose what to offer to keep their bottom line healthy.
Other options are tiered incentives, such as Spend & Saves. One of my clients ran "Spend & Receive" a future gift card style offer - this is a great way to bring your new BFCM customer back for their future purchases.
City Beach tactically brought in loss leaders to pull traffic to their site, make the sale, knowing the customer would also buy more than that 1 item. Not to mention the CLTV, it was a no-brainer for loss leaders on their end - the caveat? You need time to plan this out.
Oh and you can't forget gifting - utilise your cart drawer and add spend thresholds to offer free gifts - activewear brands such as LSKD and Muscle Nation are synonymous with this approach to increase their basket value. I always love when the gift options are only available during the BFCM period. The brand will produce the 'gift' specifically for that period of trade so it's an exclusive incentive to increase basket value - very clever AND fun for the customer.
Whatever you decide with promos, be tactical and think long term picture - you don’t want to train your audience to only shop during sales.
Success Leaves Clues
If you're stuck with which sales tactic to choose, review what worked (and what didn’t) last year. What did your competitors push? If you're not subscribed to their emails (you should be), check out milled.com, a free email repository showing you exactly what brands sent last BFCM. You’re welcome.
Segmentation & Flow Overhaul
Email segmentation is just the beginning. You need to work your email list - warm them up in the coming weeks - utilise your ads to pull new leads NOW so you're ready to go with your BFCM offer.
You must segment your database - if you don't know how - book in a strategy session with me here.
You also need to update every automation: abandon cart, browse abandon, welcome series, post-purchase - even your pop-ups. Everything should speak to your BFCM offer and timing. And don’t sleep on VIP access - offering early perks to high-value customers can drive conversion and reduce discount dependency. Plus this a great way to boost your email list early and create loyalty with your audience.
Retention Begins on Day One
The BFCM shopper is your biggest opportunity for long-term growth. Set up post-purchase flows that delight, educate and upsell. Use this moment to deepen loyalty, increase CLTV, and bring them back before the next discount cycle.
The best brands treat BFCM as a campaign, not a weekend. It’s a carefully planned, data-led opportunity to build momentum - and do it profitably.
If you're ready to sharpen your BFCM strategy, increase your profit, and scale with less chaos, book in a two hour strategy session with me.