Black Friday is no ordinary day for businesses (especially ecommerce). It’s the Super Bowl of shopping events, where brands pull out all the stops to attract customers looking for the best deals of the year. With consumers spending billions every Black Friday, competition has never been fiercer. Take any Black Friday keyword on the web, filled with high DR websites with almost no space to rank.

So, how can you stand out and make the most of this crucial time? You want to make sure that you differentiate yourself from the competition. That is possible by creating the highest quality marketing campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of the best Black Friday marketing strategies and campaign ideas to help you win big this season.

1. Start Planning Early and Build Anticipation

Black Friday success starts long before the day itself. Early preparation is key. The earlier you begin planning, the more you can refine your strategy and build anticipation among your audience. For example, for 2024, the best time to write a blog was actually back in March/April so that it could reach its full potential by Black Friday. Your whole year of research into customer behavior, your best products, and other insights all come together to make Black Friday your most successful season of the year (if you know how to utilize it).

• Teaser Campaigns: Teasers create excitement. You can start a countdown or provide sneak peeks of your Black Friday deals weeks in advance. Use social media, email campaigns, and even your website banners to hint at what’s coming.
• Dedicated Landing Pages: Create a special Black Friday landing page. Not only does this allow you to build up interest, but it’s also a great way to collect leads. Use it to capture email addresses from interested shoppers, offering early access to sales in return.

Pro Tip: Brands like Amazon and Target begin teasing their Black Friday deals a month or more ahead to keep consumers hooked. They use subtle hints that make shoppers curious, driving more traffic and keeping their brands top of mind.

Even campaigns like: Are you planning to buy a new laptop? Why don’t you wait 2 more weeks to buy from our Black Friday sale? Subtle hints, humor, and self-deprecating humor can be very effective.

2. Create Exclusive Black Friday Deals

Your Black Friday deals need to feel special—exclusive, time-sensitive, and too good to pass up. But it’s not just about slashing prices. It’s about structuring offers that make sense for both you and your customers.

• Limited-Time Offers: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) drives people to take quick action. Time-limited flash sales, where certain items are discounted for just a few hours, can keep people glued to your store throughout the day.
• Bundle Deals: Offer value by bundling products that naturally go together. For instance, if you sell skincare, bundle cleansers, moisturizers, and serums at a discounted price. Customers will feel like they’re getting more for less.
• Tiered Discounts: Encourage bigger purchases by offering discounts based on cart value. For example, “Spend $50 and get 20% off, spend $100 and get 30% off.” This tactic increases average order value (AOV) while offering customers a better deal for larger purchases.

Create instant Black Friday Shopify page templates using Canva (without coding) and import to Shopify easily!

3. Optimize Ecommerce Stores for Mobile Shoppers

In today’s world, many Black Friday shoppers will be on their phones, hunting for deals between holiday activities. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you could be missing out on a huge chunk of customers (60% to be precise).

Tip: If you are using Shopify for ecommerce, you can very easily optimize the design for mobile phones if you design your Black Friday landing page in Canvify.

• Responsive Design: Make sure your website is mobile-friendly, from browsing to checkout. Pages should load quickly, be easy to navigate, and offer a smooth user experience.
• Mobile Notifications: Leverage push notifications and SMS marketing. Remind your customers when sales start or when flash deals are about to end.

Pro Tip: Mobile commerce (m-commerce) now accounts for over 50% of online purchases during Black Friday. If you’re not focusing on mobile, you’re likely losing sales.

4. Utilize Social Media and Influencer Partnerships

Social media is a powerful tool during Black Friday. It’s where consumers go to find deals, read reviews, and get inspired. Again, make vertical content for mobile phones because 80% of media is consumed on mobile.

• Paid Social Ads: Run highly targeted ads on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Focus on retargeting users who have visited your site or abandoned their carts.
• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers to get your message out to new audiences.
• User-Generated Content (UGC): Encourage your customers to post about your products online, especially during Black Friday. You can even offer incentives like a chance to win a prize if they share photos or videos using your products with a branded hashtag.

Read Black Friday Social Media Campaign Ideas to boost Sales

5. Email Marketing: Build Value Driven Campaigns

Email marketing remains one of the most effective channels for driving sales. But blasting the same email to everyone on your list won’t cut it.

• Segment Your Email List: Tailor your offers to different customer segments. Loyal customers can receive VIP early access to sales, while new customers get a special first-time purchase discount.
• Personalized Content: Use dynamic content that changes based on the recipient’s past purchases or browsing history.
• Value Driven Content: Write content for humans, not AI. Building trust in your email marketing is essential to avoid landing in spam folders.

Pro Tip: Send a series of emails leading up to Black Friday. A teaser email, followed by reminders, will keep your audience engaged and ready to shop.

Read about Black Friday email marketing strategies for Shopify.

6. Leverage FOMO and Urgency Tactics

Humans hate to miss out on good deals, and Black Friday is all about scarcity and urgency. But reinvent the wheel with clever FOMO strategies.

• Contrasting Effects: Don’t just focus on the limited-time offer. Emphasize what customers will lose if they don’t act now, like market price increases after the sale.

7. Offer Free Shipping and Easy Returns

When it comes to eCommerce, shipping costs are a major factor. Many will abandon their carts if they see unexpected fees at checkout.

• Free Shipping: If you can offer free shipping, do it. Otherwise, consider offering it for orders over a certain threshold.
• Easy Returns: A generous return policy reduces the risk for customers. Ensure you clearly highlight your return policy to encourage more purchases.

8. Cross-Channel Integration: Creating an Omnichannel Experience

Consumers today shop across multiple channels. To maximize Black Friday sales, offer a seamless omnichannel experience.

• Integrate “Add to Cart Buttons” on Social Media: Add Shopify checkout links directly into your social media campaigns.
• BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store): Offer customers the convenience of buying online and picking up in-store.

9. Retarget Cart Abandoners and Inactive Customers

Black Friday is a great time to win back customers who have abandoned their carts or haven’t shopped with you in a while.

• Retargeting Ads: Use retargeting ads to show the items customers left behind and offer discounts to complete their purchase.
• Email Campaigns: Send personalized emails to inactive customers with enticing offers.

10. Post-Black Friday Campaigns: Prepare for Cyber Monday and Beyond

Black Friday is just the beginning. Don’t forget to plan for Cyber Monday and the entire holiday season.

• Extend Sales: Carry Black Friday excitement into Cyber Monday and beyond.
• Following Purchase Care: Focus on building long-term relationships with new customers through personalized recommendations and loyalty programs.

Create Black Friday Shopify Landing Pages Using Canva Templates

Creating Shopify landing pages for Black Friday in Canva has never been easier with Canvify. Canvify allows you to seamlessly convert your custom-designed Canva templates into fully functional Shopify pages without needing any coding or complex integrations. Whether you’re promoting tech gadgets, organic skincare, or sportswear for Black Friday, you can easily select one of Canva’s eye-catching Black Friday templates, customize it to match your brand’s aesthetics, and then instantly export it to your Shopify store via Canvify. This streamlined approach saves time and ensures that your landing pages are visually compelling and optimized for conversions, helping you capture the attention of your audience during the busy Black Friday shopping season.

Conclusion

Businesses may benefit greatly from Black Friday, but success demands a well-thought-out plan. Every aspect counts, from organizing ahead of time and creating anticipation to developing customized email campaigns and establishing a smooth omnichannel experience. Brands that provide value, take advantage of FOMO, and meet consumers where they are—in-store, on social media, or on mobile devices—are the most successful ones. With a little forward planning, you’ll be ready to kill it come Black Friday!