7 Black Friday Marketing Strategies for 2024

Black Friday is arguably one of the biggest shopping events of the year, so it’s a great opportunity for Shopify merchants to boost sales and gain new customers.

During the Black Friday-Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend of 2023, Shopify sellers achieved a record of $9.3 billion in sales, marking a 24% increase from 2022.

The 29th of November is fast approaching and merchants who want to be prepared need to plan their BFCM marketing strategy now.

We’ve compiled a list of seven innovative tactics that you can seamlessly integrate into your planning process to help you make the most of the upcoming shopping season.

Start early and build anticipation

For merchants, Black Friday is no longer a single-day event.

To really capitalize on the day, one of the simplest (but most effective tips) is to start early and build excitement to gain the attention of more eager shoppers.

Consider launching teaser campaigns and a countdown timer a few weeks before Black Friday to generate buzz around your upcoming deals.

Try to use keywords like “Black Friday deals,” “early Black Friday sales,” and others to improve search visibility on Google and social media.

It’s also important to optimize your website well in advance for the influx of traffic you’ll receive.

According to Queue It, Black Friday has consistently been the biggest day in terms of online traffic for 4 years in a row. In 2023, Black Friday saw 67.4 million visitors.

Starting early gives you the benefit of being well-prepped for the day itself—you’ll also have ample time to refine the promotions you want to offer, as well as increase your inventory to meet the heightened demand.

Leverage social media for real-time engagement

Social media platforms are essential for real-time engagement during Black Friday.

Use features like Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, and Twitter to announce flash sales, share behind-the-scenes content, and interact with your audience.

You can encourage user-generated content by creating a unique hashtag for your Black Friday campaign to further enhance engagement.

Consider collaborating with influencers that have content related to your products to reach a broader audience and drive fresh traffic to your Shopify store.

By leveraging various social media platforms, you can create a strong connection with your customers and make the best of Black Friday this year.

Personalize your email marketing

With one of the most efficient return on investments (ROIs) when it comes to marketing, email campaigns are an effective channel for Black Friday promotions.

In 2022, Litmus reported that marketers gain $36 in return for every dollar they spend on email marketing.

When working with emails, you can segment your mailing list based on customer behavior and preferences to deliver a more personalized offer.

Use compelling subject lines and create a sense of urgency with countdown timers and limited-time deals.

As with most content marketing strategies, you’ll want to use keywords in your email subject lines and body to improve deliverability and engagement.

By tailoring your email campaigns to the interests and habits of your customers, you can increase open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, conversions.

Optimize your website for mobile shopping

As we mentioned above, optimizing your website for the influx of traffic is a must when it comes to Black Friday prep.

This extends to your mobile site too.

According to Adobe, mobile shopping surpassed desktop in the 2023 holiday season, with smartphones accounting for 51.1% of online sales.

You should ensure your website is responsive, loads quickly, and provides a seamless checkout experience on mobile devices.

Shopify has a mobile-first design article you can reference to make some changes to your mobile site and create a more user-friendly shopping experience.

By optimizing your website for mobile shopping, you can reduce cart abandonment rates and increase sales from customers who prefer to shop on their smartphones or tablets.

Offer exclusive deals and bundles

When you’re preparing for Black Friday, it’s important to consider how you’ll stand out from your competitors with a similar product range.

An effective way to do this is by altering your deal options to provide your customers with exceptional value. Here are some marketing examples you can leverage:

• Limited-time offers can create a sense of scarcity and urgency. Deals like these make customers act quickly, thinking they might miss out on a great offer.
• You can also bundle complementary products together to create a package. This not only increases the perceived value but also encourages customers to spend more than they initially intended. This strategy can also help you clear excess inventory.
• Though it may sound obvious, offering free shipping can really motivate customers to make purchases.

Like always, remember to highlight your exclusive deals with keywords like "exclusive Black Friday offers," "limited-time deals," and "bundle deals" to attract price-conscious shoppers.

By providing unique and compelling offers, you can differentiate your store from competitors and drive more sales during Black Friday.

Use retargeting to recapture lost sales

Not all visitors will make a purchase on their first—or even second—visit to your online store.

By implementing retargeting campaigns, you can use various platforms to remind your customers of the products they viewed, liked or abandoned in a cart.

Shopify has a Complete Guide to Facebook Retargeting that you can reference to set up ads on the network. In addition to this, there is also the official Facebook and Instagram Shopify app that you can leverage to manage ads and products from a single platform.

Alternatively, you could take the traditional approach of employing tactics such as targeted emails, push notifications, and exit-intent popups.

By targeting customers who have already shown an interest in your products, you can increase the likelihood of converting them into paying customers and boost your overall sales during Black Friday.

Extend your promotions with Cyber Monday

Our final tip is… don’t let the momentum die after Black Friday!

Cyber Monday is typically known for online shopping—more so than Black Friday—so by extending your promotions through to CM, you can capture last-minute shoppers and maximize your sales.

To keep customers engaged and excited, consider offering a new set of deals on Cyber Monday.

Use keywords like “Cyber Monday deals,” “extended Black Friday sales,” and others to maintain search visibility and attract bargain hunters.

By extending your promotions, you can capitalize on the continued shopping enthusiasm and drive additional sales for your Shopify store.

Bonus tip: streamline your invoicing with Sufio

As your orders increase during BFCM, managing invoices can quickly become a challenge.

Sufio offers brand-focused invoices, credit notes and reminders—created and sent automatically from Shopify orders and refunds.

By automating your invoicing process, you not only save time but also enhance the customers’ perception of your store and professionalism.

During BFCM 2023, Sufio’s robust infrastructure helped thousands of Shopify merchants generate over a million documents:

Sufio’s own year-by-year growth during Black Friday mirrors some of the earlier statistics and shows us that BFCM is by far the biggest ecommerce event of the year:

By trusting Sufio, you are joining over 6,000 successful Shopify merchants who rely on the app to keep their invoicing efficient and error-free. Even during peak shopping periods.