BFCM shoppers want two things at once: to spend less and buy more.
Many even postpone purchases because they expect better deals during Black Friday. At the same time, almost every ecommerce brand is fighting for their attention with ads, emails, social posts, and promotions.
That makes BFCM not only a pricing challenge, but an attention challenge.
The fundamentals of a strong BFCM strategy haven’t disappeared—but the way shoppers discover, compare, and buy products continues to change.
For Shopify merchants, that increasingly means looking beyond individual campaigns and building stronger owned channels, including a mobile app for Shopify, as part of a broader mobile commerce strategy.
This guide brings together proven BFCM tactics from previous seasons and updates them for the realities of ecommerce in 2026.
1. Start Building Demand Before BFCM
BFCM shopping doesn’t begin on Black Friday.
Consumers increasingly research products, compare brands, create shopping lists, and wait for offers weeks before the actual event.
Attentive’s 2026 shopper research found that 71% of consumers plan to start purchasing before Black Friday.
So instead of waiting until BFCM week to start communicating, use the weeks beforehand to:
- Highlight products shoppers may want to save for BFCM
- Grow your email and SMS audiences
- Promote loyalty membership
- Build wishlists and product interest
- Build and promote your mobile app
- Encourage push notification opt-ins
- Prepare early-access campaigns
The audience you build beforehand becomes much easier to activate once BFCM begins.
2. Build an Owned Audience Before Competition Peaks
BFCM is one of the noisiest periods in ecommerce.
Once November arrives, your ads compete with thousands of other promotions for the same scroll, click, and customer budget.
That is why owned channels become especially valuable.
Email and SMS are part of that strategy, but a mobile app can give brands another direct way to stay connected with their most engaged shoppers.
The important part is building that audience before BFCM.
If customers have already downloaded your app and enabled push notifications, you can reach them directly when your BFCM offers launch instead of depending entirely on paid advertising or social algorithms.
For example, you can use push notifications for:
- Early access
- Price drops
- Back-in-stock products
- Abandoned carts
- App-exclusive offers
- Limited-stock products
- Personalized recommendations
A mobile app won’t remove BFCM competition completely.
But it can reduce your dependence on competing for every new impression during one of the most expensive and crowded marketing periods of the year.
3. Give Shoppers a Deal That Actually Feels Like BFCM
Customers expect genuine value during Black Friday.
If someone deliberately delays a purchase because they expect a BFCM deal, a weak promotion can easily disappoint them.
But genuine value doesn’t always mean offering the biggest possible percentage discount.
Klaviyo’s analysis of BFCM 2025 found that average discounts actually fell from 29.1% in 2024 to 26.2% in 2025.
Consider combining discounts with other incentives such as:
- Free shipping
- Product bundles
- Gifts with purchase
- Buy-more-save-more offers
- Loyalty rewards
- Early access
- App-exclusive offers
Your AOV matters here too.
For lower-priced products, bundles and volume offers can encourage shoppers to add more items.
For higher-AOV products, shoppers may care just as much about reviews, product information, guarantees, comparisons, and the overall value of the offer.
The goal is simple: Make shoppers feel that waiting for BFCM was worth it.
4. Make BFCM Messages Relevant, Not Just Loud
During BFCM, almost every brand sends some version of:
“BLACK FRIDAY IS HERE!”
Being louder isn’t always the answer.
Being more relevant is.
Instead of sending every shopper the same promotion, use what you already know about their behavior.
Someone who abandoned a product may need a price-drop reminder.
A previous customer might respond better to a complementary product.
A loyal customer could receive early access.
Someone interested in an out-of-stock item may simply need a back-in-stock alert.
This is where email, SMS, push notifications, customer segmentation, and personalized in-app experiences can work together.
BFCM personalization doesn’t need to be complicated.
Sometimes simply showing the right product to the right customer at the right moment is enough.
5. Make the Mobile Shopping Experience Ready for Peak Traffic
Mobile is now central to holiday ecommerce.
Adobe reported that smartphones accounted for 56.4% of online holiday spending during the 2025 US holiday season.
So before BFCM, test the experience your mobile shoppers will actually have.
Ask:
- Can shoppers find your BFCM offers quickly?
- Are your best-selling products easy to discover?
- Are reviews and product information easy to access?
- Are variants and inventory clearly displayed?
- Are shipping costs and delivery expectations clear?
- Is checkout fast?
- Do promotional links lead to the correct product or collection?
If you have a mobile app, test the same journey there.
Your push notification may be perfect, but if it opens the wrong page or shoppers struggle to complete checkout, the opportunity is lost.
During BFCM, small amounts of friction can become expensive.
6. Prepare for AI Shopping and AI-Assisted Product Discovery
Another change for BFCM 2026 is how shoppers research products.
Customers increasingly use AI assistants to compare products, ask for recommendations, understand features, and find the best option for their needs.
That means your product information should clearly explain:
- What the product is
- Who it is for
- Key features and benefits
- Price
- Materials or specifications
- Sizing or compatibility
- Shipping and returns
- Customer reviews
- How it differs from alternatives
This helps traditional SEO, but it also makes your products easier for AI systems to understand and potentially surface when shoppers ask relevant questions.
Good BFCM preparation therefore isn’t only about promotional content.
Your product content itself needs to be ready.
7. Don’t Let the Relationship End After Checkout
BFCM can bring a large number of first-time buyers.
The bigger opportunity is turning some of them into repeat customers.
Klaviyo’s BFCM 2025 analysis found that revenue from repeat buyers grew faster than revenue from new buyers.
So plan your post-BFCM strategy before the first order arrives.
After purchase, think about:
- Loyalty enrollment
- Complementary product recommendations
- App download promotion
- Personalized push notifications
- Replenishment reminders
- Review requests
- December offers
- New-product communication
A BFCM customer doesn’t have to remain a one-time discount shopper.
The channels you build before and during BFCM can continue working long after Cyber Monday ends.
The Real BFCM 2026 Advantage: Prepare Before Everyone Starts Shouting
BFCM shoppers want real value, while brands are competing harder than ever for their attention.
That is why the strongest BFCM strategy isn’t simply about increasing promotions once Black Friday arrives. It starts earlier: building your audience, creating offers worth waiting for, and using customer behavior to make your communication more relevant.
Make your mobile shopping experience effortless, and ensure your products are easy to discover and understand across both traditional search and AI-powered shopping experiences.
At the same time, strengthen your direct channels—whether through email, SMS, loyalty, or a mobile app—so you can stay connected with shoppers when competition reaches its peak.
By the time BFCM arrives, you shouldn’t be trying to start a relationship with your customers. You should be ready to activate the one you’ve already built.
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