30+ Creative Black Friday Marketing Ideas and Tips for Record-Breaking Results

Black Friday is the ‘Biggest Friday’ of the year for eCommerce businesses.

It's that one day when customers are in full-on shopping mode, and the sales numbers are staggering. 

In 2023, online shopping reached a whopping $9.8 billion, proving just how popular this day has become.

But it’s not enough to just be present on Black Friday. To really make the most of this shopping bonanza, you need a solid marketing strategy and some fresh ideas to help you stand out. With so many retailers vying for customers' attention, it's crucial to find ways to connect and engage.

If you're looking to ramp up your sales this Black Friday, we’ve got you covered. From innovative marketing tactics to handy tips and tools, we’ll help you create an unforgettable shopping experience that keeps customers coming back for more.

Let’s get your business ready for an exciting Black Friday!

#1. Design Your Store with a Black Friday Theme

If you want to boost your sales this Black Friday, the look and feel of your store are key. A beautifully designed website not only attracts customers but also plays a huge role in convincing them to buy from you.

Did you know that 75% of people form opinions about a business based on its website design?
That’s why having a professional, polished appearance is so important—it builds trust and credibility with your customers.

Pro tip: Try using GemPages to create an eye-catching Black Friday theme for your store. With features like AI-powered image-to-layout, you can design your site quickly and effortlessly. Plus, you’ll find plenty of stylish templates to choose from.

The drag-and-drop visual editor makes it super simple to add attention-grabbing call-to-action (CTA) buttons and countdown timers, making your site not only beautiful but also effective in driving those all-important conversions.

Not ready to commit but still want to kick the tires?

No problem! Get started with GemPages' free plan. Explore wonderful features that can do wonders for your store.

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#2. Pay Attention to Mobile Optimization

With over 54% of global website traffic coming from mobile devices in 2023, businesses can’t afford to ignore this trend.

Imagine a potential customer scrolling through their phone, eager to make a purchase, only to face a clunky, unresponsive website. Frustration sets in, and just like that, you’ve lost a sale. 

Mobile optimization enhances user experience, ensuring your site looks great and functions smoothly on any device. In a world where convenience rules, a mobile-friendly website isn’t just an option; it’s your ticket to capturing the attention of a rapidly growing audience.

Learn more: Mobile Conversion Optimization: 10+ Proven Tactics (2024)

#3. Run Black Friday Social Media Campaigns

Don’t wait until Black Friday.

Instead, start posting about upcoming Black Friday offers—at least a week or two in advance. Create anticipation ahead of Black Friday so that customers keep your brand under the radar during Black Friday.

Use different methods to engage with your audience:

• Live Stream: Host live streams on platforms like Facebook or TikTok to showcase your products and answer questions in real-time.
• Social Media Stories: Use Instagram and Facebook Stories to share behind-the-scenes content, product demos, and customer testimonials.
• Social Media Challenges: Host a contest/ social media challenge to increase engagement and reach.

#4. Collab with Influencers

If your social media following isn’t quite where you want it to be, consider leveraging the audiences of established influencers. 

Influencer marketing can be a powerful way to expand the reach of your campaigns and connect with potential customers.

Get in touch with multiple micro-influencers in your niche. By doing this, you can ensure to keep your marketing budget low and earn a high ROI (return on investment).

You can use Shopify Collabs or any other tool of your preference to manage your collaborations with influencers.

For their Black Friday sale, Gymshark, known for its exclusive offers, partnered with influencers like KSI and Behzinga, promoting the campaign with the hashtag #BigDealEnergy.

They focused on creating engaging video content across platforms like Instagram and YouTube, using trending music to spark viral moments and capture audience attention.

Learn more: Shopify Collabs: What Is It and How Do You Use It?

#5. Run Email Marketing Campaigns

Email marketing is one of the most effective strategies for high conversions. However, you need to be strategic about how you use email marketing campaigns.

Send teaser emails with hints about upcoming deals to your subscribers. Once deals are out, send personalized emails based on customer segmentation instead of sending one common email to all of your subscribers.

Make sure to give your email a captivating design and write conversion-oriented copy. You can use urgency or FOMO tactics to make it more effective.

For example, take a look at this email from Bellami Hair:

Here’s one more example of a Black Friday email campaign by Encircled where they’ve covered many important aspects such as a countdown timer, FAQs, and the trust badge

Important tip: To boost your sales this holiday seasonal, try PushOwl (by Brevo): Email, Push, SMS 

• Shopify-optimized email marketing and automation.
• Effortless one-click push notifications.
• Recover sales with cart recovery and price-drop alerts.
• Simplified targeted SMS campaigns.
• Advanced tools for automation, segmentation, and analytics.

#6. Offer early-bird discounts

The early bird gets the worm—or, in this case, the discount.

 Early-bird discounts can supercharge your sales. 74% plan to do most of their holiday shopping in November and December. This creates urgency and excitement.

Scarcity works wonders.

When customers know a deal is limited, they feel compelled to act fast. They don’t want to miss out. Early-bird discounts also foster a sense of exclusivity. Shoppers feel valued, making them more likely to return.

Here’s an example:

Customers might care about various aspects, such as product quality, customer service, pricing, or new product experiences such as changing packaging to be environmentally friendly.

#7. Offer a “Buy Now, Pay Later” Payment Option

This is one of the best Black Friday promotion ideas. Make it easy for customers to purchase from your brand.

Offering a “buy now, pay later” option allows customers to buy their favorite products without spending the entire money together. If you’re selling on Shopify, you can offer an installment payment option using payment solutions like Shop Pay, Afterpay, Klarna, etc.

Offering such flexibility in the payment option can increase your conversation rate.

#8. Write Copy for Black Friday

Apart from changing the theme of your website design, you should also work on creating a compelling copy for Black Friday. Explain why customers should shop with your brand on Black Friday.

Write a special tagline for Black Friday with your brand’s style. Use it on your website and social media as well.

Also, you can come up with a unique hashtag for social media promotions. Create a hashtag with your brand name and Black Friday. For example, #BFwithYourBrandName. Use this hashtag on all your social media campaigns.

Pro Tip: Be creative. When writing your website copy or tagline, don’t be afraid to be bold and unique. That’s what makes you stand apart from the competitors. In fact, be intentional about it.

#9. Create a Landing Page for Black Friday Deals

One of the highly effective methods to increase your conversion rate is to create a dedicated landing page. 

Across all industries, on average, the landing page conversion rate is 9.7%.

Design a brand-new Black Friday landing page to bring all your deals into the limelight. Design CTAs carefully and strategically. Personalized CTA buttons have 202% better conversion as compared to the default CTAs.

Make sure to optimize the landing page for mobile. Sounds complex and too much to do? Well, you can do all these by using GemPages to easily customize and design your landing pages.

Pro tips: In your landing page copy, don’t just mention the features of your products or services—highlight the benefits of those features. Also, include your customer reviews or UGC (User-Generated Content) to add social proof to your landing page. 

#10. Create Black-Friday-Special Bundle Offers

The concept of the pain of paying was first introduced by Ofer Zellermayer in 1996 and refers to the discomfort we experience when spending money. This sensation arises from our inherent loss aversion as humans.

We naturally seek to avoid losses whenever possible. Interestingly, this aversion is particularly strong when making purchases, as it involves the sacrifice of money in exchange for goods or services.

Retailers can tactically mitigate this effect by offering bundled products that increase perceived value, allowing customers to feel they are receiving more than they are losing.

By including additional items in a purchase, sellers can alleviate the sense of loss and reinforce the perception of acquiring a great deal.

Here’s an example of how ZipTop created a bundle offer with a set of 8 items into a single package with 25% off:

Pro tip: Go a step further to level up your bundling game and create a dedicated landing page(s) for all your bundle offers. Optimize it for conversion with compelling copy and CTA (call-to-action) buttons.

Learn more: How To Create Bundles on Shopify: 2 Simple Ways

#11. Offer Post-Purchase Discount for Christmas Shopping

The customers who shop from your brand on Black Friday are likely to come back to your store for Cyber Monday and Christmas shopping too. Encourage them to revisit your store with a special discount offer.

Create a Cyber Monday or Christmas discount offer and add it to your “Thank You page”. You can use Shopify apps to create and display post-purchase discount offers.

Here are some of the recommended apps:

• ReConvert Post Purchase Upsell
• AfterSell Post Purchase Upsell
• Upsell & Cross Sell — Selleasy
• EasySell COD Form & Upsells
• Cross Sell & Upsell

#12. Use Urgency and Scarcity Tactics

This approach capitalizes on human psychology, particularly the principle of scarcity.

Popularized by Robert Cialdini in his influential book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” scarcity exemplifies the fear of missing out (FOMO) in action.

When consumers perceive that availability is dwindling, the perceived value of a product or service increases significantly.

You’ve likely encountered this dynamic when booking flights or hotel accommodations—notifications such as “Only 3 seats left at this price” prompt immediate decision-making.

For your Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) strategy, leveraging this principle is essential.

Consider these expert tactics:

• Limiting product quantities
• Implementing countdown timers
• Offering exclusive, one-time promotions
  

Pro tip: Use GemPages to maximize the impact of your scarcity tactics by designing visually compelling, conversion-focused pages. 

You can easily integrate dynamic inventory banners, countdown timers, and attention-grabbing promotional elements that highlight limited-time offers and exclusive deals.

#13. Optimize Your Store’s SEO for Black Friday

Make sure to optimize your Black Friday collections and products with keyword-rich meta titles and descriptions. Here are some quick tips to optimize your SEO:

• Perform keyword research for Black Friday.

Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, AnswerThePublic, and Moz.

• Analyze and optimize your blog content.

For example, make sure your gift guides for Black Friday are optimized and indexed for SEO.

• Optimize URLs, meta titles, and descriptions for SEO.

For example, instead of a general collection, you can create a Black Friday collection and use “black-friday” in your collection’s URL.

Learn more: Shopify SEO Checklist for Beginners (2024)

#14. Create Personalized Offers for Loyal Customers

While trying to attract new customers for Black Friday, don’t forget to take care of your existing and loyal customers.

The customers who’ve been loyal to your brand deserve a special reward. Send special offers to your loyal customers and let them know that you value their loyalty.

For example, you can send out handwritten notes or your brand swag to your loyal customers and encourage them to share a picture with it.

#15. Involve in Charity Partnerships

If you can, when making profits from your business, you can take the initiative to give back to the community or donate to people in need.

You can donate a portion of Black Friday sales to a charitable cause and spread awareness about it among your customers through social media. When brands take such initiatives, customers also love to support the cause. 

Here's one of the great examples where Thought Clothing announced to donate 50% of its sales to charity:

#16. Leverage Trends to Spice Up Your Campaigns

Don’t make your marketing campaigns boring.

Find out different ways to make them interesting and engaging based on your audience. Check out what’s trending in social media and use it in a creative way to spice up your marketing campaigns.

For example, recently many brands leveraged the trends of Barbie and Oppenheimer movies in their marketing campaigns.

#17. Use SMS Marketing for Last-Moment Promotions

SMS messages are checked by customers more frequently. Every 1 in 3 customers say they check their text message notifications within one minute of receiving a new message.

During the last few days of the Black Friday campaign, you can send text messages for the offers closing soon. You can even come up with a creative SMS marketing campaign like Lenskart did in this example.

Instead of giving a discount, as an offer, you can credit a balance in the customer’s account to entice them to shop with your brand. Keep a threshold of a higher amount for the total order value to quality for using the credited balance.

Not ready to commit but still want to kick the tires?

No problem! Get started with GemPages' free plan. Explore wonderful features that can do wonders for your store.

Start for free

#18. Create and Promote Free Shipping Offer

Free shipping is one of the evergreen marketing strategies for eCommerce businesses. However, using this strategy on Black Friday may depend on your current offer.

For example, if you’ve already been offering free shipping on all orders, it may not be an effective strategy. But if you’re not, you can create free shipping for all orders or certain order values—depending on your margins.

Also, you can display the free shipping offer through the announcement bar and promote it on social media. Here’s how Nature’s Natural Lather promoted its free shipping offer to attract customers to shop on Cyber Monday as well:

Black Friday Orders Going Out!🙌🏾

Make sure you take advantage of our 20% OFF + FREE shipping on orders $55 or more Cyber Monday Sale with code “CYBMON”.

Link in thread! pic.twitter.com/lagft4HJ3P

— Nature’s Natural Lather💚 (@NNLATHER) November 28, 2022

Learn more: How to Do Free Shiping on Shopify? (+Evergreen Tips)

#19. Create Flash Sale Promotions

Flash sales are the deals that are offered for a limited and short period. Since it’s created only for a short period of time, it creates a sense of urgency for customers.

Run daily flash sale offers throughout the BFCM (Black Friday Cyber Monday) week to keep your customers engaged. Here’s one of the flash sale promotions that was announced by Macy’s. As you can see, the “today only” offer creates an urgency and FOMO:

#20. Use Trust Badges

Many customers still hesitate to buy from online brands due to their concerns about the security and quality of products. 

Using trust badges like a 30-day returns policy, money-back guarantee, or secure payments gives customers assurance to buy from your brand. 

Display key highlights of your offers like free shipping and fast delivery if applicable. Also, you can use trust badges to display any certifications received or causes supported by your brand.

Here’s how BLK & Bold displays various badges on its homepage:

#21. Create an FAQ Page

Even small questions or any confusion in a customer’s mind may lead to a lost sale.

List all common scenarios that may be raised as questions, and address them on the FAQ page. For example, you may want to address questions related to discount codes, shipping, returns, refunds, etc.

Also, make sure that your FAQ page is easily accessible to your customers. You may include it in your footer menu section so that it’s visible on all pages.

#22. Introduce Brand-New Products

Customers always get excited to see when new products are launched on your store. Launching new products on Black Friday can give them a solid reason to shop from your brand.

This marketing idea is more suitable for lifestyle brands that are selling clothing, apparel, footwear, and jewelry items as they have a greater scope to add a variety of items.

Pro Tip: To test which new products might sell the best, you can pre-launch some products with a “Coming Soon on Black Friday” banner. Then, analyze which products get the most engagement from your customers. Manage your inventory accordingly.

#23. Leverage Your Affiliate or Loyalty Program

If yes, it’s time to make the most out of your program and reward your affiliates or loyalty program members too. You can tweak your program strategically for Black Friday. Here’s how:

• Loyalty Program:

Offer more or double the loyalty reward points for Black Friday shopping. For example, if a customer gets 1 point for every $1 spent on regular days, you can offer 2 points for any orders placed on Black Friday.

Sephora’s Beauty Insider is one of the most popular loyalty programs in the world with over 25 million members. See how it has created various events like Seasonal Savings Events, Point Multiplier Events, and End-of-Year Discount:

• Affiliate Program:

Similarly, you can offer special incentives to your affiliates for all the sales they bring for BFCM campaigns. Also, you can provide your affiliates with marketing material and guidance to enhance the effectiveness of ‘their’ marketing.

#24. Use Gamification to Create Excitement

This is one of the common Black Friday marketing tips. Instead of giving discounts straight away, you can make it a fun game.

One of the popular methods for gamification of discount offers is a “spin the wheel” game. But honestly, it’s been kind of overused by many brands recently.

Create your own game with a fresh idea. For example, give your customers a surprise discount or loyalty points for completing certain activities like following your social media accounts.

#25. Optimize Your Store for Upselling & Cross-Selling

Upselling and cross-selling are kinds of strategies that you can use throughout the year. It’s great for increasing your average order value (AOV).

During Black Friday, customers are on a shopping spree. Thus, upselling and cross-selling strategies can work best during these times.

Display relevant and personalized product recommendations on product and cart pages to entice customers to add more items to their carts.

#26. Share Gift Guides for Your Target Customers

During the Black Friday season, customers are looking to purchase gift items. But we all know that sometimes we can’t figure out what gift item we should give!

That’s where you can offer help to your customers by creating gift guides. You can offer these guides in exchange for email, if you want, to increase your email subscribers.

#27. Don’t Miss Out on Remarketing Campaigns

Remarketing, also known as retargeting, is a digital marketing strategy that targets users who have previously interacted with your website or brand.

The goal of remarketing is to re-engage potential customers who have shown interest in your products or services but did not complete the purchase.

Here are some examples of remarketing campaigns:

• Abandoned Cart Remarketing: When a visitor adds products to their shopping cart but doesn't complete the purchase, you can use retargeting to display ads featuring the abandoned products to entice them to return and complete the transaction.
• Website Visitors Remarketing: Target users who have visited specific pages of your website, such as product pages or blog posts, with ads related to their interests. For example, if a user visits your blog post about hiking boots, you can show them ads featuring your latest hiking boots collection.
• Social Media Remarketing: Run remarketing campaigns on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to target users who have interacted with your brand or website. You can show them ads designed to re-engage them.

#28. Create Special Discount Offers

Just like Black Friday is an opportunity for you to increase your sales, customers also wait for Black Friday to take benefits of great deals and save money.

Do something differently with your offers to make customers feel it’s a special opportunity for them.

You might be running a 10-15% discount offer all throughout the year, and thus, you just can’t keep the same offer on Black Friday as well. 

#29. Write Blog Articles about Black Friday Gift Ideas

Content marketing is one of the best strategies to increase organic traffic to your website. A blog not only helps your customer with useful information but also helps your site’s search engine optimization (SEO).

Based on your target audience, create different guides to help them buy gifts for their loved ones. Don’t limit your articles to only your products, and think of what could actually be helpful to your customers even if it’s not about your products.

Make sure to plan your content in advance. You need to consider the time it’ll take to write and publish content and the time for it to get indexed on the search engine algorithms.

Learn more: 11 Best Shopify Blog Examples

#30. Use Apps & Tools for Effective Marketing

Make the most out of your apps and tools to create highly effective marketing campaigns. And if you don’t already have the required apps installed on your Shopify store, here are some helpful apps to enhance and scale your marketing campaigns:

• GemPages: 

Page builder app to design homepage, product, collection, and blog post pages. Also, it helps create landing pages.

• Tidio

Live chat and AI-powered chatbot app to provide support to your customers during the busy season.

• ReConvert

Upselling and cross-selling app to increase your AOV by creating checkout, post-purchase, and thank you page upsell and cross-sell offers.

#31. Think Out of the Box

While you should use proven marketing strategies as explained in this article, try to come up with something new that no other brand is doing.

To do this, you need to understand your customers and competitors. Keep an eye on what competitors are doing and prepare a different strategy to beat their campaign. 

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Ready to Start Your Black Friday Marketing Campaigns?

Black Friday is a prime opportunity for eCommerce businesses to maximize profitability, but it’s crucial to balance the rush for sales with maintaining a positive customer experience. Quick, gimmicky tactics may grab attention, but they can harm your brand’s reputation in the long run. 

The key to success? Thoughtful preparation and starting early.

To ensure your campaign is both effective and sustainable, focus on strategies that align with your resources and goals.

Discover GemPages BFCM Campaign and you'll have everything you need to get ahead of the competition. The BFCM Landing Page & CRO Cookbook offers expert insights to optimize conversions, while our free BFCM landing page template provides an easy, professional foundation to launch your campaign quickly.

FAQs about Black Friday Marketing Strategy

Topics: 

Holiday marketing ideas