Each year, Black Friday triggers a buying frenzy across the United Kingdom and Europe. What was once a US import has now become a cornerstone of the global e-commerce calendar. And for good reason: according to Enov (2023), 61% of year-end e-commerce sales took place during Black Friday. Impressive, isn’t it?
In other words, if you run an online shop, ignoring Black Friday is like leaving money on the table. But diving head-first into a discount war can quickly turn into a disaster for your margins and your brand image.
The goal isn’t merely to sell more, but to sell better: to create a consistent customer experience, to execute a well-oiled marketing campaign, and, crucially, to retain new buyers once the rush is over.
Let’s see exactly how to prepare for a successful and sustainable Black Friday.
Black Friday has become an unmissable event in France and across Europe. In 2023, 61% of online sales were made during this period (Enov, 2023). That’s colossal—and the figure continues to rise every year, proof that consumers now expect this shopping moment.
So why should you join in?
Firstly, it’s the peak shopping period before Christmas. Black Friday marks the start of the promotional season. Your customers are already in a buying mindset: you don’t need to convince them, only to be in the right place at the right time.
Secondly, it’s a powerful customer acquisition lever. Giants like Amazon, Apple and FNAC attract millions of visitors—but many consumers are also eager to discover smaller, more transparent and human-centred brands. By offering a seamless experience, responsive support, and clever loyalty rewards, you can turn one-time buyers into long-term customers.
Finally, a well-prepared Black Friday isn’t just a “price war”. It’s a strategic opportunity to strengthen relationships, raise brand awareness, and create a memorable post-purchase experience.
There's no such thing as a successful Black Friday without a real plan of attack.
It's not enough to display -30% on a banner to boost your sales.
Preparing for this period is above all about making the right choices... in the right order.
So here are the key steps you need to take if you want to perform (and not just survive) during Black Friday.
Before launching any campaign, define your goals. What are you aiming for?
Set measurable KPIs. Without them, you can’t assess performance or calculate the true profitability of your Black Friday campaign.
If you’ve run Black Friday campaigns before, review everything: sales, AOV, best-selling products, top channels, email open rates, etc.
If not, look at your seasonal peaks (Christmas, sales, back-to-school). These insights will help shape your offers and marketing actions.
Don’t slash prices across the board—Black Friday is about balance.
Focus your offers on:
The aim isn’t to “cut everything”, but to create perceived value.
Offer exclusive benefits—loyalty points, early access, or premium delivery—instead of extreme discounts. Stay competitive without eroding your margins.
The ultimate Black Friday nightmare? Running out of stock.
Audit everything: inventory, lead times, carriers, customer service, returns management. Anticipate surges and test your website’s capacity (speed, server load, payments).
A slow site or a buggy checkout = lost sales.
Your website must be flawless.
Ensure a smooth, fast, and consistent experience across emails, ads, and site.
The key to Black Friday success? Anticipation.
Start teasing two to three weeks before the big day.
Examples:
You can even be transparent: announce your dates and philosophy (“no fake discounts, just real rewards”). This builds trust and credibility.
Advertising costs skyrocket in late November. Plan your budgets and creatives early.
During the Black Friday weekend, go into command-centre mode:
Once the storm passes, analyse calmly:
These insights will inform your CRM strategy and future retention campaigns.
Here’s where you can truly stand out. Instead of competing on price, create value.
During Black Friday, increase your referral rewards to make the gesture more appealing.
If your usual reward is £10 for both referrer and referee, temporarily raise it to £20 each.
A simple, high-impact move that fuels organic acquisition without blowing your ad budget.
Rather than giving direct discounts, offer double points on selected products or orders above a certain threshold.
Example: instead of 1 point per £1, offer 2 points throughout the weekend.
Customers feel they’re getting a good deal—while earning future rewards.
A healthy alternative to discount warfare.
Identify your brand advocates (small but engaged audiences) and reward them with points or perks when they post during Black Friday.
Result: more organic reach, authentic UGC, and a stronger brand image.
Build a sense of belonging: early access, private sales, or double loyalty points.
It nurtures loyalty and reduces reliance on paid advertising.
Encourage buyers to leave reviews, share unboxing videos, or post about their experience.
Reward them with points or vouchers.
Authentic user content boosts credibility and feeds your CRM.
Here’s where you can truly stand out. Instead of competing on price, create value.
During Black Friday, increase your referral rewards to make the gesture more appealing.
If your usual reward is £10 for both referrer and referee, temporarily raise it to £20 each.
A simple, high-impact move that fuels organic acquisition without blowing your ad budget.
Rather than giving direct discounts, offer double points on selected products or orders above a certain threshold.
Example: instead of 1 point per £1, offer 2 points throughout the weekend.
Customers feel they’re getting a good deal—while earning future rewards.
A healthy alternative to discount warfare.
Identify your brand advocates (small but engaged audiences) and reward them with points or perks when they post during Black Friday.
Result: more organic reach, authentic UGC, and a stronger brand image.
Build a sense of belonging: early access, private sales, or double loyalty points.
It nurtures loyalty and reduces reliance on paid advertising.
Encourage buyers to leave reviews, share unboxing videos, or post about their experience.
Reward them with points or vouchers.
Authentic user content boosts credibility and feeds your CRM.
Most brands treat Black Friday as an ending—but it should be the beginning of a long-term relationship. If you go silent on Monday, you waste your acquisition efforts. Here’s how to build ongoing engagement.
Example: after a purchase on 29 November, send a £10 voucher valid until 31 December.
Message: “Enjoyed your first experience? Come back before Christmas—it’s on us.”
Encourages repeat purchases and improves your Repeat Purchase Rate.
Send a gentle reminder:
“Still have 150 points left… why not use them before the end of the month?”
Such emails can generate up to 20% more repeat sales without sounding pushy.
Create a clear incentive:
“Make a second purchase before 5 January and earn double points!”
Boosts purchase frequency and strengthens loyalty.
Offer relevant add-ons: a scarf with a coat, headphones with a smartphone.
Encourage repeat orders and raise AOV through smart recommendations and bonus rewards.
Empower customers to become part of your brand story:
Reward them with points, vouchers, or gifts. These actions fuel trust and community engagement.
Set up automated sequences:
Automation ensures consistency without overloading your marketing team.
Transform Black Friday buyers into members of an exclusive club: early access, extra rewards, or private offers.
It’s a clever way to build loyalty and capitalise on the event long after it ends.
Pssst... You might find this interesting!
Black Friday is strategic for your brand, and we can probably help. Check out our platform!
Preparing for Black Friday requires discipline and foresight. Even the best offers or campaigns can collapse under the weight of a few classic missteps.
Here are the seven most frequent ones — and, more importantly, how to avoid them.
This is by far the most common mistake. Many brands panic and launch huge promotions — sometimes as deep as 70% off — without properly calculating their margins.
The result? A surge in sales volume, but a dramatic drop in profitability.
Black Friday was never meant to be a clearance sale. Its purpose is to stimulate purchases, attract new customers, and build perceived value.
👉 Replace blunt price cuts with smarter mechanisms, such as:
These levers strengthen your margins and your relationship with customers. They help you escape the vicious circle of “discounts for the sake of discounts”.
A slow website or a failed payment process is every retailer’s worst nightmare.
You’ve paid for ads, attracted visitors — and then everything collapses at checkout.
Before the big day, carry out a technical stress test on your website:
Make sure your site is fully mobile-friendly, since around 70% of Black Friday purchases are made on smartphones.
Finally, have a technical backup plan: a secondary server, a visible support number, and clear error messages.
A fast, stable website isn’t just an asset — it’s a competitive advantage.
The infamous “Up to 80% off” that applies to a single product? Those days are over.
In 2025, consumers are better informed, more demanding, and far more sceptical.
A poorly worded or misleading promotion can destroy your credibility and damage your future campaigns.
Be transparent with your offers:
In short: an honest 25% discount, clearly explained, is worth far more than a fake 70% that disappoints.
Trust is a far more valuable marketing asset than one extra click.
Black Friday also brings an avalanche of messages, calls, and return requests.
If your customer service team isn’t ready, chaos is never far away — and a frustrated customer in November is a lost customer for life.
A few key habits:
And above all: train your team well.
A clear, empathetic, and timely response can turn a complaint into a positive review — and even word-of-mouth promotion.
Black Friday attracts, but rarely retains — unless you plan for it.
Too many brands stop at “Thank you for your order”.
Big mistake: without a post-purchase plan, you’ll lose up to 70% of new customers before Christmas.
Even before launching your offers, prepare your post–Black Friday CRM strategy:
This extends the life of your campaign and feeds your CRM with valuable data.
The real ROI of Black Friday lies not in your average basket value, but in customer retention.
You’ll never beat Amazon or FNAC on pure discounting — and that’s perfectly fine.
Their power lies in logistics and scale. Yours lies in brand, proximity, and customer experience.
Consumers today aren’t just chasing “the best deal”; they want to buy from brands that reflect their values.
Focus instead on:
Price grabs attention, but perceived value builds loyalty.
The final mistake — and perhaps the most costly. Sending the same offer to your entire mailing list or Meta Ads audience is the fastest way to burn your budget.
Segment your audiences based on:
This allows you to tailor your messaging:
Targeted communication can double or even triple conversion rates, while reducing marketing fatigue.
Segmentation isn’t just a tactic — it’s the key to sustainable growth.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday serve complementary purposes.
Black Friday creates urgency and volume; Cyber Monday targets hesitant or late buyers.
The latter is perfect for clearing stock, recovering abandoned baskets, or offering online exclusives (e.g., free delivery, bonus points).
Combined, they form a powerful two-phase campaign:
Black Friday attracts; Cyber Monday retains.
Between the two, keep engagement alive through reminders and countdowns—simple tactics that can add 15% more sales.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday serve two complementary purposes.
Friday is all about frenzy — it drives massive traffic and creates excitement. It’s the moment for headline offers, high volumes, and customer acquisition.
Monday, by contrast, is more digital and deliberate: the perfect time to recover abandoned baskets, clear remaining stock, or offer online exclusives such as free delivery, bonus loyalty points, or complimentary accessories.
By combining the two, you build a two-phase campaign:
Black Friday attracts; Cyber Monday retains.
Between the two, keep the momentum going with follow-up emails, social media stories, and countdowns like “24 hours left to enjoy Cyber Monday”.
This simple reminder alone can generate up to 15% additional sales.
In short, think of them not as separate events, but as a single, continuous customer journey:
a powerful Black Friday followed by a smart Cyber Monday — the perfect way to make the most of the season’s potential without exhausting your margins or your team.
To prepare effectively for Black Friday, set clear objectives, anticipate your logistics, design high-value offers (referrals, loyalty programmes, UGC), and plan a post-purchase follow-up to turn new customers into loyal ones.
At Loyoly, we help e-commerce brands go beyond simple promotions.
The secret? Turning every Black Friday buyer into a loyal ambassador through personalised post-purchase journeys, smart referral systems, and engaging loyalty mechanics.
Because true Black Friday success isn’t measured on the Friday itself — it’s the one that lasts through January and beyond.
Loyoly is a post-purchase engagement platform that orchestrates journeys via +40 mechanics to boost LTV and social proof, while reducing CAC.
