Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM)

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As online shopping continues to dominate the retail industry, eCommerce brands have an opportunity to benefit greatly from personalized SMS communications during the holiday season.

• In 2021, 88 million consumers shopped online on Black Friday, and 77 million shopped online on Cyber Monday.   

• 30% of all retail sales occur from Black Friday to Christmas.  
• Last year, shoppers spent $8.9 billion online on Black Friday.   

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Strategy 1

Early Access

It’s a good holiday practice to start promoting your deals early. Companies are planning to offer significant holiday discounts as inflation squeezes profit margins and inventory levels remain high. Companies like Amazon and Target are already offering early access BFCM deals.

Try sending out an Update on or around November 3rd, 3 weeks before Thanksgiving.

Note: SMS-only incentives work great to encourage opt-ins. For example, for a product that is likely to sell out, you can give your text subscribers early access.


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Strategy 2

Gift Giving

Promoting the idea of gift giving is another great holiday tactic to drive sales. Gift shopping is a huge piece of total holiday spending, and BFCM is a time where customers may be looking to grab good deals for early Christmas gifts.

Despite inflation, consumers are still prioritizing holiday shopping. 62% of holiday shoppers agree that it is important to spend on holiday gifts and celebrations and that they are willing to cut back in other areas to gift their loved ones.

Try sending out an Update on or around November 10th, 2 weeks before Thanksgiving.

Strategy 3

Flash Sale

If you’re looking to drive sales before BFCM, try offering a flash sale in the weeks leading up to the holiday. You can offer amazing discounts or exclusive bundles for a limited time. Create a sense of urgency for your customers by presenting a clear deadline. If they believe that they only have a certain amount of time to secure a good deal or that the product they want is about to sell out, it gives more incentive to make the purchase.

Give your subscribers the chance to sign up for flash sale alerts separately using a keyword response. By doing so, you avoid being disruptive and increase the chances of success for flash sale messages.

Try sending out an Update on or around November 17th, 1 week before Thanksgiving.

Strategy 4

Extended Deals

The deals don’t have to stop at BFCM. For those customers who passed on the BFCM mania but are still looking to capitalize off of a good deal, offer an extended sale.

An emergent trend for many retailers is to extend their BFCM sales into December. This means more sales and more happy customers.

Key Dates

• Thanksgiving Day : Thursday, November 24

Thanksgiving is an excellent opportunity to tease your upcoming Black Friday promotions and build excitement among your subscribers. Moreover, you can share exclusive access to your VIP customers before your public sale goes live.

• Black Friday : Friday, November 25

Maximize the effect of your BFCM campaign by using SMS to announce your promotion to your entire audience and create a sense of urgency with a limited-time offer.

• Thanksgiving Weekend : Sat 7 Sun, November 26 & 27

The weekend between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is the perfect time to analyze your Black Friday performance and remind subscribers about the current offer and when it expires. Dedicate Sunday afternoon to teasing subscribers with early access to the Cyber Monday offer.

• Cyber Monday : Monday, November 28

Since many brands announce their deals up front, they make a final push on Cyber Monday to encourage subscribers to make a purchase by reminding them that the Cyber Weekend deal won’t be returning again until next year.