Black Friday Cyber Monday 2025 Checklist: How to Prepare Your Ecommerce Store

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) create the highest sales window of the year.

But only for brands that prepare in advance. A strong Black Friday email marketing strategy sets measurable revenue targets, aligns campaigns across channels, and eliminates friction points before customers hit “buy.”

The brands that maximize revenue are the ones that treat BFCM like a stress test, running every email, SMS, and site experience through a checklist to prevent costly mistakes.

This guide gives e-commerce teams a practical framework to prepare and execute. From revenue planning to quality control, you’ll see the exact steps needed to keep campaigns tight, aligned, and built to capture every sale, with a BFCM checklist.

These are the categories we’ll be covering for a comprehensive Black Friday email marketing strategy:

• Quality control

• Revenue Goals

• On-site experience

• Segmentation

• Post-purchase and retention

Click on image to access BFCM Checklist Template.

The best way to create a Black Friday email marketing strategy is to work from a structured checklist. Rather than relying on guesswork or last-minute promotions, a checklist forces teams to cover revenue planning, campaign execution, and customer experience in sequence. This keeps strategy tied to measurable outcomes instead of tactics alone.

Successful e-commerce operators use three principles to guide the process:

Start With The Numbers

Define revenue goals for BFCM overall, then set channel-specific targets for email, SMS, and retention. This ensures every campaign has a clear benchmark.

Align Across Channels

Email, SMS, and paid media should be scheduled and reviewed together. Misaligned campaigns create mixed messaging that confuses customers and undercuts results.

Stress-Test Every Touchpoint

From discount codes to checkout pages, BFCM exposes weak links. Run every email, flow, and on-site element through quality control before launch to prevent failures when traffic spikes.

Even the best-planned campaigns fall apart if details slip through. Quality control and a BFCM checklist ensures every email, SMS, and promotion works correctly before BFCM traffic spikes. Treat this step as non-negotiable. It protects revenue and prevents customer frustration.

Test Across Inboxes And Devices

Preview every email in Apple Mail, Outlook, and Gmail on both mobile and desktop. Rendering can break in unexpected ways, from cut-off subject lines to broken layouts, and you won’t see the issues by testing in one client alone.

Run A Full QA On Campaigns

Check grammar, links, discount codes, and personalization fields in both emails and SMS. Even a small error like a wrong URL or expired code can tank conversions during peak hours.

Confirm UTM Tracking

Enable UTM tracking for every email and SMS send. Without it, performance reporting will be incomplete, and you’ll lose visibility into which campaigns drove revenue.

Optimize For Dark Mode

Review every send in dark mode to make sure logos, buttons, and text remain clear. Many e-commerce brands miss this, and it results in CTAs disappearing or unreadable copy.

Stress-test Discount Codes And Payment Flows

Run test orders with every active discount code. Confirm payment gateways like ShopPay, AfterPay, PayPal, and Apple Pay all process correctly with your promotions. A single failed checkout can erode trust and cost thousands in sales.

If you don’t have goals for this year’s BFCM, that’s okay. A quick way to figure out what your goal is, look back on past years and find your best performing year for BFCM. Your goal is to beat that.

Revenue goals give structure to your Black Friday email marketing strategy. Without clear targets, it’s difficult to measure ROI or allocate resources effectively. The brands that consistently outperform during BFCM are the ones that set benchmarks for sales and tie them to inventory and margins.

Define Overall BFCM Targets

Start by establishing topline revenue goals for the entire BFCM period. Break these down into daily or campaign-level targets so you can track performance in real time.

Set Channel-Specific Goals

Email, SMS, and retention channels each play a role in driving sales. Assign percentage contributions to each channel and monitor whether they’re hitting their share of revenue.

Align With Inventory And Profit Margins

Ambitious goals mean little if inventory is limited or margins are too thin. Factor in product availability and make sure your discounting strategy supports profitability while preventing stockouts.

Even the strongest email campaigns will fail if customers run into friction once they click through. On-site experience is the foundation of conversion. During BFCM, small issues can multiply under traffic surges. Testing and optimizing your site before BFCM ensures campaigns convert as expected.

Confirm Page Speed And Mobile Performance

Test the load times of your main BFCM landing pages and product offers. Slow pages cause abandonment, especially on mobile, where most Black Friday traffic originates.

Audit Product, Cart, And Checkout Flows

Walk through every step of the customer journey. Check product detail pages for errors, confirm cart functionality, and stress-test checkout to make sure there are no payment or discount code failures.

Review FAQs, Shipping, And Return Policies

Update FAQs with BFCM-specific details. Make sure shipping and return policies are clear and accurate, since confusion here creates customer service bottlenecks and lost sales.

Test Customer Support Touchpoints

Ensure live chat, help desks, or chat apps are fully functional and staffed for high-volume days. Quick response times during BFCM can save otherwise lost orders.

Validate Timers, Tracking, and Upsells

Check that scarcity tactics (countdown timers) display and expire correctly. Audit all tracking scripts for accuracy. Confirm upsell and downsell offers trigger smoothly in cart and post-purchase flows.

Segmentation is what separates effective BFCM campaigns from generic blasts. 

Done right, it improves deliverability, boosts engagement, and ensures high-intent buyers see the right offers at the right time. Skipping this step risks wasted sends and fatigued subscribers.

Build BFCM-Specific Segments

Create dedicated groups such as VIP customers, engaged users from the last 30 days, and high-intent browsers. Tailoring offers to these audiences drives higher conversions than blanket discounts.

Double-Check Segmentation Logic

Review filters and conditions in Klaviyo or your ESP before launch. A single mistake in “AND/OR” logic can cause the wrong subscribers to get discounts, damaging both revenue and trust.

Audit Flows Before BFCM

Turn off discounting or nurturing flows you don’t want running during BFCM. Activate only the flows that support BFCM campaigns, such as abandoned cart or browse recovery emails.

Build And Test New Forms Or Pop-ups

If you’re running BFCM-specific lead captures, confirm they trigger at the right times and route contacts into the correct lists. Broken logic here means lost leads at the peak of holiday traffic.

The customer journey doesn’t end at checkout. Post-purchase and retention tactics extend the value of BFCM beyond the week itself, ensuring one-time buyers become repeat customers. A strong strategy here protects long-term revenue while reducing churn.

Audit Post-Purchase Flows

Review and adjust confirmation, shipping, and thank-you emails. Make sure none of them conflict with your BFCM promotions and that the experience feels seamless.

Evaluate Discounting And Retention Logic

Turn off or modify pre-purchase discount flows that don’t make sense during BFCM. Keep the focus on reinforcing the purchase and nurturing repeat engagement.

Optimize Upsells And Downsells

Test post-purchase upsells and downsells to confirm they work correctly in cart and checkout. Small add-ons at this stage can meaningfully increase AOV without additional ad spend.

Factor In Loyalty Programs

If you run a loyalty program, decide how BFCM discounts will affect points and rewards. Clear communication prevents confusion and helps retain new customers gained during BFCM.

What makes a strong Black Friday email marketing strategy?

A strong strategy connects revenue goals, campaign execution, and customer experience. It means setting measurable targets, aligning email with SMS and paid channels, and stress-testing every touchpoint before traffic surges.

How early should I start planning my Black Friday email marketing strategy?

Begin at least 6–8 weeks before BFCM. This gives time to build campaigns, run QA, set up segments, and fix on-site issues. Last-minute planning leads to errors that cost revenue.

Should I A/B test emails during Black Friday?

Yes, but only if tests are finalized before launch. Subject lines and offers can be tested, but don’t introduce major new variables during BFCM — the priority is stability and deliverability.

How do I avoid email deliverability issues on Black Friday?

Warm up your sending domain in advance, keep segments clean, and avoid sudden spikes in volume. Focus on engaged subscribers and align sends across channels to reduce spam complaints.

What role does segmentation play in Black Friday email marketing?

Segmentation ensures the right people see the right offers. Targeting VIPs, recent browsers, or engaged subscribers leads to higher conversions and protects deliverability compared to blasting your full list.

Looking to implement a developed Black Friday Email Marketing Strategy?

Black Friday email marketing strategy is about making sure every detail works under pressure.

FlowCandy helps e-commerce teams build, test, and optimize their email programs, enabling e-commerce businesses to continue scaling year after year. 

Book a complimentary strategy call with our team today to develop a BFCM campaign strategy and transform a successful holiday season into a lasting customer base.