Black Friday and Cyber Monday remain the biggest sales window of the year for most ecommerce brands. The stores that do well aren’t the ones who get lucky — they’re the ones who started preparing six to eight weeks out. Here’s a practical checklist for getting your Shopify store ready.
Site and Technical Prep
Test your checkout end to end. Walk through the purchase flow as a customer, on both desktop and mobile. Check that discount codes apply correctly, that shipping rates calculate properly, and that confirmation emails fire. Do this at least two weeks before the event, so there’s time to fix anything.
Check your site speed. High traffic during BFCM amplifies any performance issues that already exist. Run your store through PageSpeed Insights and address the biggest drag on load time — usually unoptimized images or too many third-party scripts.
Confirm your hosting can handle the load. Shopify’s infrastructure handles traffic spikes well, but if you have custom apps or integrations that make external API calls, verify those services won’t be a bottleneck under load.
Update your inventory counts. Selling out of a hero product mid-BFCM is a good problem, but selling something you don’t have in stock is not. Audit your inventory levels and set up low-stock alerts in advance.
Promotions and Pricing
Decide on your offer structure early. Site-wide percentage discounts are easy to communicate but erode margin. Category-specific deals, bundle offers, or tiered discounts (spend $X, save $Y) can drive higher average order values while being more targeted.
Set up your discount codes and automatic discounts in Shopify. Test every code. Automatic discounts are often smoother for customers than entering codes at checkout — fewer drop-offs.
Plan your free shipping threshold deliberately. If your average order value is $65, a free shipping threshold at $75 can push customers to add one more item. Run the math before setting it.
Email and Marketing
Build your pre-BFCM email sequence. The most effective BFCM email programs start warming up subscribers two to three weeks before the sale — a teaser, an early access announcement, and a day-of launch email at minimum. Plan these in advance so you’re not writing them the week before.
Segment your list. Your VIP customers and past purchasers deserve a different message than someone who signed up for a discount three months ago. Klaviyo makes this straightforward — use it.
Set up abandoned cart flows for the period. Cart abandonment rates typically increase during BFCM because shoppers are comparing deals across multiple stores. A well-timed abandoned cart email — especially one that extends the offer slightly — recovers a meaningful percentage of those carts.
Customer Experience and Support
Update your FAQ and shipping information. Expected delivery windows change during the holiday season. Make sure your shipping policy page reflects realistic timelines so customers aren’t surprised after purchase.
Staff your support channels. Response time matters more during BFCM than at any other point in the year. If your team will be stretched, consider using a tool like Gorgias to handle volume efficiently, or set clear auto-reply expectations for response times.
Communicate your returns policy clearly. Many shoppers are buying gifts. A clear, generous returns policy — displayed prominently during checkout — reduces purchase hesitation and builds goodwill.
Post-BFCM Follow-Up
Don’t go dark after Cyber Monday. New customers acquired during BFCM are the most valuable if they come back. Send a post-purchase email sequence within the first two weeks — thank them, introduce your brand story, suggest related products, and invite them into your loyalty program if you have one.
Run a debrief. What sold, what didn’t, where did people drop off, what customer questions came up most often. Document it. Next year’s BFCM prep starts the day after this one ends.
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