Black Friday 2026: How to Prepare, Promote, and Sell More

Your Black Friday game plan starts here

Black Friday isn't getting smaller. It's getting smarter.

Today's shoppers aren't waiting until Thanksgiving weekend to decide what to buy. They're spending weeks comparing products, researching brands, and increasingly asking AI for recommendations before they ever visit a retailer's website.

When the discounts drop, they're not browsing. They're buying.

That means preparing for Black Friday is about more than launching a sale the night before. It's about showing up early with the right products, compelling offers, and a shopping experience that makes it easy for customers to choose your brand when the biggest shopping day arrives.

From optimizing your storefront and streamlining checkout to reaching shoppers across search, social, and AI-powered discovery, every detail plays a role in turning holiday traffic into holiday revenue.

In this guide, we'll explore the history of Black Friday, how it compares to Cyber Monday, and the strategies your business can use to prepare for one of the biggest ecommerce shopping events of the year.

The history of Black Friday

Black Friday has come a long way from crowded parking lots and early morning doorbusters.

The term "Black Friday" dates back to the 1960s, when Philadelphia police officers used it to describe the heavy traffic and crowds that descended on the city the day after Thanksgiving. Retailers later embraced the name, giving it a more positive meaning: the point in the year when businesses moved from operating "in the red" to turning a profit "in the black."

Over the decades, Black Friday became the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Shoppers lined up before sunrise, retailers competed with doorbuster deals, and the day earned a reputation as one of the busiest shopping events of the year.

Today, Black Friday looks very different.

Instead of waiting outside storefronts, shoppers are comparing prices on their phones, building wish lists weeks in advance, and jumping on deals the moment they go live. Retailers have adapted, too. Many now launch Black Friday promotions well before Thanksgiving, extending savings across multiple days or even weeks.

But despite those changes, one thing has stayed the same.

Black Friday remains one of the biggest opportunities of the year for ecommerce brands to attract new customers, reward loyal ones, and drive meaningful revenue before the holiday season reaches its peak.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: What's the difference?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be two of the biggest shopping days of the year, but they aren't competing events. They're complementary ones.

While the lines between the two have blurred over the years, shoppers still approach each day with slightly different expectations, giving brands multiple opportunities to connect with customers during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year.

Black Friday.

Black Friday has evolved far beyond its brick-and-mortar roots.

Today, shoppers expect to find the same great deals online as they do in stores, often with added perks like free shipping, exclusive bundles, or early access promotions. Many brands now launch Black Friday sales before Thanksgiving, giving shoppers more time to browse while building excitement leading into the big day.

For many consumers, Black Friday is when weeks of research turn into purchases.

Cyber Monday.

If Black Friday kicks off the biggest shopping weekend of the year, Cyber Monday keeps the momentum going.

Originally created to encourage online shopping after Thanksgiving weekend, Cyber Monday has become a natural extension of Black Friday rather than a separate event. It's often the last chance for shoppers to take advantage of major holiday discounts before turning their attention to shipping deadlines and holiday preparations.

Many brands use Cyber Monday to introduce new offers, extend promotions, or re-engage shoppers who browsed but didn't purchase over the weekend.

Why brands should plan for both.

Rather than treating Black Friday and Cyber Monday as separate campaigns, think of them as part of one connected shopping journey.

Build excitement before Black Friday. Capture demand with compelling offers on Friday. Then use Cyber Monday to reconnect with undecided shoppers through personalized emails, SMS campaigns, retargeting, or limited-time promotions.

The brands that create a consistent experience across both days, rather than treating them as isolated events, will be better positioned to maximize sales throughout the holiday shopping weekend.

How to prepare your ecommerce store for Black Friday

Optimize your website for peak traffic.

A successful Black Friday starts long before shoppers add products to their carts.

It starts with a fast, reliable storefront.

During one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, even small performance issues can lead to abandoned sessions and lost revenue. Before traffic ramps up, take time to evaluate your site's speed, navigation, and overall shopping experience across every device.

Start with the fundamentals:

• Test your site's performance using tools like Google Core Web Vitals to identify issues affecting speed, responsiveness, and visual stability.

• Optimize page load times by compressing images, removing unnecessary apps or plugins, and reducing scripts that slow down your storefront.

• Review your navigation to ensure shoppers can quickly find products, promotions, and gift categories.

• Test every key customer journey on desktop and mobile, from browsing a product page to completing checkout.

Don't overlook your holiday merchandising, either.

Landing pages, homepage banners, and promotional messaging often need frequent updates throughout Black Friday weekend. Solutions like Makeswift on Stencil make it easier for marketing teams to launch and update seasonal content without relying on developer resources, helping brands move faster as promotions change.

The easier it is for shoppers to browse your store, the more likely they'll stay long enough to make a purchase.

Simplify your checkout experience.

Even the best Black Friday promotion can't overcome a complicated checkout.

With shoppers moving quickly between brands and deals, every extra click creates another opportunity for cart abandonment. The easier you make it to complete a purchase, the more likely customers are to follow through.

Focus on removing friction wherever you can:

• Offer guest checkout with tools like Fastlane by PayPal so new customers can purchase without creating an account.

• Support multiple payment methods, including digital wallets and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options, to meet shoppers' preferences.

• Enable accelerated checkout to reduce the number of steps between cart and confirmation.

• Clearly communicate shipping costs and delivery timelines before customers reach the final checkout page to avoid last-minute surprises.

Giving shoppers more ways to pay can make a measurable difference during the holiday rush. BigCommerce Payments helps brands streamline checkout by supporting a variety of popular payment methods, accelerating the checkout experience, and allowing merchants to manage payments directly within the BigCommerce platform.

Remember, convenience is part of the offer. When customers can check out quickly and confidently, they're more likely to complete their purchase instead of leaving their cart behind.

Build product pages shoppers (and AI) can trust.

Your product page has always been one of your most valuable sales tools. Now, it's also one of your most important discovery tools.

Today's shoppers are spending more time researching products before they buy, and many are using AI-powered tools to compare options, evaluate features, and find the best deals before they ever land on a brand's website. The more complete and trustworthy your product information is, the easier it is for shoppers and AI to understand why your product deserves a place in their cart.

As you prepare for Black Friday, make sure your product pages answer the questions shoppers are already asking.

• Write clear, descriptive product titles that accurately reflect what you're selling.

• Include detailed product descriptions, specifications, sizing information, and FAQs to reduce uncertainty.

• Highlight customer reviews, shipping information, and return policies to build confidence before checkout.

• Keep pricing, inventory, and product information consistent across your website and every channel where your products appear.

For brands managing large or complex catalogs, tools like Feedonomics Data Enrichment can help improve product content at scale by enriching product attributes, titles, descriptions, and other key data. More complete product information helps shoppers make informed decisions while improving visibility across search engines, marketplaces, social commerce channels, and AI-powered shopping experiences.

The less time shoppers spend searching for answers, the more time they spend adding products to their carts.

Prepare your inventory and fulfillment strategy.

Nothing disappoints a shopper faster than finding the perfect Black Friday deal only to discover it's out of stock.

As traffic spikes, inventory mistakes become more than an operational headache. They can damage customer trust and send shoppers straight to a competitor.

Before Black Friday arrives, take time to review both your inventory levels and fulfillment processes to ensure they're ready for increased demand.

• Forecast demand using last year's holiday performance, current sales trends, and expected promotional activity.

• Sync inventory across every sales channel to reduce the risk of overselling or disappointing customers with inaccurate stock availability.

• Set up back-in-stock notifications so interested shoppers can purchase as soon as inventory is replenished.

• Review your fulfillment workflows to ensure your team or fulfillment partners can handle increased order volume without delays.

• Communicate shipping expectations clearly, including holiday shipping deadlines and estimated delivery dates.

Inventory visibility is just as important as inventory availability. When shoppers know exactly what's in stock and when they'll receive it, they're more likely to complete their purchase with confidence.

Prepare your customer support team.

Black Friday doesn't just bring more orders. It also brings more questions.

From shipping timelines and return policies to product availability, shoppers expect fast, accurate answers before they make a purchase. A delayed response or unanswered question can be enough to send them elsewhere.

Before the holiday rush begins, make sure your support team is ready to handle increased demand.

Review your FAQs and update them with holiday-specific information, including promotions, shipping deadlines, and return policies.

• Use AI-powered chatbots to answer common questions and help shoppers find information quickly.

• Ensure live support is available for more complex issues that require a personal touch.

• Train your team on seasonal promotions and policies so they can respond confidently and consistently across every channel.

• Monitor response times throughout Black Friday weekend and adjust staffing as needed to keep up with demand.

Great customer service doesn't end after the sale. A helpful support experience can build trust, encourage repeat purchases, and turn first-time holiday shoppers into long-term customers.

Black Friday marketing strategies that drive results

Getting your store ready is only half the battle. Now it's time to make sure shoppers can find it.

Today's consumers don't discover products in just one place. They move between email, social media, marketplaces, search engines, and increasingly, AI-powered shopping tools before deciding where to buy. The brands that consistently show up throughout that journey are the ones most likely to earn the sale.

Here's how to build a Black Friday marketing strategy that meets shoppers wherever they are.

Build anticipation before Black Friday.

The best Black Friday campaigns don't start on Black Friday. They start weeks earlier.

Today's shoppers spend more time researching products, comparing prices, and narrowing down their options before they ever make a purchase. Building awareness early helps ensure your brand is part of that consideration set when shoppers are finally ready to buy.

Start building momentum before your sale goes live by:

• Launching teaser campaigns through email and SMS to preview upcoming promotions and reward subscribers with early access.

• Creating gift guides and curated collections that help shoppers discover products before the holiday rush.

• Encouraging shoppers to save their favorites with wish lists, back-in-stock alerts, or "notify me" reminders.

• Sharing sneak peeks on social media to build excitement and give followers a reason to keep coming back.

• Using countdowns strategically to create anticipation without overwhelming customers with constant promotions.

The goal isn't to convince shoppers to purchase weeks in advance. It's to make sure your brand is the one they remember when Black Friday arrives.

Expand your reach across every channel.

Black Friday shoppers rarely discover a product in just one place. They might see an ad on Instagram, compare prices on Google, browse a marketplace, and read reviews before finally making a purchase on your website.

The brands that win aren't necessarily everywhere. They're visible in the places that matter most to their customers.

To maximize your reach this Black Friday:

• Diversify your marketing mix across paid search, social media, marketplaces, and shopping channels instead of relying on a single source of traffic.

• Invest in social commerce with short-form video, creator partnerships, and shoppable posts that make it easy for shoppers to buy the moment they're inspired.

• Optimize your shopping feeds so product titles, images, pricing, and promotions are accurate across every channel.

• Monitor channel performance throughout the holiday season and shift budget toward the campaigns driving the highest return.

• Stay visible wherever shoppers begin their journey, whether that's Google, TikTok, Instagram, Amazon, or another marketplace.

Managing products across dozens of channels can quickly become a challenge during the busiest shopping season of the year. Solutions like Feedonomics Surface help brands distribute and optimize product listings across hundreds of commerce and advertising channels, making it easier to reach shoppers wherever they're searching and shopping.

The more opportunities shoppers have to discover your products, the more opportunities you have to win the sale.

Create offers shoppers can’t ignore.

Black Friday shoppers expect great deals. But that doesn't always mean the deepest discounts.

Many shoppers are looking for value, convenience, and the confidence that they're getting the best offer available. The right promotion should encourage customers to act now while reinforcing the value of your products.

Consider mixing different types of offers throughout your Black Friday campaign:

• Bundle complementary products to increase average order value while giving shoppers more for their money.

• Offer free shipping or free shipping above a minimum purchase threshold to encourage larger carts.

• Reward loyal customers with early access, exclusive discounts, or members-only promotions.

• Create limited-time offers that give shoppers a reason to act before the sale ends.

• Highlight holiday shipping deadlines so customers know exactly when they need to place their orders.

You don't have to discount everything to have a successful Black Friday. Thoughtful promotions that create urgency while delivering real value often outperform blanket sitewide sales and can help protect your margins throughout the holiday season.

Re-engage shoppers before they buy elsewhere.

Not every shopper will convert on their first visit. That's especially true during Black Friday, when consumers are comparing products, prices, and promotions across multiple brands before making a final decision.

The good news? Many shoppers just need a timely reminder to come back.

Use automation to reconnect with high-intent shoppers throughout Black Friday weekend:

• Send abandoned cart emails and SMS messages to remind shoppers about the products they left behind.

• Retarget website visitors with ads featuring recently viewed products or limited-time offers.

• Personalize product recommendations based on browsing or purchase history to help shoppers quickly find what they're looking for.

• Segment your audience so new customers, loyal customers, and VIP shoppers each receive messaging tailored to their interests.

• Keep the experience consistent across email, social, and paid advertising so shoppers see the same offers wherever they engage with your brand.

The goal isn't to chase every shopper. It's to reconnect with the people who have already shown they're interested. A well-timed reminder can be the difference between an abandoned cart and a completed purchase.

The final word

Black Friday has changed.

Today's shoppers are researching earlier, comparing more options, and discovering products across more channels than ever before. By the time the biggest shopping day of the year arrives, many have already narrowed down their choices.

That's good news for brands that prepare.

"Shoppers aren't waiting for Black Friday to decide what they're buying anymore. They've already decided by the time the discount shows up. So the real competition isn't who cuts the price the most, it's who made the decision easy weeks before the sale even started." 

— Al Williams, VP of Market Strategy, Commerce

Winning Black Friday isn't about scrambling to launch a last-minute promotion or offering the steepest discount. It's about building trust long before shoppers reach checkout. That means creating a fast, reliable storefront, delivering accurate product information, launching thoughtful marketing campaigns, and making every step of the buying journey as seamless as possible.

The brands that stand out this Black Friday won't simply be the ones with the biggest sale. They'll be the ones that make it easiest for shoppers to discover, trust, and buy.

Visit Commerce Momentum to explore the latest product innovations, ecommerce insights, and strategies designed to help your business keep growing through the holidays and beyond.