Black Friday and Cyber Monday, better known as BFCM, kick off the busiest ecommerce shopping season of the year. In its beginnings, these events used to happen in-store, where huge crowd stampedes were a normal thing on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It was usual to see families and friends reunited at stores after they had their dinner. BFCM has rapidly transformed into a digital-first shopping event that dominates the e-commerce landscape.

But, nowadays, black friday extends beyond that, physical stores are not the main focus as they were, since brands are pushing exclusive online deals days or even weeks in advance. Cyber Monday, which was originally created to boost online shopping, builds on this momentum with deep discounts and limited-time offers that drive urgency.

For e-commerce businesses, BFCM isn’t just about making sales, it’s about smart planning, building strong customer relationships, setting the stage for long-term success, and a huge event that drives lots of sales. So, a strong BFCM strategy helps you attract new customers, increase revenue, boost loyalty far beyond this four-day shopping window, and reengage with those customers who haven’t bought anything from you for a long time.

This introduction shows only a bit of the huge importance BFCM has for online stores. So, the next things we will discuss are actionable BFCM strategies to help you maximize your impact and deliver great experiences to create a winning e-commerce customer service strategy during this critical period.

What is BFCM?

Now that you know what BFCM refers to, let’s talk about what is a BFCM strategy. A BFCM strategy is a focused marketing and operations plan built to help businesses have increased sales during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But have in mind that these two days aren’t just sales opportunities, they’re critical moments to drive revenue and attract new customers to help you strengthen your brand.

To build a strong BFCM strategy, discounts are not enough anymore, companies need to make sure they offer great experiences for their customers all the way. But how do you create a successful strategy? Well, success comes from planning early, preparing your inventory, and creating seamless, personalized experiences across every channel.

Key elements of a BFCM strategy:

Early planning & inventory management: Your business needs to start planning with months in advance to secure enough stock, avoid sell-outs, meet the demand surge, and have an optimized web or in-store experience.

Multichannel marketing: How do you expect your customers to know about your deals if you are not vocal about them? To advertise them, you will need to run synchronized campaigns across different channels, which include, but are not limited to: email, SMS, social media, and your website to reach shoppers wherever they are.

Personalization & segmentation: Customer data is way more important than you think, use it to your advantage. If you don’t know why this is critical, then let us break it down for you: this helps you deliver relevant offers that feel tailor-made, helps you meet your customers where they are, create deals based on their needs, reactivate dormant customers, etc. That’s why this is one of the most effective strategies for ecommerce success.

Website optimization: This ensures your site loads fast and will be able to handle high traffic, which will offer a frictionless experience to your customers. You need to invest the necessary resources to make sure your website works perfectly, and if you do, you will thank yourself later. 

Real-time customer engagement: Be ready to connect via live chat or social media to answer questions and guide purchases. If your customers need you, you must be there for them, and they won’t hesitate to show their gratitude. 

Customer support: Agreat ecommerce customer service strategy is essential. Customer support can turn a frustrated shopper into a loyal customer. Remember, this is an important part of the customer journey, and it can enhance their experience.

Post-sales retention: Well, they bought from you, now what? You need to keep the momentum going with follow-up offers, loyalty programs, and thoughtful post-sale communication. Retention is way cheaper than acquiring new customers, so don’t waste the opportunity to keep the ones you've got.

Strong BFCM strategies don’t stop at driving sales, they build long-term relationships. Smart brands use this high-traffic season to grow their audience and improve brand loyalty, setting themselves up for sustainable growth.

How to prepare your business for your BFCM strategy

Small actions can make huge differences, so be ready to prepare your business in time. Preparation is everything when it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday,  those businesses that start planning early will outperform those that improvise. A well-executed BFCM strategy requires detailed prep across marketing, operations, and customer experience.

Key steps to prepare for BFCM:

Start early and set goals: Brands that launch pre-BFCM campaigns, sometimes starting with months of anticipation, see better results. But there is no strategy that works without measurement, so review past performances and set clear goals based on what you want to achieve. 

Inventory management: Forecast the demand carefully. Stock up on bestsellers and develop backup plans for potential supply chain issues. Running out of stock during BFCM can cost you both sales and customer trust.

Data and analytics: A solid BFCM strategy depends on real-time data. Having a dedicated team to help you spot trends, satisfy customers’ needs, engage in real-time, and support them will create a great experience. AI tools can help you access immediate data and provide real-time assistance to your employees and customers.

Marketing and budget planning: Build out your campaigns early and allocate budget for increased ad spend and retargeting to maximize your reach.

Customer experience readiness: Your ecommerce customer service strategy needs to scale for BFCM. So, prepare your team to handle a surge in inquiries and make sure your shipping, return, and refund policies are clear and competitive. Customer support utsourcing vendors can help you scale faster than doing it in-house, without dealing with the stress of it.

Early and thoughtful preparation is the backbone of successful BFCM strategies. Brands that plan ahead are better positioned to deliver an exceptional experience that builds loyalty well beyond the holiday season.

How to implement a BFCM strategy?

Now, if you're wondering how to implement a BFCM strategy, we've got you covered:

How to implement a BFCM strategy

Plan with enough time

We really want you to understand the importance of planning months in advance. You need to give your team plenty of time to help you fine-tune all the needed details and build a seamless customer experience without rushing. Improvisation is a strategy killer for BFCM, so plan with enough time. 

Evaluate your past strategies’ performance

Review your previous BFCM strategies in detail and look at what campaigns delivered results to understand where you lost potential sales, so you can make informed improvements. This will help you prevent past mistakes and increase your success chances.

Determine your needs and desired outcomes

Define your desired outcomes and set clear goals based on them. Whether it's revenue growth, customer acquisition, or increasing brand visibility, knowing your priorities shapes your entire strategy.

Establish a clear set of goals

Once you’d established your needs, create measurable goals tied directly to your BFCM strategy. For example, setting targets for sales volume, new customer sign-ups, or email list growth keeps your team focused.

Define your target audience

Use your available customer data to segment your audience and craft personalized offers, this way you will not create a general and unattractive strategy, but instead, will create an offer that attracts the right audience. This targeted approach is key to modern strategies for ecommerce success and helps you convert browsers into buyers.

Collaborate with all your departments 

BFCM success is build with team effort. Ensure that marketing, sales, customer service, inventory, and fulfillment teams are aligned and communicating constantly throughout the event.

Optimize your website

Your website should load quickly, work flawlessly on mobile & PC, and offer a smooth checkout process. A reliable site is also critical to support your ecommerce customer service strategy and minimize abandoned carts. Bugs or slow load speed will be enough to deviate customers into your competitors.

Create a solid marketing strategy

Develop a marketing plan that covers your different communication channels, and make sure every campaign supports your overall BFCM strategy speaking directly to your target audience.

Advertise with time

Launch your BFCM promotions early to warm up your audience and create buzz before the competition peaks. Early advertising gives you a head start on driving traffic and sales.

Be clear with your audience

Communicate and let them know about your offers. With a clear messaging you will build trust, helping you reduce headaches during the rush. So, just like any other relationship, communication is key for your customers.

Measure performance

Measure your defined goals and track real-time data across all channels. Monitor traffic, conversions, customer engagement, and sales to understand what’s working and where youneed to act on immediately. 

Evaluate what you can optimize

Stay agile throughout the campaign. If a promotion underperforms or traffic spikes unexpectedly, be ready to fine-tune details on the way to protect your results.

Evaluate for next year

Now it is time to review the entire process and document lessons learned. This post-event evaluation will sharpen your BFCM strategy and set you up for even stronger performance next year.

Strategies for ecommerce success during BFCM

1. Create personalized offers: Exclusive deals will help you generate urgency on your customers, to be successful with this, you need to analyze their needs to create a winning deal. Take advantage of customer data to offer personalized discounts or recommendations that appeal to individual shoppers. Also, promote flash sales or limited-time offers to leverage the fear of missing out (FOMO) and drive quick action.

2. Don’ forget about mobile shopping optimization: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly with easy navigation and a streamlined checkout process. There are several mobile payment options that could ease the customer experience, like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal to facilitate a smooth checkout experience. If you have a mobile app, provide app-exclusive deals or early access to BFCM sales to attract more customers.

3. Enhance customer support: Offer 24/7 customer support during BFCM to address inquiries and solve their issues anytime. Implement chatbots and live chat features where necessary for instant assistance. 

4. Efficient order fulfillment and logistics: Manage your inventory to ensure enough stock of popular items and prepare for potential shortages. Work on optimizing shipping processes by partnering with reliable providers and offering multiple shipping options. Clearly communicate your policies to build trust and manage customer expectations effectively.

5. Proactive engagement: Being proactive helps a lot with most things in life, BFCM strategies will benefit from proactive engagement. If there’s a customer who needs assistance or keeps bouncing from page to page, message them and offer to guide them through their buying process. It is important to leverage proactivity and independence, not all customers will want you to be every step of the way, so ask them about it.

6. User generated content (UGC): Reviews, videos using the product, testimonials, photos of the product or service, or comments are just some of the most commons examples of user-generated content that can help you increase people’s trust during an active BFCM strategy. Take into consideration that with UGC, it is key to have a content moderation team ready to filter inappropriate content. 

7. Scale your team with outsourcing vendors: Scalability can be a great challenge when it comes to increase or reduce teams. In this case, BFCM requires you to hire more people for your teams, like customer support for example. In-house and outsourced teams work well, but you need to balance the pros and cons of each strategy. Among the benefits from outsourcing, you’ll find an easy scaling process.

8. Post-BFCM strategies: Follow up with customers by sending thank you emails, requesting feedback, and offering incentives for future purchases to maintain engagement. Review sales data, marketing effectiveness, and customer feedback to assess BFCM success. Use these insights to refine your strategies and prepare for the upcoming holiday sales season.

The importance of customer support

Your ecommerce customer service strategy is just as important as your pricing and promotions during BFCM. A seamless, reliable support experience can turn one-time shoppers into loyal customers, and a poor one can cost you sales instantly.

Why customer support matters in BFCM strategies:

Proactive support: Waiting for customers to complain is a huge mistake most companies make, but we don’t want you to make it, so try proactive support. Address potential problems early by providing clear shipping details, setting realistic expectations, and actively monitoring for common issues. Brands that implement proactive communication can prevent dealing with difficult customers and improve customer satisfaction.

Live chat and AI bots: During BFCM, customers expect immediate answers. Live chat and AI-powered bots can provide it, while they handle high volumes and guide shoppers through the buying process in real time. This is a crucial part of any ecommerce customer service strategy that scales.

Post-sale engagement: Customer support doesn’t end after checkout. Sending timely thank-you emails, offering loyalty rewards, and inviting customers to join referral programs can help you. 
In a crowded BFCM marketplace, great deals will get people in the door, but great support will bring them back. Smart brands prioritize customer service as a core pillar of their BFCM strategy, not an afterthought.

Business success with Horatio's services

A successful BFCM requires careful preparation and smart execution. At Horatio, we bring the expertise and support you need to maximize this crucial shopping period.  Partner with us to ensure your ecommerce customer support strategies are on point so you can get exceptional results. Contact us today and make this BFCM your best one yet.