It’s that time of year again: inboxes are overflowing with unmissable offers, ads are shouting louder than a rush-hour tannoy, and shoppers are convincing themselves that yes, they definitely do need another air fryer.
Black Friday has become one of the main events in the retail calendar, where websites often slow to a crawl, stock disappears in seconds, and brands risk getting lost in the noise. But here’s the thing: not every business has to take part in the discounts to come out ahead.
In this guide, we’ll look at how to get your ecommerce business ready for the biggest shopping weekend of the year. And if you’re not planning to join the frenzy, we’ll show you how to stay visible, keep your audience engaged, and still turn a profit without a single flash sale in sight.
Before the campaigns kick off, take a moment to fine-tune the essentials. A site that runs smoothly, tracks accurately, and makes checkout effortless gives your customers confidence and helps you make the most of every click.
Before you even think about your Black Friday campaign, make sure your site can handle the rush. Think of it as a dress rehearsal; there’s no point crafting the perfect offer if your website takes a tea break the moment traffic picks up.
Start with the basics:
Every extra second your page takes to load increases the chance of a customer abandoning their basket, and that’s money walking straight out the (virtual) door.
Check your stock levels too and make sure you’ve got the goods. If your bestsellers are likely to sell out, consider adding “low stock” messaging to create urgency or offer pre-orders where possible. And while you’re at it, make sure your product pages have clear imagery, up-to-date pricing, and accurate delivery info as these are the essentials that keep customers clicking ‘buy now’.
Finally, double-check your analytics setup and make sure your GA4 and tracking tags are working as they should.
A blanket discount might grab attention, but it doesn’t always build loyalty. Instead of cutting prices to the bone, think about how you can add value. That could mean:
The goal is to make shoppers feel like they’re getting something special, not just something cheap.
Urgency still works, but keep it classy. Limited-time offers, countdown timers, or “only X left” messages can nudge browsers into buyers without tipping into panic mode. The trick is to create excitement, not chaos.
And here’s a big one: don’t fake it. Consumers have become savvy to inflated “was” prices and last-minute markups. Many are now researching what they want weeks in advance and tracking prices across sites. If your discount isn’t genuine, they’ll spot it in a heartbeat and they won’t forget it. Trust goes a lot further than a 20% off sticker.
The brands that win Black Friday don’t wait until the week before to start shouting about it. They’ve been warming up audiences for weeks, sometimes months, building anticipation and familiarity long before the deals go live.
Start by teasing your sale early and use email campaigns to:
Paid and organic social posts can build hype too, especially when you use countdowns or polls to get people engaging. The goal is simple: by the time Black Friday hits, your audience should already want to hear from you.
Another think you need to do is segment your audiences so you’re not treating everyone the same. Existing customers might respond best to loyalty-only offers or early-access sales, while new audiences may need more persuasion through social proof, limited-time deals, or bundle promotions. Remarketing lists are gold here as you can re-engage past browsers with perfectly timed “you left this behind” nudges when the discounts drop.
The best-performing campaigns often blend storytelling and incentive into their marketing efforts. That could mean “Back in Stock for Black Friday” email headlines, influencer collabs revealing deals first, or time-limited product drops that create genuine excitement. A few examples that work well:
Black Friday week is not the time to test how far your budget can stretch. CPCs will climb faster than a shopper chasing the last bestseller in stock, so it’s all about control and precision.
Start by pacing your spend and never blow your budget on day one as traffic and competition tend to spike at different times depending on your product category. Use previous years’ data (if you have it) to spot when your audience is most active and adjust bidding schedules accordingly.
Head over to your Google Merchant Center and open the Diagnostics tab. This is where you’ll spot any product disapprovals, pricing mismatches, or other feed hiccups that could quietly tank your visibility. These issues often flare up around big sales or holidays when sale prices don’t sync properly or out-of-stock items are still listed as available.
Before things get busy, double-check that your product feed is in good shape. Make sure it includes:
If you’re running Performance Max campaigns, take a look at your Listing Groups report. You might find that some of your best products aren’t even showing because of budget spread or feed structure issues.
Always focus on the channels and audiences that actually convert. This is not the weekend to experiment with untested platforms or cold audiences. Instead, double down on your high-intent keywords, top-performing products, remarketing segments and lean into your best-converting creatives so you avoid spreading yourself too thin.
Keep a close eye on your campaigns throughout the weekend as spending can quickly get out of hand. Automated bidding can help, but don’t let it run wild. Manual check-ins will help you catch wasted spend, broken tracking, or ads that stop serving.
Once the dust settles and your inbox stops filling with order confirmations, it’s time to switch from selling to retaining. Black Friday might bring in a wave of first-time buyers, but the real win is turning them into long-term customers.
Start by retargeting those one-time shoppers with thoughtful post-purchase flows. A simple “thanks for shopping with us” email can go a long way, especially if it includes recommendations based on what they bought. Follow up with:
Next, dig into your analytics while everything’s fresh and look at what worked, what didn’t, and where your campaigns could be streamlined or automated for next year. Did certain channels outperform expectations? Did your website hold up under pressure? Were your offers strong enough to stand out?
And if Black Friday didn’t go quite as planned, don’t sweat it. You’ve still gained something valuable: data. Every click, bounce, and basket tells you something about how your customers behave under pressure. Use those lessons to refine your approach, because a smart recovery is worth more than a flash sale any day.
Not every brand needs to join the Black Friday stampede. For some, heavy discounting simply doesn’t fit the model or the message. For others, maybe your margins are tight, your products are handmade, or you just don’t want to train customers to wait for a sale. That’s fine. You can still make the most of the season without slashing prices or compromising your brand.
The key is to stay visible and intentional. When everyone else is shouting “50% off”, you can stand out by talking about something different:
It’s about keeping your brand in the conversation while others fight it out over the lowest price tag.
If you’re an ecommerce brand and you’re sitting out Black Friday, tell your audience why as they may be disappointed to not see a sale sign on your website. A clear, confident message will do more for your brand than radio silence ever could. Whether it’s a stand for sustainability, a focus on year-round value, or simply refusing to overproduce, honesty goes a long way with today’s conscious shoppers.
Use your channels to explain your approach and turn it into a story rather than an excuse. “We believe great design doesn’t need a discount” or “We price fairly all year round” both strike the right tone. Done well, it can even win you new fans who appreciate your stance.
And if you do decide to offer something small, like free delivery, a charitable donation to the likes of British Heart Foundation, or a product restock, make sure it fits your brand rather than mimicking competitors. Authenticity is your advantage here.
Opting out of Black Friday doesn’t mean disappearing altogether. Going quiet while your competitors are everywhere can make your brand look inactive, even if it’s a strategic choice. Staying visible keeps your audience engaged and reminds them why they value what you offer.
Use this time to focus on brand storytelling and seasonal content. Instead of shouting about discounts, talk about your:
Share behind-the-scenes moments, gift guides, or customer stories that fit the time of year. This is your chance to shift the conversation from price to personality.
You can still run paid and organic campaigns too by highlighting bestsellers, showcasing limited stock, or building awareness for your upcoming Christmas collections. Even without a sale, Black Friday weekend brings a surge in online traffic. If people are already browsing, make sure you’re part of what they find.
Consistency is key so keep your emails, social posts, and ads running in order to you stay top of mind when the deal fatigue sets in.
Even if you are not offering discounts, there is still a strong case for staying active in paid search (unless the bidding gets too high). Black Friday brings a huge surge in online browsing, and many of those shoppers are not just hunting for deals, they are discovering new brands so this is your opportunity to be seen.
However, instead of competing on high-cost sale terms, focus your spend on:
You can protect your brand traffic, capture shoppers who are researching alternatives, and stay visible without entering bidding wars over “Black Friday” keywords.
If your goal is long-term growth rather than a quick conversion spike, shift your focus up the funnel. Use display, video, or social campaigns to drive awareness that pays off later in the season. Retargeting can also be powerful at this stage, reminding browsers of what caught their eye earlier.
Make sure you keep an eye on performance and spend throughout the weekend. If your competitors are throwing budget at discounts, CPCs will rise, but that also means there is an opportunity for cheaper reach elsewhere. Stay flexible and look for gaps where you can win visibility while everyone else is fighting over the same audience.
If Black Friday doesn’t suit your brand, there are plenty of other moments in the calendar that may. The shopping season doesn’t begin and end on one weekend in November, so think about how you can create your own peak.
Cyber Monday is an obvious extension, but there are also more niche, meaningful opportunities. Small Business Saturday, for example, resonates with audiences who want to support independent brands. Green Friday is gaining traction with sustainable businesses that encourage mindful shopping instead of flash buying. Or you could simply create your own campaign, timed to when your customers are most likely to purchase.
This approach gives you control of the narrative and avoids competing in the same overcrowded space. You can build campaigns around gifting, craftsmanship, community, or quality without needing to mention “sale” at all.
Whatever route you take, the goal is the same: stay relevant while staying true to your brand. By choosing your own moment to shine, you set the tone for the kind of business you are.
There’s no single right way to approach Black Friday. Some brands thrive on the buzz, while others prefer to step aside and let the noise pass. Both approaches can work brilliantly if they’re built on intention rather than impulse.
What matters most is knowing your audience, understanding your brand’s place in the market, and choosing a strategy that feels authentic. Whether that means crafting irresistible offers or proudly opting out, the goal is the same: to build lasting connections that outlive a single weekend.
Black Friday may come and go, but smart marketing never goes out of season. Get in touch with Verkeer and let’s make your marketing strategy work harder, whether it’s Black Friday or any other day of the year.