How to create a Black Friday sale strategy that excites your customers

Black Friday and Cyber Monday: some of the biggest online sale events of the year

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (collectively titled Cyber Weekend) have acquired legendary status amongst bargain-hunters and shopping aficionados.

What started as a post-Thanksgiving in-store event in the United States has morphed into a global, online shopping frenzy – with brands offering huge discounts and deals to entice shoppers to stock up on Christmas bargains.

Unlike Click Frenzy, Afterpay Day and Vogue Online Shopping Night sales, Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t organised events. This means there’s no need to sign up and no fees to pay, making it the perfect chance to create your own marketing plan around the event themes that work best for your business.

Whether it’s a week of sales, flash promos on specific items, or exclusive offers for your loyalty program members, you’re in total control of what you promote and when.

The Black Friday sales have been growing in Australia every year. In 2024’s pressured cost-of-living environment Australians spent $2.2 billion online during the sales, up 10% YoY – and a new record. This compares with $2.9 billion spent in-store during the 2024 Black Friday sales, up 5% YoY.

Top Black Friday sale strategies

Let’s look at the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale strategies that could give your eCommerce business a chance of breaking your own sales records this Cyber Weekend.

It’s worthwhile setting some goals for the sales. Anthony Minchin, Digital & Operations Manager at Morrison shares the focus for this prestige Australian fashion brand: 

“1. Maximising Sell-Through: Clearing seasonal stock efficiently, measured by sell-through rates.

2. Maintaining Brand Integrity: Avoiding heavy discounting to protect our premium image, tracked via average transaction value and margins.

3. Boosting Customer Engagement: Increasing traffic and conversion rates both in-store and online, with a focus on acquiring new customers.

4. Encouraging Loyalty: Driving repeat business through email sign-ups and loyalty program activity.”

The early bird Black Friday sale strategy

Shoppers are ready early for the Black Friday sales, so it’s a great idea for your business to jump on board early to maximise their anticipation.

Many eCommerce businesses kick off their promotions about a week early, which can allow you to make the most of this record-breaking event.

This strategy also gives customers more time to take advantage of big-brand discounts on the best items for Christmas, without breaking the holiday budget.

Retailers also often extend their Cyber Monday sale strategy to run deals for the entire week, ensuring shoppers can secure any bargains or Christmas gifts they may have missed on Black Friday.

Balance early promotion with staying true to your brand. “We aim to strike a balance between building anticipation for our sales and ensuring customers appreciate the value of purchasing at full price. While we do promote sales in advance, particularly leading up to key periods like December, we focus heavily on creating an ongoing sense of exclusivity around our collections. This approach reinforces the value of investing in Morrison’s designs at any time,” explains Anthony.

He says Morrison stays true to its brand during sales by following these rules:

“Emphasise Quality Over Discounts: Instead of heavy discounts, we highlight the craftsmanship and sustainability behind our pieces, appealing to customers who value long-lasting items.

Enhance the Customer Experience: We provide personalised styling advice, premium packaging, and free shipping to ensure a memorable shopping experience.”

Go big and get creative with exclusive deals

Shoppers have come to expect big discounts during Cyber Weekend sales. This is the time to bring out the best you can do, whether it’s Black Friday deep discounts or Cyber Monday exclusive deals.

It’s also a time to let your imagination loose. Some creative ideas that have generated high profile interest from brands in past sales include:

• Create a game to find exclusive discount codes on the online shop before Black Friday. One eCommerce business who did this increased website traffic and got shoppers browsing ahead of time.
• Ditch the discounts and offer exclusive products instead. US bookshop chain Barnes & Noble is a famous example of this: they sell a series of books signed by high profile authors at standard price, available exclusively on Black Friday. 
• Create a memorable brand experience, like skincare brand Lush did. They made a limited-edition Orangutan-shaped soap for Black Friday, selling it alongside a sustainability awareness message that reminded shoppers of their brand values.
• Extend your returns policy. Some brands (including big jewellery name Cartier) opt to give a little unexpected something extra, allowing shoppers extra time to make their minds up about a purchase. An extended returns policy might include a longer returns period or a refund on sale items instead of the usual store credit.
  

Consider your loyal customers

Many eCommerce businesses are using the Black Friday sale event to recognise the value of their loyal and returning customers.

Offers include: 

• early access to Cyber Weekend discounts for subscribers
• bigger discounts for loyalty club members
• a small gift with purchase for loyal customers.
  

Some brands go deeper, offering tiers of Black Friday extras depending on the status of a loyal customer, where VIP customers receive the best offers.

Create a buzz online

Social media, email campaigns, website countdowns, ads across various channels – it’s time to create a sense of anticipation among your existing customers and potential new customers.

Some businesses also leverage influencer marketing to their buzz-building strategy, as well as teaser campaigns, exclusive sneak peeks, engaging blog or video content, or a targeted campaign across a variety of social media channels – it all depends what your target market is likely to respond to.

Don’t forget post sale engagement

The sale’s over – but the strategy has really just begun.

Now you want to keep your customers coming back to your shop again and again. Some eCommerce businesses do this by offering post-Black Friday deals that can be used in the following weeks – with the festive season in mind – which can be tied in with subscriptions to help convert them into recurring shoppers.

It's then time to do a deep dive into the data to discover which products sold well, which deals resonated the most, which marketing channels were the most effective and whether customer feedback or reviews hold some insights to learn from.

It’s also worth reviewing the delivery experience you offered your customers during the sale period. Consider what you can do to make it smoother next time, like encouraging customers to use the AusPost app for better tracking, or offering collection points for more delivery options.

This can all be put into action over the coming year as you take part in more online sale events.