TL;DR: A Realistic Black Friday Prep Plan (No Fluff)

- Skip the chaos - lock in a code freeze two weeks before your first promo.
- Use last year’s sales data to plan what you promote, not what you want to move.
- Test everything on your actual phone - mobile UX will make or break conversions.
- Focus your energy on the 20 percent of pages that drive 80 percent of sales.
- Upgrade your abandoned cart emails with urgency, shipping cutoffs, and bonuses.
- Cross-sell with logic, not guesswork - suggest products that actually go together.
- Do fewer things, better. Start early. Ship smart. Black Friday doesn’t have to be stressful.

Let’s Skip the Fluff: The Real Black Friday Prep Plan

You don’t need another checklist telling you to “start early” or “optimise your landing pages.”

You need a plan. Something clear and practical that keeps your team focused and helps you avoid patching bugs or panic-launching discount banners the night before Black Friday.

We’ve helped brands like The Wiggles, Lioness, and Flight Risk prepare for big moments like this. And here’s the truth: the brands that succeed aren’t working harder. They’re just starting earlier and making smarter choices.

This is about doing the right things at the right time - not doing everything all at once.

1. Lock in Your Code Freeze, and Stick to It

No major changes in the two weeks leading up to your first promotion. That’s the rule. No exceptions.

Every year we see someone change a banner and accidentally break the cart. Or someone adds a “quick fix” that turns into a six-hour support ticket.

This stuff is preventable.

Your store should be stable and predictable when traffic hits. It should be boring. And boring is great, because boring means everything works.

Here’s what to do this week:

• Book any development work now. October and November are slammed for most agencies
• Set your code freeze date and share it with everyone
• Lock in testing time and stick to it
• Push any nice-to-haves out of the way so you’re not distracted

If your plane is about to take off, you don’t want to be under the wing with a wrench.

2. Let Your Data Call the Shots

You don’t need to guess what to promote this year. Your customers already told you what works.

Sort your products into three buckets:

• A-grade: Top sellers. Discount lightly or bundle with complementary items
• B-grade: Solid performers. Great for upsells or limited promos
• C-grade: The shelf-warmers. Time for clearance or bundle deals

Stop pushing what you want to move. Focus on what people already buy.

How to get started:

• Filter Shopify reports by last year’s BFCM dates
• Create tags or metafields for each product tier to save time later
• Build your bundles based on what naturally works together
• Plan discounts with purpose instead of slashing prices across the board

3. Test Your Mobile Site Like a Real Person

Not in Chrome Dev Tools. Not by resizing your browser. Use your actual phone. And ideally, make it a slow one.

Most of your traffic during Black Friday will come from mobile. If the experience isn’t smooth, users will leave - fast.

If your buttons are too close together, they’ll tap the wrong one and give up. If your page loads too slowly, they’ll bounce. If they can’t pinch to zoom on product images, they’ll lose trust.

Test it like this:

• Use your thumb. Can you tap the main call to action without hitting anything else?
• Try a full add-to-cart and checkout experience using mobile data
• See how long your top product page takes to load on 4G
• Ask someone outside your team to try it and give feedback

This isn’t about how pretty your mobile site looks. It’s about how easy it is to use under pressure.

4. Focus on the 20 Percent of Your Site That Drives 80 Percent of Your Sales

You don’t need to optimise every page. Just double down on the ones that matter most.

Ask yourself:

• Is the product content clear and easy to scan?
• Are the reviews visible and believable?
• Are the CTAs placed where people actually click?
• Is pricing, stock, and delivery info impossible to miss?

Quick wins:

• Add trust badges or delivery timelines near the top of the page
• Upgrade your CTA copy. “Buy Now” is weak. “Get it in time for Christmas” is stronger
• Add customer photos or UGC if you’ve got them
• Remove filler copy. Every word should earn its place

Don’t waste time polishing your About page. Put that energy into your bestsellers.

5. Rethink Your Abandoned Cart Emails

Your default recovery emails won’t cut it during Black Friday.

People are moving fast. They’re comparing ten tabs. They’re distracted. You need to remind them why this matters right now.

Focus on:

• Delivery deadlines (“Order by 3pm for guaranteed Friday delivery”)
• Scarcity (“Only 4 left in stock”)
• Gifts (“Still shopping for Dad? This ships today”)
• Bundles or bonus perks (“Free cleaner with any 2-shoe order”)

What to do next:

• Set up a new Black Friday cart recovery flow
• Use dynamic content to show region-based shipping cutoffs
• A/B test subject lines that use urgency and clarity
• Use SMS reminders for opted-in users - timing really matters here

Cart recovery is low-hanging fruit. Make sure you’re not leaving money on the table.

6. Cross-Sell Like a Human, Not a Robot

If someone buys a bike, don’t suggest another bike.

Most cross-sell tools just recommend more of the same. That’s lazy. Helpful cross-sells feel thoughtful, not random.

Use logic like this:

• Tent → camp light
• Mattress → bed frame
• Navy blazer → matching belt
• Sneakers → cleaner + laces

If the suggestion feels obvious, you’ve nailed it. If it feels weird or generic, fix the logic.

QA your cross-sell sections now. Don’t wait until they’re live to realise you’re recommending dog food with a sofa.

You can use Shopify’s native blocks, Rebuy, or other smart tools - but don’t trust the default settings blindly.

Final Thought: You Don’t Need to Do Everything

You don’t need 15 campaigns. You don’t need a new homepage. You don’t need a flashy loyalty program or a five-part video series.

You need a site that’s fast, clear, and focused on the products people actually want.

This week is the start of your 100-day runway. The choices you make now will decide whether Black Friday feels smooth and profitable - or panicked and painful.

Need a gut check on what to prioritise? Send us an email and we’ll walk you through what’s urgent and what can wait.