Hi,
€45B in sales. €260 per shopper. +7% YoY.
Those were the key stats from last year’s BFCM - a weekend that’s evolved into the biggest sales event of the year. For some DTC brands, it now drives up to 50% of annual revenue.
In short, BFCM makes or breaks the year for many brands.
Here are the six key pillars that separate the brands that win from the ones that just show up.
Start Early, Finish Late
Winners don’t wait for BFCM to start, and they don’t stop when it ends.
Nearly 60% of shoppers start their holiday shopping before Black Friday, meaning your audience is already browsing and buying while many brands are still getting ready.
Brands that extend their campaigns to 10–14 days bring in 20–30% more revenue than those sticking to the old 4-day model.
So what’s the move?
Tease early: 2–3 weeks out - launch waitlists, VIP sign-ups, and countdowns. It’s all about building anticipation before ad costs spike.
Stretch the finish line: Keep momentum after Cyber Monday. Use “Last Chance” offer or exclusive post-sale bundles as customers are still in buying mode.
Watch Out For: Don’t extend BFCM so long that discounts start to devalue your brand. Keep strong start and finish points.
💡 KPI target: 25–35% email sign-ups growth vs. last year’s pre-BFCM period.
Discount Logic: Incentivize AOV
Smart structure beats flat discounts every time.
Flat 30% discounts hurt margins and rarely outperform smarter structures.
In 2024, the average discount was 22–23%, but brands using tiered offers lifted AOV by ~25%, while staying more profitable.
Actions:
Tier your discounts: Anchor around median AOV (-20%, -25%, -30%) to nudge customers up.
Bundles strategically: Increase perceived value while protecting your best sellers.
Cart nudges: Show customers how close they are to the next discount tier.
💡 KPI target: Lift AOV by 15–25% vs. your baseline month.
Free Shipping Matters
73% of shoppers say free shipping is decisive.
Why it matters:
Free shipping can lift conversion rates by 20–30% when implemented strategically.
What to do:
Set a threshold: Tie free shipping to an AOV above your typical spend.
Highlight savings: Show exactly how much shoppers save or how close they are to free shipping.
Show it everywhere: Homepage, PDP, cart, and checkout - all spots where shoppers make purchase decisions.
💡 KPI target: Free shipping threshold reached in 60–70% of orders.
VIPs First
Your most loyal customers should always get the first seat at the table.
Repeat buyers convert 2.5–3x higher than new ones - and spend 20-25% more per order.
According to Klaviyo Europe, repeat customers now drive 40–60% of total BFCM revenue for mature brands.
Quick Wins:
Reward loyalty: Offer early access, exclusive bundles, and deeper discounts.
Create VIP moments: Secret sale pages or “early-bird” windows work wonders.
Drive repeat revenue: Send personalised product recommendations, restock alerts, and related-product suggestions.
💡 KPI target: Aim for 50% of BFCM revenue from repeat buyers.
Full Funnel Consistency & Clarity
Confused shoppers don’t convert.
Mixed messages kill conversions. We’ve all seen it - an ad says “40% Off,” the homepage says “Cyber Deals,” and checkout shows “20% Off.”
Key moves:
Align every touchpoint: Unified BFCM theme, offer, and visuals.
Use urgency well: Countdowns, “ends soon”, and social proof build momentum.
Keep it simple: Make discount logic easy to understand.
💡 KPI target: Low bounce rate on landing pages.
Operational Excellence
Even the best campaigns fail when operational planning falls short.
Stockouts, slow pages, and fulfillment issues may seem small but together, they chip away at sales and increase returns.
With shoppers browsing across devices and mobile now representing nearly 70% of BFCM sales, every page and flow needs to be fast, smooth, and fully optimised. Poor page speed, untested flows, or weak customer support can all turn excitement into frustration.
Next steps:
Secure stock: Plan top SKUs early to avoid sell-outs.
Optimise everywhere: Test every page and flow on mobile, desktop, and tablet for speed and usability.
Support ready: Scale customer service for peak days.
💡 KPI target: Monitor sales velocity, site speed, fulfillment, customer service response times and sync every operational lever to drive efficient, high-performing results.
Turning Insight into Impact
Every brand is different - there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
At Vivaio Ventures, we help brands tailor these strategies to their unique audience, products, and goals, turning BFCM from just a weekend into a record-breaking season. Last year, the aggregate like-for-like performance of the brands we manage improved by +146% YoY, a metric we’re proud of.
This year, we’re applying this framework, along with additional brand-specific considerations, to prepare our clients for peak season. We’d love your feedback on anything we may have missed! Please reply directly to this email to start a new conversation with us.
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