Black Friday and Cyber Monday are a double-edged sword for marketers and store owners. On the one side, it’s a chance to take advantage of increased consumer interest; on the other hand, you need new marketing approaches, which could be time-consuming to establish.
To help you with the latter, we’ve compiled some fresh, unconventional Black Friday ecommerce tips and ideas tailored specifically for online stores, going beyond the usual approaches, such as regular discounts, free shipping, and promotional coupons. These proven tactics are great to leverage on Shopify for Black Friday 2024; however, you might wish for something special to stand out – some pre-Christmas magic brought to life through gamification and interactivity.
1. VIP digital shopping lounge
Let’s start our list of Black Friday ideas for ecommerce with a VIP lounge for your most loyal customers. Send out exclusive invites to a password-protected page with premium deals, or even offer a brief Q&A with the brand's founder. You also can offer tiered discounts based on customer shopping history. For example, those who made more than three purchases from you in the past six months could get a 50% discount, while other groups get smaller discounts based on their loyalty.
- Benefits: The exclusivity can make loyal customers feel valued and entice them to shop early.
Real-world case: Alo Yoga launched a VIP sale exclusively for their loyalty members, where subscribers could shop special BFCM deals before anyone else. This approach rewarded their loyal customers and increased early traffic, driving sales even before BFCM officially started.
- Implementation: Multiscount helps create custom discounts for different tiers that work for your business. You also can contact a Shopify Partner to implement custom functionality for your Black Friday sales without apps.
2. Early access with a countdown timer
As part of your Black Friday marketing strategy, let your customers unlock early access to deals, reserving time for the exclusive shopping experience. You can do this by locking access to the entire website or specific pages for a particular period. This way, all of your visitors can participate in the pre-sale and feel the uniqueness of the offer.
- Benefits: You create suspense through a countdown, rapidly growing your email list, and nudging regular visitors to join your community.
Real-world case: During one Black Friday, the Pursue Fitness sportswear brand locked their website, displaying a signup form and a countdown timer. At 5 PM, those who signed up received a password to unlock access and enjoyed one hour of shopping with exclusive deals.
- Implementation: Locksmith allows you to create password-protected areas on your site for exclusive offers.
3. Time-release product drops with SMS/Push alerts
Set up hourly or daily drops for new products, discounts, or hidden pages within your store. Let customers sign up for SMS or Push alerts, notifying them whenever a new item goes live. This will keep your store top-of-mind and increase urgency to shop.
- Benefits: You establish additional communication channels and keep customers engaged during the sale.
Real-world case: Kith, a streetwear brand, used SMS alerts to notify customers about hourly limited-edition releases during Black Friday. This time-release strategy kept customers returning to the site throughout the weekend, creating a sense of urgency and scarcity around the products.
- Implementation: The PushOwl + Brevo app helps you set up all kinds of notifications, including SMS and web push alerts, and combine them with scheduled product availability to inform customers of new drops.
4. Daily deals through email promotion
Build anticipation for generous discounts on trending products through targeted email campaigns. Once the main Black Friday sale in your Shopify store kicks off, offer daily deals highlighting product features. Stand out with sparkling creativity in your email promotions, maintaining a festive spirit of upcoming holidays.
- Benefits: You boost customer loyalty by providing value through emails and keep them checking their email boxes for more.
Real-world case: Chubbies ran an email creative campaign where they featured a new BFCM deal every day. This campaign kept customers checking back for fresh offers, leveraging email communication capabilities.
- Implementation: Klaviyo lets you nurture leads through emails, preparing them for the main stage of sales.It offers tools for segmenting your base and personalizing messages to deliver the deals that matter most to your customers.
5. Build-your-own discount interactive feature
Another Shopify Black Friday tip is to give customers a way to “unlock” bigger discounts based on their activity—such as by sharing the sale on social media or referring a friend. This adds a gamified element to the shopping experience, encouraging social sharing and driving engagement with your site.
- Benefits: Your customers are encouraged to become brand advocates, helping you reach and attract new leads through social media.
Real-world case: Glow Recipe encouraged customers to share their purchases on social media for additional rewards, increasing engagement while offering discounts based on social shares and referrals. They used gamification to allow customers to “earn” bigger discounts through their interactions, boosting brand exposure.
- Implementation: Gameball lets you set up a gamified loyalty program where customers can earn points or discounts through specific actions, like referrals or social media shares.
6. Live deals via Instagram or YouTube
Host a live-stream event where team members or influencers reveal new deals throughout the day. Customers can tune in to catch the latest discounts or offers and feel like part of an exclusive reveal event. This can build a lot of excitement, especially if you offer flash deals during the event. You can even add a discount coupon for the next purchase.
- Benefits: Engaging influencers in this activity can draw their audience to your products. These events also give you a chance to tell your brand’s story and raise awareness, as well as boost sales.
Real-world case: Fashion Nova hosted a BFCM live stream on Instagram with real-time deal announcements. Influencers revealed surprise discounts and products during the stream, creating excitement and attracting thousands of live viewers ready to shop with exclusive, time-limited offers.
- Implementation: Socialphotos lets you embed Instagram content directly on your product pages or homepage, encouraging real-time engagement for live events.
7. Personal digital shopping assistant
Offer a free virtual shopping assistant to guide people through their purchases. They can provide personalized advice, make product recommendations, and even offer special discounts during the consultation, creating a more high-touch and memorable BFCM experience.
- Benefits: Customers can easily find what they need and proceed with the purchase. At the same time, personalized user experience improves customer satisfaction.
Real-world case: Nordstrom implemented an online assistant that provides customers with personalized style recommendations, which is especially helpful during big sales like Black Friday. The service is only available for registered users, prompting new visitors to sign up with their emails to access the feature.
- Implementation: Tidio Live Chat features can be tailored to offer personalized assistance. You could assign special offers via live chat to customers looking for help.
8. “Surprise box” with every purchase
Offer a "surprise box" of mystery items with every purchase over a certain threshold. You may include mini versions of new products, holiday-themed treats, or exclusive coupons for future purchases to make the unboxing experience even more exciting.
- Benefits: The excitement of reaching the threshold for a mystery box