BFCM for Amazon Sellers: What Worked and How to Improve in 2025

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are the ultimate litmus test of your e-commerce strategy. In 2024, U.S. Black Friday sales climbed 3.4% year-over-year, according to Mastercard’s SpendingPulse, with online purchases surging by 10.2%, reaching $10.8 billion, per Adobe Analytics. Mobile shopping dominated the scene, accounting for 79.3% of all e-commerce transactions.

Amazon remains at the heart of this shopping frenzy. To stand out on a platform with millions of sellers, brands must plan meticulously, execute precisely, and adapt quickly. Success during BFCM isn’t just about discounts; it’s about leveraging the right tools and strategies to maximize visibility and drive conversions.

In this guide, we’ll unpack key insights from our BFCM webinar with Mansour Norouzi and Liran Hirschkorn, specifically actionable BFCM marketing strategies to help Amazon brands thrive during BFCM—and build momentum that lasts beyond the holiday rush.

Pre-BFCM Preparation

Getting Black Friday and Cyber Monday right starts with thorough preparation. Here’s how brands can set the stage for success:

Inventory Management: The Backbone of BFCM Success

Your deals and ads are only as effective as the stock supporting them. Running out of inventory mid-event is more than just a lost opportunity—it can harm your rankings, future visibility, and customer trust. Ensuring you’re stocked for BFCM and beyond requires a strategic approach grounded in data and foresight.

1. Review Historical Data to Forecast Demand
   Past performance is a valuable guide to understanding how much inventory you’ll need during BFCM. Mansour Norouzi emphasizes looking at historical sales data from previous BFCM events, but warns against simply duplicating last year’s numbers.

• Factor in Year-Over-Year (YOY) Growth: What percentage growth has your category experienced over the past few quarters? Adjust your inventory projections to account for this growth, especially if you’ve been expanding your product line or advertising presence.
• Incorporate Current Market Trends: Trends, like increased mobile shopping, inflation concerns, or changes in customer preferences (e.g., eco-friendly or budget-conscious products), can significantly influence demand.

2. Plan for All of Q4, Not Just BFCM
   BFCM is only one part of the holiday shopping season. Inventory planning should encompass the entire fourth quarter to maximize revenue and avoid potential disruptions.

• Post-BFCM Traffic: After Cyber Monday, shoppers continue buying for the gifting season. Prepare for a steady demand for giftable items, bundles, and last-minute purchases throughout December.
• January Supply Chain Disruptions: If your products are sourced from regions like China, factor in potential delays due to Chinese New Year, which typically falls in late January or early February. Without sufficient stock, you risk missing out on January and even early 2025 sales.
• Prevent Overstocking Pitfalls: While it’s essential to have enough stock, overstocking can lead to higher storage fees, especially during Amazon’s expensive Q4 fulfillment period. Balance your forecasts carefully to avoid excess inventory.

3. Match Promotions to Stock Availability
   Running a deal or boosting ad spend on a product that’s likely to go out of stock is a recipe for disaster. Mansour suggests ensuring that promotions and ads are only allocated to items with sufficient stock to sustain both BFCM and post-event demand.

Proper inventory management not only secures immediate sales but also protects your Amazon ranking and sets you up for long-term success. The brands that win BFCM are the ones that stay prepared from November through January.

Promotion Planning: Capturing Attention at the Right Time

Your promotions are your magnet to attract shoppers during BFCM. The right strategy—and timing—can make the difference between a high-performing sales event and getting lost in the crowd. From securing key deal placements to using coupons strategically, your promotional tactics need to align with both shopper behavior and Amazon’s systems.

1. Meet Deal Deadlines to Maximize Visibility
   Lightning Deals and Prime Exclusive Discounts are Amazon’s top-tier promotional tools, designed to boost visibility and conversions during peak shopping days. However, they come with strict deadlines, and missing them can mean forfeiting valuable opportunities.

• Lightning Deals: These time-sensitive deals often get prime placement on Amazon’s home and deal pages. If you’ve already submitted deals for BFCM, ensure your inventory is sufficient to sustain the expected surge in sales.
• Prime Exclusive Discounts: These deals come with high-visibility “badge” features that draw shopper attention. If you’ve missed the submission window, take note for next year and plan well ahead of time.

2. Use Coupons to Drive Early Momentum
   If deal deadlines have passed, don’t panic—coupons are a powerful fallback tool. Coupons may not offer the same level of placement as Lightning Deals, but they come with their own advantages.

• Smaller Discounts for Browsers: Offering 5-10% discounts in the week before BFCM is a proven strategy to attract early browsers. Shoppers often scout products, add items to their carts, and return during BFCM to complete their purchases. These smaller, early discounts can nudge your products into their shopping plans.
• Visibility with Coupons: While coupons don’t always come with a featured badge, they still stand out in search results and product pages. They’re an easy way to stay competitive in the pre-BFCM traffic surge.

3. Time Your Promotions for Shopper Behavior
   Promotions aren’t just about what you offer—they’re also about when you offer them. Shoppers’ behavior shifts significantly during the days leading up to BFCM, with browsing peaking early and buying concentrated over Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Use this knowledge to structure promotions strategically.

Whether you’re leveraging high-visibility deals or simple discounts, aligning your promotions with shopper habits and Amazon’s tools ensures your products are in the spotlight when it matters most. A well-planned promotion strategy isn’t just about immediate sales—it’s a way to secure long-term loyalty and higher rankings.

Budget Allocation: Strategizing for Maximum Impact

Your budget is the backbone of your BFCM strategy. Allocating funds wisely ensures you can capture shopper attention during peak traffic periods and stay competitive without overspending. From pre-event planning to avoiding risky changes, your approach to budgeting can set the tone for success.

1. Boost Pre-BFCM Budgets to Capture Browsers
   The days leading up to BFCM are crucial for building momentum. During this period, shoppers are in research mode—browsing deals, comparing options, and adding items to their carts in preparation for big purchases.

• Why It Matters: Early traffic often consists of high-intent shoppers who will return to complete their purchases during Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Failing to capture this audience could mean losing out when they’re ready to buy.
• What to Do: Incremental budget increases of 10–20% the week before BFCM can help your ads stay visible to this audience. By being proactive, you position your brand to win their attention before competitors do.

2. Avoid Last-Minute A/B Testing to Prevent Disruptions
   While optimizing your campaigns is key to success, the days right before and during BFCM are not the time for experimentation. Significant changes to your listings, such as swapping images, tweaking copy, or altering titles, can trigger Amazon’s algorithms to suppress your product.

• The Risk: Amazon’s systems often require time to review updates, and any delays or rejections could lead to your listing being unavailable during the critical shopping days.
• Best Practice: Finalize all A/B testing and optimization efforts weeks ahead of BFCM. This ensures that your listings are stable and ready to perform when traffic peaks.

3. Monitor and Adjust Budgets Dynamically
   While pre-planning is essential, BFCM’s fast pace requires real-time budget adjustments. As ad competition spikes, some campaigns may perform better than anticipated, warranting additional funding to maximize ROI.

• What to Watch: Keep an eye on campaigns that are converting well and generating high sales. Adjust budgets dynamically to ensure these ads remain active throughout peak hours.
• Stay Flexible: While maintaining pre-set increases is important, be prepared to shift funds as needed to support your best-performing campaigns.

A well-executed budget strategy balances preparation with adaptability, ensuring you capture every possible opportunity without unnecessary overspending. By boosting your budgets early and maintaining flexibility, you can navigate the high-stakes BFCM period with confidence.

Storefront Optimization: Making Your Amazon Store Work Harder

Your storefront isn’t just a static space—it’s a dynamic tool to drive conversions during BFCM. As the digital equivalent of a shop window, it needs to draw shoppers in, make navigating deals seamless, and encourage larger purchases.

1. Simplify Shopping with a Centralized Deals PageDuring BFCM, shoppers are actively hunting for the best bargains. A well-organized, dedicated page for your deals makes it easier for them to browse and buy—keeping their attention firmly on your brand.

   Why It Works:
   Centralizing your offers ensures shoppers can quickly find the discounts they’re looking for without frustration. Amazon’s updated advertising guidelines recommend showcasing deals prominently to improve shopper engagement. A clear “Deals” page reduces the chance of shoppers bouncing to competitors and boosts opportunities for upselling by grouping complementary products together.

   How to Do It:

   • Feature Prominent Banners: Use dynamic storefront banners to guide visitors directly to your “Deals” page.
   • Highlight Key Offers: Emphasize limited-time discounts, exclusive promotions, and best-sellers to create urgency.
   • Leverage Custom Layouts: Amazon’s storefront tools allow you to visually organize deals by categories, ensuring a seamless browsing experience across all devices.

   By streamlining navigation and delivering a focused experience, your curated deals page can turn deal-seekers into loyal customers.

2. Prioritize a Mobile-First Design for Maximum Impact
   With the majority of Amazon shoppers browsing on their phones, a mobile-optimized storefront is non-negotiable during BFCM.

• Why It Matters: A cluttered or difficult-to-navigate mobile interface can cause shoppers to abandon their browsing entirely. Clean, mobile-friendly designs ensure your deals shine, no matter the device.
• What to Focus On: Use large, easy-to-read fonts, simple navigation menus, and high-quality, festive imagery that resonates with holiday shoppers. Make sure key sections like your “Deals” page and featured products are easy to tap without excessive scrolling or searching.

3. Festive Visuals to Match the Season
   Your storefront should immediately signal that it’s BFCM. Shoppers expect festive themes, and aligning your visuals with the holiday vibe can make your brand feel more relevant and appealing.

• Ideas for Seasonal Touches: Add banners with phrases like “Black Friday Deals Live Now!” or “Shop Cyber Monday Exclusives Today!” Incorporate holiday colors or subtle seasonal icons to create a festive feel without overwhelming your design.

4. Test Navigation Before the Event
   Even small hiccups in navigation can disrupt a shopper’s experience. Before BFCM, test your storefront to ensure a seamless journey for users.

• Check Key Features: Are your deal links working? Do product pages load quickly? Can shoppers move easily between sections? Addressing these details ahead of time ensures a smoother shopping experience.

Optimizing your Amazon storefront for BFCM doesn’t just enhance the shopping experience—it’s a critical part of converting traffic into sales. By making it easier for shoppers to find what they need and enjoy the process, you position your brand as one worth returning to even after the event ends.

Awareness Campaigns: Standing Out Before BFCM Even Begins

BFCM success isn’t just about what happens during the event—it’s about the groundwork you lay beforehand. In a marketplace buzzing with deals and competition, building awareness early can give your brand a decisive edge.

1. Use High-Impact Ads to Build Momentum
   Amazon’s advertising options allow you to make a big impression before BFCM officially kicks off. By leveraging different ad formats, you can generate visibility, spark interest, and drive early traffic to your listings.

• Sponsored Brands: Showcase your brand story and spotlight key deals to capture attention. Use custom headlines and visuals to connect with shoppers searching for products in your category.
• Sponsored Display: Retarget shoppers who have previously viewed your listings or similar products to remind them of your deals. This ad type is especially effective for maintaining visibility during the busy browsing phase leading up to BFCM.
• DSP Campaigns: Expand your reach by targeting audiences on and off Amazon. Use display ads to introduce your deals to new customers while staying top-of-mind with previous buyers.

By combining these ad formats, you can cover multiple touchpoints in the buyer’s journey, ensuring your brand stands out when shoppers are comparing options.

2. Leverage AMC Insights for Smarter Targeting
   Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) provides a treasure trove of data to fine-tune your awareness campaigns. By analyzing audience behavior ahead of BFCM, you can craft more targeted and impactful strategies.

• What to Look For: Identify patterns in audience interactions with your brand, such as browsing behavior, purchase history, or engagement with past ads.
• Target Lookalike Audiences: Use AMC data to find shoppers similar to your best customers. These audiences are more likely to engage with your brand and convert during BFCM.
• Retarget High-Value Leads: Focus on potential customers who have already shown interest in your brand—whether they’ve viewed a product, added to their cart, or browsed your storefront.

3. Create Buzz with Early Messaging
   Anticipation is key to BFCM. Use pre-event campaigns to tease your best deals, highlight unique offers, or create countdowns to build excitement. By getting in front of shoppers early, you can secure their interest before your competitors do.

Awareness campaigns are your opportunity to plant the seed with shoppers before the shopping frenzy begins. By running strategic ads and leveraging data-driven insights, you can build a strong foundation for success once BFCM officially kicks off.

BFCM Day-to-Day Execution

The success of your BFCM campaigns relies on precise execution during the event itself. From Black Friday’s traffic surge to Cyber Monday’s last-minute shoppers, here’s how to maximize results.

Black Friday Strategies: Capturing the Year’s Biggest Sales Surge

Black Friday is the apex of BFCM, with a unique blend of high-intent shoppers and peak traffic volumes. To make the most of this critical day, your strategy needs to balance aggressive visibility with compelling deals that convert browsers into buyers.

1. Amplify Your Ad Budgets for Maximum Reach
   Black Friday is not the time for conservative spending. As Liran and Mansour advise, increasing your ad budgets by 100-150%—effectively doubling or tripling your regular spend—positions your campaigns to compete in the most crowded marketplace of the year.

• Why It Works: The massive influx of shoppers on Black Friday creates intense competition for ad placements. A boosted budget ensures your campaigns don’t run out of steam early in the day and keeps your brand in front of high-intent audiences.
• What to Watch: Monitor campaign performance closely. Real-time adjustments may be needed to keep up with fluctuations in traffic and ensure your budget is delivering ROI.

2. Offer Deals That Shoppers Can’t Resist
   Black Friday shoppers are trained to expect big discounts. The more competitive your offers, the higher the likelihood of driving conversions during this hyper-competitive sales day.

• The Sweet Spot: Discounts in the 20-40% range often resonate best. These are significant enough to attract deal-seekers without eroding your margins entirely.
• Pair Deals with Ads: Highlight your strongest offers in Sponsored Brands or Sponsored Display ads, using compelling ad copy that emphasizes urgency and value (e.g., “One Day Only—40% Off!”).

3. Dominate with Prime Ad Placements
   Visibility is everything on Black Friday, and premium ad placements can make all the difference.

• Sponsored Brands: Use headline ads to showcase a mix of best-sellers, heavily discounted items, and complementary products. This format captures attention at the top of search results, where shoppers often begin their journey.
• Top-of-Search Sponsored Products: Bid aggressively to secure placements in this coveted position. Products appearing at the top of search results benefit from both visibility and perceived credibility.

4. Stay Agile Throughout the Day
   Black Friday sales trends can shift rapidly. A deal might outperform expectations, or traffic spikes may require mid-day budget adjustments.

• Be Ready to Adapt: Assign someone to monitor your campaigns in real time, ensuring that high-performing ads receive sufficient budget while underperforming ones are optimized or paused.
• Keep Your Eyes on Inventory: Running out of stock mid-campaign not only halts sales but also wastes ad spend. Regularly check inventory levels to ensure you can sustain sales throughout the day.

By blending strong ad spend, irresistible deals, and premium placements, you can position your brand to dominate on Black Friday. With the right execution, this day can set the tone for a successful BFCM and beyond.

Weekend Adjustments: Maintaining Momentum After Black Friday

The weekend following Black Friday may not match its intensity, but it’s far from ordinary. Traffic remains elevated compared to a typical weekend, and many shoppers are still in buying mode. The challenge is finding the balance between maintaining visibility and avoiding unnecessary overspending.

1. Scale Back, But Stay in the Game
   After the peak of Black Friday, a more measured approach to budget allocation is necessary.

• Adjust Your Budgets: Reduce ad spend to 50% above your baseline (1.5x your usual daily budget). This ensures you’re still present and competitive, but without overspending in a slightly slower sales environment.
• Why It Works: Shoppers during this period are still browsing for deals but may be more deliberate in their purchasing decisions. A smaller budget helps you stay visible while preserving resources for the upcoming Cyber Monday surge.

2. Focus on High-Performance Campaigns
   With traffic slightly lower than Black Friday, this is the time to double down on what’s working.

• Prioritize Your Winners: Shift focus to campaigns that showed strong performance on Black Friday. Whether it’s a best-selling product or a particularly effective keyword, concentrating your efforts here can drive efficient results.
• Target Weekend Shoppers: Use Sponsored Display or DSP to retarget shoppers who browsed your listings on Black Friday but didn’t convert. These warm leads may still be ready to buy.

3. Optimize for Browsers
   Many shoppers are still comparison shopping or planning for Cyber Monday. Use this slower period to stay on their radar.

• Keep Ads Active: Maintain campaigns that target products with active deals or high cart-adding rates from earlier in the week.
• Highlight Value: Use ad copy and visuals to emphasize your deals and keep them top-of-mind for buyers still deliberating their purchases.

The weekend between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is all about strategic presence. By scaling back budgets wisely and focusing on your best-performing campaigns, you can continue to capture sales while conserving resources for the next major spike.

Cyber Monday Priorities: Finishing BFCM Strong

Cyber Monday marks the grand finale of BFCM, often rivaling or surpassing Black Friday in sales. Shoppers are eager to snag last-minute deals, making this day a golden opportunity to maximize conversions. To succeed, your strategy needs to lean into urgency while ensuring ample ad visibility.

1. Boost Budgets to Meet Demand
   Cyber Monday traffic often comes with higher conversion rates as shoppers finalize their purchases. It’s a day to double down on visibility.

• Restore High Budgets: Revert to a 100% increase over your baseline ad spend (2x your usual budget). This level ensures your campaigns remain competitive in capturing high-conversion traffic.
• Why It’s Critical: Cyber Monday shoppers are typically deal-driven and ready to buy. A boosted budget helps maintain your presence across key placements, ensuring you don’t miss out on this decisive day.

2. Use Messaging That Creates FOMO
   Shoppers on Cyber Monday are racing against the clock, which means your creative and messaging should reflect that urgency.

• Inject Urgency Into Ads: Phrases like “Final Hours!”, “Last Chance to Save!”, or “Ends Tonight!” resonate with buyers who fear missing out on deals.
• Highlight Time-Limited Offers: Pair your messaging with countdown visuals or end-of-day banners to drive urgency further.

3. Focus on Top Performers
   Not all campaigns will deliver equal returns on Cyber Monday. Prioritize efforts where you’ve seen the strongest performance.

• Top Placements: Invest in Sponsored Brands and top-of-search Sponsored Products to secure premium visibility for your best-selling or most discounted products.
• Retarget Shoppers: Use Sponsored Display and DSP campaigns to target cart abandoners or browsers from earlier in the BFCM period. These audiences are primed for conversion.

4. Stay Flexible Throughout the Day
   Traffic and conversion trends on Cyber Monday can shift quickly. Be prepared to adjust budgets or pause underperforming campaigns in real time.

• Monitor Closely: Assign a team member to track campaign performance and make dynamic adjustments to ensure your budget is deployed effectively.

Cyber Monday is your last big opportunity to capture sales and build momentum for the holiday season ahead. By restoring budgets, leveraging urgency, and focusing on high-performing campaigns, you can maximize the final push of this high-stakes sales period.

Post-BFCM Actions

The sales surge may be over, but what you do after BFCM can determine how well your brand performs through the rest of the holiday season. Here’s how to shift gears while maintaining momentum.

Budget and Bid Adjustments

The frenzy of BFCM can leave your campaign metrics skewed, with inflated conversion rates and ACOS data that don’t reflect typical performance. To regain control and optimize your ad spend for the rest of Q4, careful adjustments are essential.

1. Revert Budgets Thoughtfully
   While the immediate post-BFCM period sees a decline in traffic, the momentum generated during Black Friday and Cyber Monday doesn’t vanish overnight. Some shoppers continue browsing, researching, and purchasing in the first few days of December.

• Return to Baseline by December 3: Gradually scale back your budgets to pre-BFCM levels to avoid unnecessary spending.
• Leverage Lingering Momentum: For campaigns that show continued traction (e.g., holiday-focused products or top performers), consider maintaining a slight budget increase of 10–15% through the first week of December. This allows you to capitalize on post-event traffic without overspending.

2. Normalize Metrics With Bid Adjustments
   BFCM traffic often skews metrics such as ACOS and conversion rates, making it critical to recalibrate bids and return to a more sustainable approach.

• Reduce Bids by 10–15%: Lowering bids ensures your campaigns don’t operate on inflated performance data from BFCM. This adjustment helps recalibrate your cost-per-click (CPC) to reflect the more typical performance expected in December.
• Why It’s Necessary: Without resetting bids, you risk overpaying for clicks and overspending on campaigns that may no longer convert at the high rates seen during BFCM.

3. Evaluate Before Scaling Further
   Use this period to review how your campaigns performed during BFCM. Identify patterns and high-performing products or keywords that can inform your next steps.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Let post-BFCM metrics guide your bid and budget strategies for the rest of the holiday season. Avoid scaling prematurely until you have a clear view of what’s working.

Resetting budgets and bids is about finding the right balance—reining in overspending while still leveraging opportunities from the residual effects of BFCM. These thoughtful adjustments will set the stage for a strong December and keep your campaigns efficient and competitive.

Retargeting Campaigns

BFCM doesn’t end with the final sale. The insights you’ve gained during the event—like who browsed your products, added them to their carts, or made a purchase—are invaluable for driving additional revenue in the weeks that follow. By retargeting these warm leads, you can capitalize on high-intent audiences and maximize your holiday sales.

1. Re-engage Cart Abandoners and Browsers
   The shoppers who interacted with your listings but didn’t convert are a goldmine for post-BFCM revenue opportunities.

• Leverage Sponsored Display and DSP Ads: These ad types are ideal for reaching audiences who showed interest in your products during BFCM but didn’t complete a purchase.
  • Sponsored Display: Focus on cart abandoners and recent browsers to drive them back to your listings with cost-effective, targeted ads.
  • DSP (Demand-Side Platform): Broaden your reach by retargeting these shoppers across Amazon and external sites. DSP allows for more nuanced segmentation and extended visibility.
• Why It Works: These high-intent audiences are already familiar with your brand, making them more likely to convert with a nudge from a well-placed ad.

2. Cross-Sell to BFCM Buyers Using AMC Data
   Your buyers from BFCM aren’t just one-time customers—they represent an opportunity to increase their lifetime value with complementary products.

• Use Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) Insights: AMC provides granular data on your customers’ purchase behaviors, allowing you to segment buyers and craft highly targeted cross-sell campaigns.
  • Example Campaign: If a shopper purchased a kitchen gadget, follow up with ads for accessories like storage containers or recipe books.
  • Tailored Messaging: Highlight how these complementary products enhance or complete their initial purchase.
• The Goal: Build on the trust and momentum established during BFCM to increase average order value and encourage repeat purchases.

3. Timing Matters
   Retargeting campaigns are most effective when launched soon after BFCM. Keep the momentum going while your brand is still fresh in shoppers’ minds.

• Start Immediately: Launch retargeting campaigns within the first week of December to re-engage audiences while the excitement from BFCM is still high.
• Optimize as You Go: Use early performance data to refine your approach, focusing on the segments and products that drive the most engagement.

By turning BFCM data into actionable retargeting strategies, you can extend the impact of the event and position your brand for continued growth through the holiday season.

Shifting to Holiday Gifting

As the dust settles on BFCM, your strategy should pivot to focus on the holiday gifting season. December shoppers are on the hunt for thoughtful presents and last-minute deals, so tailoring your campaigns and storefront to meet their needs is essential. Here’s how to make a smooth transition and keep the sales rolling.

1. Update Your Storefront for the Holidays
   Your Amazon storefront is a dynamic tool that should reflect the shift from BFCM deals to the festive spirit of holiday shopping.

• Refresh Banners and Messaging: Swap out BFCM-specific creatives for holiday-themed visuals that resonate with December shoppers. Think snowy backdrops, festive colors, and cheerful messaging.
• Highlight Gift-Friendly Products: Curate sections of your storefront dedicated to holiday best-sellers, gift bundles, or customer favorites. For example, create a “Perfect Gifts Under $50” category to attract budget-conscious buyers.
• Why It Matters: A well-organized and festive storefront creates a seamless shopping experience, encouraging higher conversions and repeat visits.

2. Optimize Campaigns for Gifting Keywords
   December is all about tapping into the intent of gift-seeking shoppers. Adjust your ad strategy to align with this shift.

• Add Seasonal Search Terms: Incorporate gifting-related keywords into your campaigns, such as:
  • “Holiday gifts”
  • “Last-minute presents”
  • “Gift ideas for mom/dad/kids”
• Tailor Product Targeting: Highlight items that are commonly purchased as gifts or offer high perceived value. Think bundles, limited-edition products, or those with glowing reviews.
• Test Holiday Messaging: Update your ad copy to emphasize gifting urgency, like “Ships in Time for Christmas!” or “Perfect for Holiday Gifting!”

3. Emphasize Convenience and Speed
   December shoppers value quick and hassle-free purchases.

• Promote Fast Shipping: Highlight products eligible for Prime shipping or guaranteed delivery before key holiday dates.
• Use Urgency to Drive Decisions: Messaging like “Order by December 20 for Guaranteed Delivery” can push shoppers to act quickly.

With these targeted adjustments, you can seamlessly transition from BFCM to holiday gifting. This not only extends your momentum into December but also positions your brand as a go-to destination for thoughtful and timely presents during the festive season.

Lessons Learned from BFCM 2024

Reflecting on what worked (and what didn’t) will help you prepare for 2025’s peak periods.

The Shift from a Single Day to an Extended Shopping Window

Black Friday 2024 revealed an important shift in consumer behavior. The once iconic “Black Friday frenzy” is no longer confined to a single day. Instead, the shopping excitement has stretched across an extended window, creating a broader opportunity for brands to capture sales.

This year, our clients saw a 3% dip in Black Friday Day sales compared to 2023. At first glance, this might raise concerns. However, when zooming out to the 8 days leading up to and including Black Friday, the results tell a different story: sales were up 17% compared to the same period last year.

This highlights a critical trend:
Retailers who launched their deals earlier in the week capitalized on a longer shopping window. By spreading out promotions and focusing on a more extended period of consumer engagement, these brands successfully tapped into consumer demand throughout the week—not just on the day itself.

For Amazon sellers, this means rethinking how to structure future campaigns:

• Plan for a Week-Long Strategy: Instead of relying on a single day for peak sales, invest in an early-deals approach that captures demand throughout the week leading up to Black Friday.
• Extend the Buzz: Use promotional strategies, like rolling discounts or staggered deals, to keep shoppers engaged across multiple days.
• Monitor Shifting Trends: Continuously evaluate sales patterns to ensure your campaigns align with how your customers shop.

This insight underscores the importance of adapting to changing consumer behavior. By leaning into the extended shopping window, brands can build sustainable strategies for capturing demand year after year.

Strategic Adjustments: Refining Your BFCM Playbook

BFCM 2024 provided a clear look at how different budgeting and campaign management strategies can influence performance. These insights can help brands fine-tune their approach for future peak sales periods.

Aggressive vs. Gradual Budget Increases
For some brands, an aggressive approach to budgets—such as increasing ad spend by 150% on Black Friday—paid off by capturing significant market share during the day’s traffic peak. This strategy worked especially well for brands with competitive deals or strong ad placements like Sponsored Brands or top-of-search campaigns.

However, not every account benefited from this high-risk, high-reward method. Brands with tighter margins or less promotional activity found gradual budget increases to be more effective. Incremental boosts leading up to BFCM helped maintain profitability while still capturing early browsers and high-intent shoppers throughout the event.

The takeaway? Align your budget strategy with your business goals and risk tolerance. If dominating market share is your goal, aggressive boosts may be the right move. If profitability is your priority, gradual increases might provide a safer path.

Clean Optimization Data
One of the biggest challenges after BFCM is managing the skewed data left in its wake. The event’s inflated conversion rates and spikes in traffic can distort post-event campaign performance when left unchecked.

To avoid issues, it’s crucial to exclude BFCM data from your optimization tools. For example, removing BFCM metrics from algorithms ensures that recommendations for bids and budgets reflect your usual performance rather than an atypical sales spike. This adjustment provides cleaner baselines and ensures that post-event campaigns remain efficient and aligned with long-term goals.

By understanding the nuances of different strategies and proactively managing data, brands can use BFCM as a launchpad for smarter, more profitable campaigns throughout the year.

Automation Efficiency: Striking the Balance Between Automation and Manual Adjustments

Automation is essential for scaling efforts during BFCM, but this year’s event revealed critical areas where it still falls short. Understanding the balance between what automation can manage effectively and where manual intervention is required is key to refining your strategy for future peak periods.

Assessing Budget Rules
Automated budget rules proved invaluable for Sponsored Products campaigns during BFCM. They allowed brands to scale quickly, keeping campaigns live and competitive during high-traffic periods. However, limitations emerged in areas like Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display ads, where automation options were less robust or unavailable.

The takeaway? Expanding automation tools to cover all ad types—especially high-impact formats like Sponsored Brands—is essential for 2025. Automating adjustments across the board ensures a more cohesive campaign strategy, minimizes gaps, and reduces the need for manual work during critical moments.

Manual vs. Automated Adjustments
Despite the benefits of automation, manual adjustments were crucial for handling real-time challenges. For example, when unexpected traffic spikes caused budget caps to hit earlier than planned, teams had to intervene manually to ensure campaigns didn’t lose visibility. Similarly, certain ad placements required fine-tuning that automation couldn’t account for, such as shifting focus to top-performing keywords or optimizing bids for high-ROI campaigns.

To prepare for 2025, documenting these manual interventions is key. Each adjustment provides a roadmap for future automation improvements, highlighting gaps where tools should evolve to handle tasks more effectively. Whether it’s refining budget rules, expanding ad type coverage, or developing custom solutions for unique challenges, bridging the gap between manual and automated processes will make next year’s BFCM smoother and more efficient.

By leveraging automation where it works best and supplementing it with strategic manual inputs, brands can create a more resilient and scalable approach to BFCM campaigns.

Team Coordination: Building a Collaborative Framework for Peak Periods

During fast-paced events like BFCM, smooth coordination across teams can make or break campaign performance. This year underscored the importance of clear communication and structured processes to ensure efficiency and alignment under pressure.

Clearer Communication Protocols
Managing BFCM campaigns required constant coordination across multiple teams—whether for budget adjustments, creative updates, or performance reporting. However, ad hoc communication often slowed down processes or caused confusion about priorities.

To address this, brands should establish predefined communication protocols for peak periods. For example:

• Assign specific team members as points of contact for key tasks like budget updates or ad creative changes.
• Use dedicated Slack channels or project management tools to centralize discussions and updates in real time.
• Pre-schedule check-ins to review progress and adapt strategies as necessary.

These steps ensure that everyone is aligned and avoids the bottlenecks that can arise from miscommunication.

Streamlined Adjustments
One effective tool during BFCM was the use of a centralized calendar or task checklist to track responsibilities and deadlines. This simple yet powerful system ensured teams stayed on the same page, avoided duplicate work, and responded to changes quickly.

Building on this practice for future events involves:

• Developing a shared calendar with deadlines for campaign launches, budget reviews, and reporting milestones.
• Creating a live task tracker that updates dynamically as changes are implemented or completed.
• Assigning owners to specific tasks, so no adjustments fall through the cracks.

By implementing these streamlined workflows, brands can reduce misalignment and empower their teams to act decisively during high-pressure sales events.

Clear communication and structured processes ensure that every team member understands their role and contributes effectively, helping brands make the most of peak periods like BFCM. With these systems in place, your team is better equipped to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities.

By evaluating your BFCM strategies, automation tools, and team workflows, you’ll be better equipped for 2025’s challenges. Use these lessons to refine your playbook and turn your next peak sales period into an even greater success.

Conclusion

Your BFCM marketing performance provides a valuable lens into your brand’s strengths and areas for improvement. It’s the time to evaluate what worked, refine what didn’t, and apply those learnings to drive consistent performance throughout the year. By taking a strategic approach to post-event analysis, budget resets, and campaign refinement, you set your brand up for sustainable growth.

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