Originally posted October 2nd, 2024, updated November 6th, 2025.
No pressure… but one of the biggest sales events of the year is around the corner.
Okay, a little pressure.
The Black Friday Cyber Monday weekend (and the extended ‘Cyber Week’ around it) is approaching in full force. And in 2025, ecommerce brands must prepare more strategically than ever. With consumers more cautious, competition fierce, and operational expectations high, success hinges on how prepared brands are.
Instead of scrambling, take the time now to get ahead of trends, optimize fulfillment, and stand out from the crowd. This blog is your roadmap.
What do consumers want to see during this BFCM?
Insight: Earlier, longer sales windows
Gone are the days when BFCM was strictly a Friday–Monday timeframe. The window is now wider, start dates are earlier, and consumer behavior has shifted accordingly. In 2025, research shows more shoppers beginning their holiday buying earlier…so brands can’t wait until the week of.
A study by our partner Global-E found that sales climbed weeks before the official event, with an uptick in early November.
What this means for brands:
- Launch teasers, VIP early-access deals, or “pre-BFCM” offers ahead of the main weekend.
- Use email/SMS lists to announce upcoming deals so customers know when to return.
- Balance the early window with inventory and fulfilment capacity so you don’t front-load yourself and then run out during the main event.
Insight: Cautious, value-seeking consumers
The 2025 macro environment is proving to be a volatile one. Economic uncertainty, inflation, and tariff pressures mean key holiday consumer trends include a cut in overall spending and a focus on brands that provide value and trust.
What to do:
- Make your pricing transparent and your value proposition clear.
- Don’t assume aggressive discounting will automatically win. Smart discounting will. (More on that below.)
- Communicate your brand values: consumers are evaluating more than just price. Research shows 61% say values matter more than price in holiday purchase decisions
Insight: Mobile, social & AI are table stakes
It’s no surprise that shoppers are going mobile – but AI shopping has officially entered the chat. A study by Klaviyo found that 54% of consumers plan to use AI this holiday season for comparing prices, searching for products, summarizing reviews, and receiving tailored recommendations.
Not only this, but 62% say they’d rather use an AI tool that knows their purchase history than explain their needs to a sales associate.
Now is the time to not only ensure your mobile site is optimized for a seamless experience, but to make sure your products are optimized to show up in ChatGPT.
Practical takeaways:
- Ensure your mobile checkout is friction-free (fast load times, minimal steps, clear UX).
- Develop social-first creative and shoppable posts/live-streams that link directly to product pages.
- Use AI-driven personalization (in email, on-site recommendations, ad creative) to meet customers where they are.
Insight: Sustainable shopping is still in demand
Brand values (including sustainability) aren’t optional this BFCM.
While shipping speed and price are priorities, planet-friendly processes have been top of mind for shoppers, with 72% of global shoppers now considering sustainability when making online purchases.
What brands should do:
- Clearly communicate any eco-friendly practices (e.g., packaging, carbon-offset shipping, ethical sourcing) in product pages and marketing.
- Consider offering slower shipping or more sustainable shipping options as a feature, not a drawback.
- Use success stories and content to reinforce brand commitment rather than burying sustainability as a check-box.
How to stand out from the crowd, boost sales, and retain customers
One thing for sure about BFCM? The competition will be intense. It’s guaranteed that almost every retail store will be itching to steal the spotlight. Here’s how to stand out in this saturated market.
Smart discounting for smart customers
With inflation lingering and consumer sentiment cooling, shoppers are doing more research, comparing offers, and resisting impulse purchases. In 2025, successful brands are embracing smart discounting: strategies that balance value with margin protection.
Think of exclusive early-access sales for loyal customers, tiered promotions that reward higher spending, or bundles that deliver more perceived value without eroding profitability. A “buy two, get one” offer, free gift, or shipping incentive often feels just as generous as a 40% markdown.
Dynamic pricing tools and AI-powered demand forecasting can also help brands stay agile, adjusting offers in real time based on inventory and traffic trends. The goal isn’t to discount more…it’s to discount strategically.
Leverage influencers and user-generated content
In the smartphone era, consumers often gravitate towards influencers or content creators they trust to align with their values and interests. Nearly half of U.S. shoppers now say they’re influenced by creators or user-generated content when making a purchase decision, a number that has steadily grown year over year.
For brands, that means creator partnerships and community storytelling are essential. Instead of chasing high-priced macro-influencers, many retailers are turning to micro-influencers and real customers whose content feels genuine and relatable. Encourage your audience to post their unboxings, share reviews, and tag your brand—and when they do, respond or reshare to make those interactions visible. Social proof drives trust, and trust drives conversion.
Personalize, personalize, personalize
Building a personal connection is key to developing brand loyalty. AI has made it easier than ever to deliver hyper-relevant offers, but the human touch still matters. Start by segmenting your audience based on past behavior, average order value, or engagement level, then tailor content accordingly.
For example, returning customers could receive loyalty-based perks, while new customers see curated bundles or first-time offers. Across every channel (email, SMS, social, and your website) your branding should remain cohesive, so that the journey feels seamless no matter where it begins. In an omnichannel world, consistency is credibility.
Don’t forget about the post-purchase
The BFCM relationship doesn’t end when the order is placed; that’s where it really begins. An exceptional post-purchase experience is one of the most effective ways to turn first-time buyers into lifelong customers.
Start with fast, transparent communication: confirmation emails, real-time tracking, and proactive updates if delays occur. Layer on small moments of delight like an exclusive follow-up offer, a thank-you message, or a loyalty invitation included in the package.
And don’t overlook returns. A flexible, easy-to-navigate returns process builds confidence and can even increase conversion rates before checkout. Customers remember how you handle problems more than how you handle promotions.
Use your BFCM data to improve the customer experience
The smartest brands treat BFCM as more than a sales sprint; it’s a data goldmine.
Every click, add to cart, and return reveals insights about who your customers are and what they care about. Analyze conversion rates, average order value, and repeat behavior to refine next year’s strategy. AI-driven analytics and CRM tools make it easier to identify patterns like which promotions generated the most loyalty, or which SKUs sold fastest in certain regions.
With that intelligence, you can fine-tune everything from product development to fulfillment planning, setting yourself up for success long after the Cyber Week rush is over.
Empower your customer service team
During BFCM, your customer service reps are the first line of defense when shipments stall or inventory runs short. Equip them with pre-approved messaging guides for every scenario (from carrier delays to stockouts) and train them to lead with empathy and transparency. Consumers are more understanding when brands communicate proactively and honestly. In an era of heightened uncertainty, that clarity is your greatest stabilizer.
Meet increased customer demand with the right fulfillment strategy
As the sales start to roll in, the real test is up next. Fulfillment.
Without a flawless strategy, your brand runs the risk of delaying orders or (even worse) sending out the wrong products. To avoid errors, follow the guidelines below.
Optimize shipping with multi-node fulfillment
A multi-node fulfillment approach is one of the most effective ways to strengthen performance during BFCM. By strategically distributing inventory, whether through your own network or with a 3PL partner, you can position products closer to your customers, reducing both shipping time and cost. This model also provides flexibility when regional carrier networks experience slowdowns or capacity constraints.
Diversify your carrier mix
Speaking of carriers, diversification is key. Relying on a single courier leaves your brand vulnerable to delays, surcharges, or unexpected bottlenecks. A mix of national, regional, and local carriers allows you to pivot quickly and maintain reliable delivery coverage across both major metro areas and harder-to-reach regions.
The Kase app makes multi-carrier fulfillment effortless by automatically mapping Shopify shipping methods to the right carrier service. Once your rates are set up in Shopify, Kase syncs those options and rate shops in real time, selecting the lowest-cost service that still meets your promised delivery speed.
And when certain carrier services don’t align with your performance goals, Kase lets you blacklist specific methods, preventing them from being used or shown in rate shopping altogether. The result is a smarter, more controlled shipping strategy that balances speed, cost, and consistency across every channel.
Prep your external or internal fulfillment teams
Like any test, preparation is key. By crunching the numbers and examining historical sales data, you can have a better picture of demand and order accordingly to avoid stockouts and putting added stress on your team.
Don’t forget that the little details count. Make your internal fulfillment team or 3PL aware about fulfillment add-ons like discount inserts or new packaging, which is particularly common around peak season as brands design exclusive unboxing experiences.
Build out your returns process
Returns are always guaranteed, especially during the holiday season.
This is particularly true in the apparel industry, where consumers may buy different sizes and return or exchange what isn’t the perfect fit.
Creating a positive experience means you must be explicitly clear at checkout on how customers can return products, whether or not there’s a deadline, or whether exchange credit is an option. Partnering with an easy management tool like Loop can help you optimize the process.
Before the return request is submitted, develop clear reverse logistics standard operating procedures (SOPs) with your fulfillment team, so they know where returns go when they head back to the warehouse.
Create a contingency plan
In 2025, “expect the unexpected” is a business strategy. Between ongoing geopolitical tensions, tariff shifts, and continued volatility in global supply chains, ecommerce brands can’t afford to be caught off guard. Add the usual holiday surge in orders, and even small disruptions can ripple through your operations.
Build flexibility into your network by lining up alternative carriers, backup fulfillment nodes, and secondary inventory positions. If tariffs or trade restrictions tighten on certain routes or product categories, having stateside or nearshore fulfillment options ready can help mitigate delays and unexpected cost spikes.
Technology plays a critical role, too. Real-time visibility into orders, carrier performance, and inventory movement allows teams to react quickly when disruptions occur. If your systems can automatically reroute orders or adjust delivery promises based on regional slowdowns, you’ll maintain customer trust even under pressure.
Success beyond BFCM
Peak season may be temporary, but operational excellence isn’t. The real measure of BFCM success isn’t what happens over a single weekend; it’s what comes next.
The brands that thrive are the ones using peak season not just to capture short-term sales, but to build lasting relationships, gather smarter data, and strengthen their operational foundation for the year ahead.
The same forward thinking applies to your operations. A resilient fulfillment strategy ensures you can adapt to whatever 2026 brings. Partnering with a third-party logistics provider like Kase gives your brand the flexibility and precision to scale confidently, even in uncertain markets. We’ve seen many seasons of BFCM and would love to take the heavy lifting off your hands for the holidays and beyond.
As always, we’re here for questions. Connect with an expert today.
