Turn BFCM Into 365 Days of Growth: Tactics to Win Black Friday and Drive Sales Year-Round

During BFCM (Black Friday Cyber Monday) most brands focus on offering the biggest discount and driving as much traffic as possible. They blow money on promotions and ads, but waste the traffic they worked so hard to attract. The reason? Conversion leaks.

The real winners optimize each part of the funnel and compound little improvements:

• 6 percent lead capture rates instead of 2 percent to 3 percent thanks to gamified popups;
• 14 percent higher conversions after simplifying discovery with product quizzes; and
• 3x more revenue from abandoned carts with advanced flows.

These numbers aren't projections — they're real results from real e-commerce brands.

Each improvement might seem small, but during peak traffic these quick wins add up to significant revenue. And these systems keep working long after Black Friday ends, helping avoid the typical post-holiday sales crash and driving growth year-round.

Make sure your team has optimized every stage before the rush. Most of these changes take hours to implement, not days. There's still time to get this right.

1. Design advanced lead capture to fuel future communications.

BFCM is a good reason to upgrade your lead capture. During big sales, brands invest heavily in paid ads, influencers, and sponsored placements, driving waves of new visitors to their sites. Don’t let that traffic slip away without converting it into long-term value. Start by reviewing your pop-ups and lead forms.

Instead of a standard pop-up, try gamification — spin-the-wheel, instant lotteries, or mystery rewards. For example, Blossom Flower Delivery doubled its lead generation with a gamified form that let visitors choose from several secret gift boxes. The result? A 6.72 percent lead conversion rate, compared to the e-commerce average of 2 percent to 3 percent.

Another powerful move is to collect preferences at sign-up. Don't just ask for an email address. Ask what they're shopping for, what problems they're solving, which categories matter to them. This single step transforms your database from a contact list into a personalization engine.

Take JOLYN, for example. The swimwear brand asks new subscribers whether they’re shopping for the beach or the pool and tailors their welcome emails accordingly. From the very first message, customers see content that feels relevant.

Together, these tactics help you grow your database and nurture leads more effectively. They also help stabilize revenue after the Black Friday surge, preventing the typical post-sale dip.

2. Simplify product discovery.

Black Friday often introduces your brand to an entirely new crowd. These shoppers don’t know your catalog and they won’t spend time figuring it out. When navigation feels overwhelming, even great products get lost in the noise. To fix this, make product discovery effortless.

Product recommendation quizzes can guide shoppers to the right category or collection in seconds, helping them find what they want without friction. For instance, Blossom Flower Delivery simplified its extensive catalog with a guided quiz, increasing conversion rates by 14 percent.

Smart recommendations and product pairing also play a huge role. JOLYN nails this experience: when you browse a red bikini top, you immediately see the matching bottom — in your size, same material, same cut. That detail drives purchase confidence and convenience, with 7 percent of total sales now coming from product recommendations.

Make discovery a competitive edge. The brands that simplify the path to the right product don’t just win Black Friday, they win loyalty.

3. Improve your cart recovery and re-engagement.

During BFCM, customers are bombarded with look-alike offers. Personalization is what cuts through the noise. Instead of a generic “20% off everything,” show customers their exact cart item — and that it’s now discounted. Such relevant reminders often convert better than any mass promotion.

Start by reviewing your abandonment flows. Most brands rely only on cart reminders, yet shoppers drop off much earlier — e.g., during browsing sessions, searches, or category and product views. Each of those points is a chance to re-engage someone who showed intent.

Then, add price-drop alerts to your mix. When someone who browsed an item sees that it’s now discounted, their interest reignites instantly.

Finally, optimize inventory-based notifications. Low-stock messages create real urgency and drive faster decisions, while out-of-stock alerts can recommend alternatives that keep customers in the funnel. Together, these messages turn operational updates into conversion opportunities.

Brands that invest in smarter abandonment and re-engagement see measurable impact. After optimizing these flows, Coolibar, an apparel brand, generated 3x more revenue from abandoned carts, which contributed to a 33.6 percent year-over-year increase in total email and SMS revenue.

The best part? Once refined, these automations keep earning all year, turning seasonal preparation into sustained, compounding growth.

Build What Stays When the Sale Ends

BFCM is your biggest revenue opportunity. Don't let conversion leaks waste it. Make sure your team has optimized each part of the funnel:

• Advanced lead capture: Gamification and preference collection convert 2x to 3x more visitors into contacts.
• Simplified product discovery: Quizzes and recommendations help new shoppers find products faster.
• Smart cart recovery: Personalized abandonment flows and inventory alerts recover revenue around the clock.

The setup is straightforward — a few focused hours and you're ready to convert peak traffic into peak revenue and fuel growth beyond the holidays.

Maryna Hradovich is the co-founder and COO of Maestra, an all-in-one marketing platform that helps scaling DTC brands personalize beyond email and SMS.