How To Get Ready for Black Friday and Win Sales: A Guide for Small Businesses 

Key takeaways: 

• The businesses that succeed on Black Friday are the ones that prepare early, stay consistent, and ensure their websites are fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to check out. 
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now shaping how people shop and how search results work. 
• Shoppers respond best to practical strategies like limited-time deals, product bundles, and gift guides. 

Black Friday shopping has rapidly shifted from crowded store aisles to digital carts. In 2024, U.S. shoppers spent nearly $10.8 billion online for Black Friday. For small businesses, this transition opens big opportunities for success, but it depends on how early and how well you prepare your holiday marketing strategy. 

As Alicia Pringle, Senior Director of Network Solutions’ Marketing Team, says, “Holiday shopping starts earlier every single year. Customers are researching gifts in September and building their carts in October. Black Friday isn’t even a thing as much anymore.” 

Let’s take a look at how these strategies can help your business stand out, win more customers, and turn Black Friday into a major growth opportunity. 

Black Friday and what it means for small businesses in 2025 

Black Friday began decades ago when shoppers rushed into stores after Thanksgiving, with parades and heavy traffic in the 1960s. Eventually, it became known as the busiest shopping day of the year. 

Now the crowds have moved online. Instead of lining up at store doors, people are filling carts on eCommerce sites. 

In 2023, more than 200 million people in the U.S. shopped over the Black Friday weekend, generating nearly $9.8 billion in sales. It is also expected that the stakes will rise even higher this year.  

For small businesses, this is a chance to boost year-end revenue, gain new customers, and clear inventory. Standing out against larger competitors means leaning on smart strategies like time-sensitive deals, product bundles, and consistent messaging across every channel.  

Below, we have a list of Black Friday marketing ideas that all small businesses should consider if they’re hoping to get in on the action. 

11 marketing strategies to leverage this Black Friday 

Shoppers are already hunting for deals long before the weekend arrives, and small businesses can’t afford to wait. Here are strategies you can put in place to stand out and make the most of the season. 

1. Start early and build anticipation 
2. Optimize your website for mobile and speed 
3. Create urgency with limited-time deals 
4. Bundle products to increase order value 
5. Use AI to personalize offers and predict demand 
6. Promote deals on social media and partner with influencers 
7. Build segmented email and SMS lists 
8. Install chatbots for instant support 
9. Share gift guides and curated shopping ideas 
10. Extend sales beyond Black Friday into Cyber Week 
11. Create a holiday marketing calendar 

1. Start early and build anticipation 

Many shoppers have already filled their carts by the time the weekend arrives. If you wait until Thanksgiving week to promote your brand, you’re already behind. 

The simplest way to start early is by giving your customers a reason to sign up. Add an early access popup on your site or post a VIP list on social media.  

Promise subscribers they’ll see your Black Friday offers first. Then, a week before the sales go live, email them with a code or a private link. 

A great way to build anticipation is by offering a sneak peek of your Black Friday deals. Reveal a small part of your offers before the event to spark curiosity and excitement among your customers.  

For eCommerce businesses, consider teasing a selection of top products that will feature in your Black Friday sales. If you’re in the SaaS space, a short video or GIF highlighting the core features of your product can be an engaging preview. 

Here are some ways to promote your sneak peek: 

• Add it to your newsletter 
• Send it out in an email blast 
• Promote it on social media 
• Publish a YouTube video 
• Add pop-ups on your website 
• Create Search and Display ads 
• Create a radio or podcast commercial 
• Make flyers and spread the word 
• Create television and billboard ads (for big companies) 

To make sure you don’t miss any key steps in preparing for the season, check out our 90-Day Holiday Marketing Holiday Marketing Calendar for a full overview of early marketing tasks. 

2. Optimize your website for mobile and speed 

Most Black Friday shoppers are browsing on their phones. If your site is slow or clunky on mobile, they’ll bounce and buy somewhere else. Every extra second of loading time costs you potential sales. 

Start with the basics. Test your site on your phone and fix anything that feels frustrating: 

• Are images taking too long to load? Compress them.
• Is the checkout button easy to tap? Make it larger. 
• Are there too many pop-ups? Cut down distractions. 
• Does checkout take too many steps? Simplify the process.  

Mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay also make a difference. You’ll avoid losing sales by giving customers the option to one-tap check out instead of typing in their card details. 

For more tips on making your site faster and easier to use on mobile, check out our article on improving eCommerce site speed. 

3. Create urgency with limited-time deals 

Shoppers move faster when they know time is running out. That’s why flash sales and countdowns work so well during Black Friday. 

You don’t need dozens of offers to create urgency. Pick a few key deals and run them for a limited time—like 20% off until noon or an extra 10% off for the first 100 orders. Use a countdown timer on your site or in emails to show when the deal ends. 

Just be clear and honest. If you say a deal ends at midnight, don’t extend it to the next day. Urgency works best when customers see that your deal is true. 

4. Bundle products to increase order value 

Bundles make shopping easier for customers and more profitable for you. Instead of selling one item, pair products together at a slightly lower price than if they were bought separately. 

Think of practical and natural combinations, such as: 

• A candle with a lighter 
• A coffee maker with a bag of beans 
• A skincare product with a travel pouch 
• Buy more, save more bundles, like 2 for $25 or 3 for $50 

Not only do bundles increase your average order size, they also help clear slower-moving stock. And when you pre-pack popular bundles, shipping becomes faster and smoother too. 

5. Use AI to personalize offers and predict demand 

AI can help you understand what your customers are likely to buy and tailor offers around that. AI-powered recommendations can suggest items based on what a shopper has browsed or added to their cart.  

AI can also help you forecast demand. Instead of guessing, use tools that look at past sales and trends to predict which products will sell fastest. That way, you don’t overspend on ads for the wrong items or run out of stock on your bestsellers. 

6. Promote deals on social media and partner with influencers 

Social media is where most shoppers hear about Black Friday deals first. Use your channels to build hype and remind people of what’s coming. 

Short videos, quick product demos, or behind-the-scenes posts all work well. Start teasing deals a week or two ahead, then post more often as the weekend arrives. 

Partnering with influencers doesn’t have to mean paying thousands. Look for micro-influencers in your niche or people with smaller but loyal audiences. A single authentic post from them can drive traffic that feels more trustworthy than a paid ad. 

7. Build segmented email and SMS lists 

Email and text messages are still the best way to reach customers directly during Black Friday. But blasting the same message to everyone isn’t as effective as tailoring it. 

Start building your email list in time for the Black Friday or Cyber Monday holidays. Make sure to: 

• Keep your forms simple and easy to fill out. Use clear, enticing language and only ask for essential information. 
• Offer exclusive deals, such as gifts or special discounts, to subscribers and loyal customers. 
• Promote sign-ups through your social media channels to reach a wider audience. 
• Consider using lead magnets, like free templates, checklists, or tools, in exchange for email addresses. 
• Offer free resources like templates, checklists, or tools in exchange for email addresses. 

You’ll need a professional business email to kick off your marketing strategy. There are many providers and platforms available, so choose the one that best fits your business needs.

8. Install chatbots for instant support 

During Black Friday, customers expect quick answers. A chatbot can handle common questions instantly, Iike “do you ship internationally?” or “when will my order arrive?” 

You don’t need a complicated setup. Even a basic chatbot that covers FAQs can save you from losing sales because someone couldn’t find an answer. 

For higher-value questions, make sure the chatbot can hand over to a real person when needed. That way, shoppers get help fast without feeling ignored. 

9. Share gift guides and curated shopping ideas 

Black Friday shoppers aren’t just looking for deals—many are buying gifts. A simple guide can help them choose faster and lead them straight to your best products. 

Create collections such as: 

• Gifts under $25 
• Gifts under $50 
• For tech lovers 
• For the home 
• For moms and dads 

Feature these guides on your website, share them in emails, and post them on social media. 

Gift guides push customers toward items you want to promote, whether that’s seasonal bestsellers or products with higher margins. 

10. Extend sales beyond Black Friday into Cyber Week 

Not everyone shops on Friday. Many wait for the weekend, Cyber Monday, or even later. Extending your sale keeps you visible and captures buyers who missed the first wave. 

You don’t have to keep the same discount running. You can shift your offer and then highlight bundles or free shipping over the weekend and wrap it with a smaller but still appealing Monday offer. 

The key is to keep promoting until the week is done, so you stay in front of shoppers who are still browsing. 

11. Create a holiday marketing calendar 

Black Friday moves fast and it’s easy to fall behind. A simple marketing calendar helps you stay organized and avoid last-minute stress. 

List out your key promotions, when emails or texts go out, and what you’ll post on social media. Start your prep at least a month ahead. This also gives you time to check your site, update product photos, and make sure your offers are ready. 

After the sales weekend, take notes on what worked and what didn’t. Those insights will make next year easier and more profitable. 

For more tips on getting ready for the season, see our Holiday Marketing Checklist. 

How AI is shaping Black Friday strategy 

Holiday shopping in 2025 looks different because AI is now part of the buying journey. You can even ask AI for the top 10 gift ideas for the holidays, and it will instantly give you a list of suggestions. 

Here’s how AI is shaping Black Friday strategy today: 

• Deliver hyper-personalized recommendations 
• Improve search with natural language queries 
• Target ads more precisely 
• Generate marketing content quickly across channels 
• Support customers 24/7 with chatbots 
• Detect and prevent fraud 
• Forecast demand more accurately 
• Help consumers shop smarter with AI tools 

Deliver hyper-personalized recommendations 

Instead of sending the same promotion to everyone, AI tailors offer based on real customer data. It can analyze browsing history, abandoned carts, and past purchases to suggest the most relevant deals.  

For example, someone browsing hiking gear might get a Black Friday discount on boots rather than generic apparel. 

Improve search with natural language queries 

Search has moved beyond just keywords. Search engines today use AI technologies like natural language processing (NLP) to understand conversational queries. 

This means they can process more natural, conversational queries like “Where can I find black leather boots under $100?” This allows search engines to return more precise and relevant results, even if shoppers don’t phrase their queries perfectly.  

With this advancement, your products have a better chance of showing up in search results and make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for. 

Target ads more precisely 

AI takes the guesswork out of paid campaigns. By analyzing segments and timing, it helps you put the right ad in front of the right person.  

Instead of one blanket promotion, you can run different Black Friday offers for loyal customers, new visitors, or high spenders. 

You can also utilize a marketing funnel to guide different groups of shoppers through tailored offers that match where they are in the buying journey. 

Generate marketing content quickly across channels 

Black Friday campaigns move fast. Generative AI tools help produce product descriptions, ad copy, and social posts quickly.  

While you should still refine the tone to match your brand, these tools make scaling across multiple channels possible without burning out your team. 

Support customers 24/7 with chatbots 

Customer service spikes during Black Friday. AI chatbots can instantly answer common and frequently asked questions like “what’s your shipping cutoff?” or “where is my order?” This keeps customers from waiting and frees your team to handle complex issues. 

Detect and prevent fraud 

Fraud attempts increase during high-volume shopping weekends. AI systems monitor transactions in real time which flags suspicious behavior before it causes damage. This builds trust and keeps payment experiences safe. 

For a smooth shopping experience of your customers, secure your website with security features like SSL certification and SiteLock.  

Forecast demand more accurately 

AI looks at past sales, customer behavior, and current trends to predict what will sell. This helps small businesses avoid stockouts on popular products or over-ordering items that won’t move. Better forecasting means smoother operations and happier customers. 

You can leverage tools like SEMrush’s AI Strategic Market Insights to help you analyze trends and Google Analytics’ insights to track user behavior and predict future buying patterns.  

This helps identify rising trends and shopper behavior so you can plan your Black Friday inventory with more confidence. 

Help consumers shop smarter with AI tools 

Shoppers are also utilizing AI in their journey. Many now rely on AI to compare prices, summarize reviews, and get tailored product suggestions.  

This pushes businesses to sharpen their AI strategies, so they don’t lose visibility when customers turn to these tools. 

Get your business holiday-ready with expert help 

A successful Black Friday strategy isn’t won by luck—it’s won by preparation. From starting early to optimizing your website and keeping your message consistent across every channel, small steps add up to lasting results.  

As Alicia Pringle pointed out, “Hope is not a strategy, and the ones who win are the ones who are the most prepared.” 

Let us help you with your Black Friday preparations. Trusted by customers for over 20 years, we offer expert services in website design, SEO, and digital marketing to help your business stand out, attract more customers, and make this Black Friday your most successful yet. 

Speak with one of our experts today to get your business Black Friday-ready. 

Frequently asked questions