The Ultimate BFCM Email Marketing Checklist for 2026

The Ultimate BFCM Email Marketing Checklist for 2026 - Brought to you by ECOM DEPT and Klaviyo


Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2026 is almost here! Our Director of Email & SMS Marketing, Janella, shares the ultimate checklist to help you prep your Klaviyo account for the busiest shopping weekend of the year. From list cleaning and segmentation to campaign strategy and post-BFCM retention, here’s what you should have on your radar. 👇🏼

KEY DATES

Date

Event

Thu, Nov 26

Thanksgiving

Fri, Nov 27

Black Friday

Mon, Nov 30

Cyber Monday


Pro tip: Don't wait until Thanksgiving week to start selling. More brands are launching promotions earlier, so use November to build anticipation, reward your VIPs, and get your audience ready to shop.

WHAT WE'VE LEARNED (AND WHAT'S STILL TRUE)

Before we jump into 2026, here's a quick look back at the insights from the last two BFCM seasons that are still shaping our strategy this year:

  • Less is more. Bigger discounts don't always mean bigger results. Discounts fell 10% YoY while spending rose 11%. Daily average discounts never crossed 30%.

  • Your existing customers are your biggest asset. At Klaviyo's BFCM Partner Roadshow, we learned that 47% of purchases during BFCM come from repeat customers. Your VIPs and past buyers deserve their own strategy.

  • Mobile-first is a must. Make sure your emails, signup forms, and landing pages look great and are easy to shop on mobile.

  • Personalization pays off. Personalized emails drove 17% higher click rates and 40% higher average order conversion during BFCM 2023. In BFCM 2025, AI-powered product recommendations drove 71% more revenue YoY. If you haven’t tested personalized product feeds, now’s the time.
  • BFCM isn't the finish line. Cyber Sunday and the days that follow are opportunities to keep revenue coming in. 25% of all consumers (and 32% of Gen Z!) are still holiday shopping after BFCM wraps.

  • Email + SMS drove 42% of all BFCM revenue for Klaviyo brands last year. 

WHAT'S NEW IN 2026

  • AI shoppers. 61% of US consumers plan to use AI to shop this season (Klaviyo). Clean up product titles, sizes, shipping, and return info. 

  • Gmail ranks Promotions by relevance. October engagement decides where you sit in November.

  • Apple Mail summarizes emails. Put your offer and deadline near the top of your email for highest visibility.

  • Sender rules are enforced. SPF/DKIM/DMARC, one-click unsubscribe, and spam under 0.3%, or mail gets rejected.

  • New Klaviyo AI (Composer, Segments AI). Great for building and auditing in October. Keep a human on voice and QA during peak week. 

BEFORE BFCM (NOW → NOV 6)

PLAN + DELIVERABILITY

  • Lock your offer, dates, and stacking rules 

  • Clean your list: suppress bounces and list bombing accounts, identify and sunset deadweight users, and create buyer audiences.

  • Ramp send volume through October, starting with your most engaged. November should feel like a continuation, not a spike.

  • A fun idea to try! Schedule the campaign at odd minutes (for exmple, 8:07, not 8:00) to dodge on-the-hour traffic during peak-BFCM.

SEGMENTATION

  • VIPs – Early access first (Tue–Thu before Black Friday).

  • Gift Givers – Bundles, sets, gift card buyers

  • Past BFCM + lapsed buyers 

  • Espresso Shot ☕ – Highly engaged + haven't purchased during the sale. Still our secret weapon! 

FORMS + FLOWS

  • Turn our tried and tested "GATED" popup into a VIP early access waitlist (email + SMS).

  • Build BFCM versions of welcome, abandonment, and post-purchase flows with shorter delays, sale banners via universal content blocks.

  • Schedule the switch back to everyday flows for early December.

CREATIVE + SMS

  • Mobile-first: concise copy, tappable CTAs, offer + deadline in the first line.

  • SMS for urgency, email for depth. SMS shoppers convert on smaller discounts, so don't over-discount there.

DURING BFCM

  • Early to mid-November: gift guides, early access teasers, then VIP early access.

  • Smart Sending OFF on BFCM campaigns. Skipped profiles never get that email, so control frequency with segments instead.

  • Send wider for the largest sends of the sale period, excluding recent bounces, spam complainers,  and anyone who ordered in the last 24hr.

  • Espresso Shot PM send to highly engaged non-buyers. A little nudge for those close to the finish line. You don't even need to design an entirely new email for this. Clone and update your SL/PH. 

  • Test your timing. Everyone sends at 9 a.m. ET, but Klaviyo's survey says fashion shoppers prefer evenings. Figure out what works for your audience.

  • Monitor complaints and unsubscribe activity.

AFTER BFCM

The journey doesn't end here. It's the starting point for long-term retention.

  • Switch flows, forms, and banners back to everyday versions (check Dec 2).

  • Keep selling through Giving Tuesday, feature holiday gift guides and last-chance shipping cutoffs, then message gift cards for your last minute shoppers.

  • Move every new BFCM buyer into post-purchase and second-order flows. Klaviyo's "Turn BFCM Shoppers into Repeat Customers" guide is a great start.

  • Document what worked (overall engagement, revenue per recipient by campaign, segment, and send time) while it's fresh.

TL;DR

Warm up your list in October, give your best (VIP) customers first access, utilize Espresso Shot segmentation as a secret weapon, and turn BFCM buyers into lifelong customers. ✨ Good luck!

Some amazing BFCM resources brought to you by Klaviyo: