Black Friday 2025: Quick wins for your Magento and Shopify store

Prepare your eCommerce store for Black Friday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t just shopping days anymore – they’re the moment of the year for eCommerce. And let’s be honest, it’s both exciting and a little terrifying. This year, customers expect lightning-fast sites, stress-free checkouts and no hiccups while they’re racing to grab those deals.

If your only concern is resource, here’s the good news – you don’t need hours of building long landing pages to be ready for peak sales over BFCM. There are practical, quick wins you can put in place today that will make a huge difference when traffic surges.

In this article, we're going to get into exactly what those are. From performance tweaks to checkout improvements, these simple changes can protect your conversions, keep your customers happy, and take the stress out of peak season.

Whether you’re on Magento or Shopify, you’ll have plenty of ideas of what you can start on right now. And of course, if you want deeper support, our Shopify and Magento experts are here to help you head into Black Friday and Cyber Monday with confidence.

What is BFCM (Black Friday & Cyber Monday)?

Black Friday started out in the US as the day after Thanksgiving. It was the moment retailers kicked off the holiday shopping season with huge in-store discounts. What started as a one-day event has grown into a global retail tradition, fuelled largely by eCommerce. Over the last decade it’s expanded beyond Friday itself, now stretching across the whole weekend, including Cyber Monday.

Put them together and you’ve got the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Shoppers now expect deep discounts, limited-time promotions and a flawless online experience. For retail brands, Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t just about lowering prices anymore – they’re about delivering ultra fast, reliable websites and smooth, stress-free checkouts that can keep up with demand when traffic hits its peak.

The real impact of Black Friday on eCommerce

Black Friday and Cyber Monday – which is also called Cyber Week – have become an absolute revenue powerhouse for eCommerce. Just to put it in perspective: in 2024, US shoppers spent about $10.8 billion online on Black Friday and $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday — record highs for both days.

Globally, Cyber Week pulled in nearly $315 billion in online sales, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday alone accounting for well over $120 billion combined. And closer to home, UK transactions jumped 9.5% year-on-year according to Barclaycard.

But it’s not just about the sales spike. BFCM is also a massive customer acquisition moment. Shoppers who discover your brand through headline discounts can become loyal repeat customers, if their first experience with you is fast, simple, and stress-free.

And that’s where the pressure really kicks in. If your site is slow, clunky, or unreliable when the rush hits, shoppers won’t wait around. They’ll head straight to competitors who are ready. Preparing ahead of time isn’t just smart, it’s essential if you want to win your share of the biggest shopping weekend of the year.

What to expect for BFCM in 2025

The 2024 Cyber weekend didn’t just break records, it changed the way shoppers behave. People are starting their holiday shopping well before the “big weekend.” In fact, 42% of shoppers were already hunting for deals before November even began. Around 8% got started as early as September, and nearly one in five had kicked things off in October. The retail rush isn’t just over one weekend, it’s stretching out, which means brands need to fire up their promotional engines earlier than ever.

And let’s talk about mobile. Over half of Cyber Week purchases are already happening on mobile, and in 2024, mobile accounted for 56% of holiday-season revenue, climbing to 65% on Christmas Day. The takeaway? A seamless mobile experience isn’t optional anymore, it’s absolutely mission-critical.

Shoppers are also more tech-savvier than ever. They’re checking prices across sites, looking for trust signals, and questioning whether deals are really as good as they seem.

Last year, 57% of buyers doubted the authenticity of BFCM discounts, and nearly three-quarters spent more time researching before clicking “buy.” That means fast site performance, transparent pricing, clear shipping info, and trust-building elements like reviews and badges aren’t “nice extras” anymore. They’re the difference between a sale and an abandoned cart.

Smart Black Friday strategies beyond flash sales

Discounts may steal the spotlight during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but the smartest retailers know that relying on price cuts alone isn’t sustainable. Deep discounts eat into margins and don’t always create long-term value. The real wins come from strategies that boost sales and build on trust.

Think about ways to add value rather than just take money off:

• Bundle and save: Create gift-ready bundles, like a “holiday starter kit” or “family pack.

• Free gift with purchase: Surprise customers with a smaller add-on product.

• Shipping upgrades: Instead of free standard shipping, offer free express delivery over BFCM.

• Loyalty exclusives: Double loyalty points, give members early access to deals and bundles.

• Personalisation perks: Throw in complimentary gift-wrapping or personalised packaging.

You can also use Black Friday to generate excitement in other ways. Limited-edition colours or bundles available only during the weekend create urgency and buzz. VIP early access gives your best customers the first pick, making them feel part of something special.

When you mix these tactics, BFCM becomes more than a quick sales spike. It turns into a moment to deepen loyalty, stand out from the competition, and set your brand up for long-term growth.

Quick wins for your store leading up to Black Friday

If you haven’t been planning for Black Friday since the summer, don’t panic.

There are still plenty of high-impact moves you can make right now. The key is to focus on the areas that matter most: making sure your site loads lightning fast, keeping the checkout process as smooth as possible, and tightening up your on-site messaging so shoppers know exactly what to expect.

Small tweaks can go a long way.

Compressing images for speed, trimming down checkout form fields, or making trust signals like reviews and badges more visible – all of these can have a measurable impact when traffic spikes. The best part? None of them require a huge development project. These quick wins can be the difference between frustrated abandonments and record-breaking conversions when the sales rush hits.

Speed up your store

Nothing drives shoppers away faster than a slow site. We’ve all clicked on a great deal only to sit there waiting for the page to load. By the time it does, the moment’s gone.

One of the easiest wins is optimising product images. They’re often the biggest cause of sluggish load times, and with the right compression you can cut file sizes without losing quality.

Caching is another quick fix. It reduces the strain on your servers and keeps things moving when traffic spikes. And it’s worth doing an app or plugin clean-up too – unnecessary extensions can quietly drag down performance in the background and affect your store's performance.

The faster your site feels to the user, the more likely they are to stay, browse and buy (and come back after the weekend). And in the middle of a Black Friday rush, every second really does count.

Stress-test your checkout

Checkout is the make-or-break moment. You can have the best deals in the world, but if checkout feels clunky, people won't stick around. Start by stripping out the friction.

Keep the steps to a minimum and always, always allow guest checkout – forcing someone new to create an account is a guaranteed way to lose them. Checkout customisation is a limitation of Shopify stores, but it's a key feature of Shopify Plus, so if you're already on Plus you can look at optimising it.

Payment choice is just as important. Digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal aren’t just optional payment types anymore, they’re conversion boosters. Make sure they’re visible, working, and tested ahead of time. Klarna and ClearPay are also high-conversion wins.

Be clear with your offers, too. Highlight promotions early in the journey so there’s no confusion at the last step. A dedicated Black Friday landing page can help centralise deals, while banners and countdown timers add that sense of urgency shoppers expect.

And don’t forget the basics: weaving “Black Friday” into product titles and descriptions helps customers and search engines find your offers more easily. The product headline is where the decision starts.

Prepare for mobile traffic

With most BFCM sales now happening on mobile, the mobile experience has to come first. It’s not enough to assume your site performs well on smaller screens, you need to test it.

Walk through the checkout on different devices and see what your customers see. Are the CTAs big enough to tap with a thumb? Is the form easy to fill out on a smaller keyboard? Little usability snags add up quickly when someone’s in a rush, especially on the move.

And don’t just test on Wi-Fi. Many shoppers will be browsing in public places, and if your site is accessed on a 4G connection, they won’t wait around. Every second counts, particularly on mobile.

Double-check tracking and reporting

The last thing you want during the busiest sales weekend of the year is flying blind. If your analytics aren’t set up correctly, you’ll miss out on crucial insights and won’t know what’s actually driving performance.

Start by double-checking that GA4 (Google Analytics 4) and Google Tag Manager are setup and tracking the right events – things like add to cart, checkout steps, and completed purchases. Don’t just assume they’re working; run a few test transactions so you know for sure.

Once you’ve nailed the basics, set up a real-time dashboard. Having live visibility into what’s happening on your store – from traffic spikes to conversion rates – means you can spot issues quickly and respond in the moment. Maybe a promo code isn’t working, or a funnel is underperforming. With the right tracking in place, you’ll catch it fast and make adjustments before you lose sales.

When every hour counts, those live insights aren’t just “nice to have” – they’re the difference between stumbling through BFCM and confidently maximising your results.

Communicate shipping and returns clearly

Delivery and returns can make or break a purchase decision, especially during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. Shoppers aren’t just looking at the price – they want to know when their order will arrive and how easy it will be to send back if it’s not right.

Be upfront with your customers. Show delivery dates clearly on product pages and again at checkout, so there’s no uncertainty. Highlight any extended returns policies – they’re a powerful reassurance for hesitant buyers who might otherwise hold back.

It’s also worth giving your FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) a seasonal refresh. Include them on your product pages, don't assume customers will navigate way from the page they're on to check your FAQs. Update policies to add clear information about delivery cut-offs, return windows, and holiday-specific terms. This can take pressure off your support team when enquiries spike.

The more transparent you are, the more confidence customers will have in proceeding to checkout. In peak season, that extra clarity can be the difference between a completed order and an abandoned cart.

Final thoughts on Black Friday for eCommerce

Black Friday doesn’t have to be a frantic last-minute scramble. Even if you haven’t been planning for months, there’s still plenty you can do right now to make a meaningful impact when traffic and orders surge. The truth is, small, smart changes often deliver the biggest wins.

Simple site speed tweaks can shave precious seconds off page loads, smoother checkout flows can stop customers from dropping out at the final hurdle, and clear communication can set the right expectations so shoppers feel confident going to checkout, not just adding a product to cart. None of these require a full-scale rebuild, but together they can transform your BFCM performance.

Ready to begin your Black Friday preparation?

The BFCM weekend is intense – but getting your store ready doesn’t have to be. Our team of Shopify and Magento specialists here to take the pressure off. We can step in with quick performance boosts, smoother checkouts or tracking so you’re not worrying about the the tech side of the weekend.

We’ve helped plenty of Shopify and Magento stores get through the rush, and the goal is always the same, to give you confidence that your site can handle the traffic and keep customers moving from basket to checkout without a sluggish performance or below-average conversion boosters.

If you’d like a hand getting those updates in place before the big weekend, just reach out. We’ll make sure you’re ready to take full advantage of the Black Friday surge without the last-minute stress.