Feeling underprepared, overwhelmed, or like Black Friday prep has somehow slipped through the cracks? Don’t worry - we get it. 

At StoreLab, we’ve worked with countless Shopify businesses across clothing, health & beauty, and jewellery, so we understand how hard it is to juggle everything that comes with running a brand. We know plans can fall behind, and suddenly - you realise it’s already November! 

That said, we also believe BFCM is a prime time for Shopify stores to grow sales and revenue. So even if your prep is running behind, there’s still a lot you can do, and we want to help you make it happen.

Here are 5 last-minute Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday tips to help you capture sales and make the most of the biggest ecommerce sales weekend of the year.

1 - Optimise Your Homepage & Update Hero Banners

94% of first impressions come down to website design. So how you present your store really matters - especially across Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday, where shoppers are making fast, impulse-driven purchase decisions. 

Take some time to update your website and Shopify mobile app banners to highlight your biggest deals or bundles. Even small changes like this can make a huge difference in grabbing customer attention and driving clicks as soon as shoppers enter your store. 

Make your deals really stand out. For example, you could show the exact discount on one of your products with “before and after” prices right on the banner so shoppers can see the amount they would be saving. Add a sense of urgency with phrases like “selling out fast” or by adding a simple countdown timer. Little visual cues like that instantly signal value and give people that gentle nudge to add to cart.

Another way to optimise your Shopify store last-minute is by adding Black Friday-themed pop-ups. They can smoothly guide shoppers straight to your BFCM deals or collections - just keep them subtle. Even adding a small incentive, like free delivery on all purchases over the sales weekend, can be enough to pique interest and encourage more clickthroughs without feeling sales-y or pushy. 

You don’t need a full redesign. Quick, simple updates - a refreshed homepage banner, a few new images or visuals, and a small pop-up - are all you need. The key is to put your deals right in front of visitors so they don’t have to go digging for them, which is easy enough to do last-minute. 

You’ll look totally prepared, even if it hasn’t exactly felt that way behind the scenes!

2 - Make The Most of Email, SMS, & Push Notifications 

Even if you haven’t managed to put together or run a full Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday marketing campaign, there’s still plenty of ways to get your deals in front of shoppers - right up to (and on) the big day.

You could send out a simple, but effective email marketing campaign announcing something like, “Our Black Friday Sale is Live!” and include your top deals and finds in it. Remember, the majority of BFCM purchases are impulse buys. So even if customers weren't planning to buy from you, seeing a tempting offer in their inbox might be all it takes for them to make an  impulse purchase.

Don’t give up hope if you’re running behind on your Shopify Black Friday marketing - it’s not too late to capture sales. 

You can also send SMS messages or push notifications from your Shopify mobile app to let customers know your sale is live, or to highlight top or personalised deals. As an example, you could alert a customer that the item already sitting in their basket has just dropped in price. With 66% of customers expecting personalised experiences during Black Friday, this will be a major advantage.

Keep your messaging short, snappy, and focused on urgency and FOMO - these marketing channels are perfect for that. 60% of millennial consumers say they’ve made a reactive purchase after experiencing FOMO, most often within 24 hours. So phrases like “selling fast” or “sale ends at midnight” might seem generic, but are actually really impactful.

And remember, these shoppers have already shown interest in your brand by signing up or buying before. Therefore, it’s important to focus on and nurture your loyal customers first and personalise your messages where you can - it feels more genuine and performs better. 

It doesn’t need to be a fancy, overthought campaign if you’re running it last-minute. At this stage, people are just looking for the best deals, not the cleverest marketing.

3 - Prioritise Top-Selling Products 

If you’re only just deciding which products to discount as BFCM rolls around, stick with your top sellers! Don’t feel like you need to throw everything on sale - focus on the items that you know naturally sell well or have strong margins. These are the products most likely to help you drive more Shopify revenue growth quickly. 

Another smart last-minute move that still feels intentional is to create limited or special edition Black Friday bundles - bundle deals may increase your sales by up to 73%. You could also run BOGO deals or similar offers to increase average order value (AOV). These kinds of promotions will give the impression of a well-planned sale without needing weeks of prep.

Even one strong, targeted offer can outperform lots of scattered discounts. Black Friday & Cyber Monday shoppers are drawn to clear, obvious deals - they don't want to hunt around for savings; so you’d also be improving their customer experience at the same time.

The goal here is simple: lean into what’s already popular, make the offer feel special, and avoid spreading yourself too thin. A focused strategy not only saves time, but can drive much better results in the last-minute scramble.

4 - Run Targeted Paid Social Campaigns

This tip does require some budget and strategy, so it helps if you already have a Meta ads setup in place. But even last-minute, you can set up personalised, segmented retargeting ads for past shoppers, visitors, or cart abandoners. 

You might give a little extra push to your top-selling products with their BFCM discounts on Instagram. Short, urgency-driven campaigns tend to work really well without much effort at all. You can also target products shoppers have already viewed. No need to spend months convincing them - these are the people who’ve already shown interest.

TikTok is another great channel for last-minute traffic spikes. If you have any existing UGC, now’s the perfect time to reuse it. 84% of people are more likely to trust a brand if they use UGC. Shoppers are making fast decisions, and seeing real people use your products can give them that extra confidence to make a purchase.

The beauty of Meta and other paid ads is that they can drive fast, measurable traffic without the months of planning or nurturing that organic social requires. Done right, even a quick, last-minute Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday campaign can deliver real results.

If you’d like guidance on running and optimising Meta ads for your Shopify store, reach out to one of our friendly experts at StoreLab. We’ll help you achieve results like those here: 3 Ways Shopify Brands are Winning with Meta Ads.

5 - Make Checkout Fast & Flexible 

One of the most important last-minute optimisations you can make to your Shopify store is to focus on your checkout. Even small updates here can make a noticeable difference in conversions - and not just during BFCM, but well beyond. Across the sales weekend, shoppers want to move fast, so anything that speeds up the process will help grow your sales.

Consider offering multiple payment and one-click checkout options - Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shopify Pay, PayPal, BNPL options like Klarna or ClearPay, and credit & debit cards with autofill. 22% of shoppers will leave before completing their purchase if they don't see their preferred payment method. You’d be so close to converting someone, don’t miss out on sales over a simple checkout optimisation.

You could also highlight free shipping thresholds or low-stock items at checkout, and add a countdown for how long items are held in the basket - small touches like that again create urgency without feeling pushy.

And don’t forget to optimise your checkout for mobile. 73% of BFCM shoppers are on their phones, so make sure the checkout is smooth and streamlined. Keep it smooth, ideally on one page, avoid unnecessary forms, and make sure buttons aren’t too big or too small. The easier it is to check out, the more likely people are to complete their order.

‍

FAQs

When is Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2025?

This year, Black Friday takes place on Friday 28th November 2025, and Cyber Monday is on Monday 1st December 2025. 

‍

When should I start running my Shopify Black Friday promotions?

Ideally, start prepping and gearing up for your sale around September or October. That gives you time to plan campaigns, update your store, and get your marketing ready. 

But if you’re running behind, don’t worry - there’s still plenty of last-minute tweaks, targeted ads, and promotions you can set up to drive sales right up to BFCM. (Which we’ve covered throughout this article!)

‍

Can I still grow Shopify sales if I start preparing only a few days before BFCM?

Even small, but effective changes - like updating your homepage banners, sending a quick email, or running short retargeting ads - can drive meaningful results. Focus on your top-selling products and simple promotions for maximum impact.

‍

How can I make my Shopify checkout faster for Black Friday shoppers?

Enable multiple payment options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shopify Pay, PayPal, or BNPL services. Streamline the checkout page, keep it mobile-friendly, reduce unnecessary fields, and highlight free shipping or low-stock items to create urgency.

‍

Do I need a big marketing budget for last-minute BFCM promotions?

Not necessarily. Targeted email, SMS, push notifications, and small paid social campaigns (especially retargeting past shoppers) can be cost-effective and drive fast results. Even a short, last-minute campaign can help you to not miss out on sales.

‍

How can I optimise my Shopify store for mobile across Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday?

Most Black Friday shoppers are browsing on mobile, so make sure your site loads fast, banners and deals are easy to see, and checkout is smooth. Keep forms short, buttons easy to tap, and consider one-page checkout. You could even consider getting a dedicated mobile app for your Shopify store.

Read our full mobile optimisation guide here.

‍

Final thoughts 

Last year, Shopify merchants hit a record-breaking $11.5 billion in sales over the BFCM weekend - a 24% jump from 2023. More than 76 million customers worldwide shopped with brands powered by Shopify.

The opportunity this year is massive.

Check out our Ultimate Shopify Black Friday Cyber Monday Marketing Guide for step-by-step strategies to maximise your revenue and sales throughout the weekend.

And if you’d like more tailored support growing your Shopify store, during Black Friday or year-round, get in touch with our team at StoreLab. Our Shopify Growth Service is built to help you skyrocket sales, increase AOV, boost customer retention, and more.