As Black Friday approaches, e-commerce businesses are rubbing their hands together, eager to reach unexpected sales heights and close the year with impressive results. However, while many rush to plan their sales campaigns and special seasonal offers, they often fall into their own traps — starting the planning too late, offering poorly thought-out discounts, or neglecting to properly prepare the technical infrastructure of their online stores.
In this article, we discuss the most common mistakes e-commerce businesses make (and repeat) while preparing for Black Friday, as well as the latest 2025 trends and practical steps to ensure a profitable and seamless shopping season.
In this article, you’ll discover:
- Why Black Friday planning should start well before November.
- How technical readiness and mobile experience can determine your sales success.
- Why your discount strategy should be based on value, not just percentages.
- How segmentation and data analysis help avoid mistakes and reduce ad costs.
- Why it’s important to prepare not only for Black Friday itself but also for the post-Black Friday period.
- How 2025 trends (AI, social media, and the growing importance of customer trust) are reshaping e-commerce rules.
- How to prepare systematically so this year’s Black Friday becomes a period of efficient growth, not chaos.
Why does Black Friday remain one of the most important times of the year?
Black Friday is no longer just a one-day sale. It has become an entire season during which e-commerce businesses compete for consumers’ attention, while shoppers hunt for the best deals. This period can be the most profitable time of the year — but only if the business is properly prepared.
In recent years, Black Friday has evolved into a marathon of sales lasting several weeks or even a full month. Success now depends not only on the size of discounts but also on strategic planning, technical readiness, and the ability to stand out through communication. Yet, many online stores continue to repeat the same mistakes year after year, costing them not only revenue but also customer trust.
The Black Friday period is a critical moment because consumer activity reaches its peak. In 2024, global online sales during this time grew by 14.6%, with more than two-thirds of all purchases made via mobile devices. This shows how fierce the competition for consumer attention has become — and how businesses that fail to prepare in advance often get lost in the noise.
Late planning — a costly mistake
One of the most common mistakes e-commerce businesses make is starting their preparations too late. For many companies, the idea of Black Friday only comes up in early November — by which time competitors have already finalized their offers, reserved ad budgets, and launched their communication campaigns. This late start often leads to rushed decisions: discounts are set without a clear strategy, ad content is created at the last minute, and campaigns go live unprepared — with technical issues, website errors, or even unchecked discount codes.
Due to time pressure, businesses often skip crucial preparation steps: they don’t assess their capacity, check logistics, test their websites, or review the user experience (UX). This kind of “reactive mode” ends up being costly — both financially and reputationally. When the launch isn’t smooth, the most valuable first hours of sales are lost — the exact time when customer traffic peaks and competition is at its fiercest.
Successful companies treat Black Friday as a project that requires strategy, time, and discipline. They begin planning as early as September — or even earlier: setting clear goals, defining KPIs, allocating budgets, testing systems, preparing email sequences, ad banners, and content calendars. Having a well-structured plan enables them to act strategically instead of chaotically — and that’s one of the main reasons why some businesses see record-breaking sales during Black Friday, while others face stress and losses.
Technical readiness – the invisible yet decisive factor
Technical preparation is one of the most crucial yet often underestimated elements of Black Friday success. When an online store’s traffic multiplies several times over, even strong platforms can struggle to handle the load. Website slowness, a complicated checkout process, or errors in the shopping cart directly reduce sales and frustrate users. Research shows that as many as 12% of shoppers abandon their purchases simply because a website is too slow — meaning that even with the best offers, technical issues can cost thousands in lost revenue.
The problem is that these errors usually surface only when it’s too late to fix them. During the Black Friday period, customers expect a fast, smooth, and intuitive experience, and every second of delay can mean a lost sale. That’s why it’s essential to test your website before the campaign begins — checking page speed, ensuring server capacity, and verifying the stability of your payment system. It’s equally important to confirm that all buttons work, discounts are applied correctly, and the system can handle an increased volume of orders without glitches.
Special attention should be given to the mobile experience. In 2024, more than two-thirds of all Black Friday purchases were made on mobile devices, which means mobile design can no longer be a secondary priority. Your site should load quickly, look visually clean and clear, and provide a simple checkout process with as few steps as possible. Today’s shoppers value not just discounts but also convenience — if it’s easier to buy from a competitor’s site, they’ll choose it even with a smaller discount.
In short, technical readiness is the silent but decisive factor that can determine the success of your entire campaign. It’s an investment that often pays off within the very first hours of Black Friday.
Discount strategy – a matter of value, not just percentages
One of the most common mistakes businesses repeat before Black Friday is having an unplanned or poorly thought-out discount strategy. Many online stores still apply one blanket discount across their entire assortment — often due to time constraints or a desire for a “simple solution.” While this approach can temporarily boost sales volume, it ultimately reduces profitability, distorts brand positioning, and weakens customer trust.
Today’s shoppers are well-informed and highly price-sensitive. They track price histories, compare offers across platforms, and can easily spot artificially “inflated” prices later presented as “huge discounts.” Such marketing tricks might work in the short term, but in the long run, they damage brand reputation. Consumers quickly lose trust when they realize that discounts aren’t real and pricing is manipulative.
A sustainable way to harness the full potential of Black Friday is to build a value-based discount strategy. This means discounts should be thoughtful, differentiated, and aligned with specific business goals. For example, offer higher discounts to loyal customers or newsletter subscribers, provide early access to registered users, or encourage larger purchases by bundling products into sets. This approach not only increases the average order value but also creates a sense of exclusivity that strengthens customer relationships.
Additionally, it’s worth assessing which products truly drive profit and which can be used as “magnets” to attract traffic to your website. Lower-margin items can often serve as hooks for acquiring new customers, while the main profit should come from core or add-on products. Such a strategy helps strike the right balance between offering an appealing deal to customers and maintaining sustainable profitability for the business.
Segmentation and data – the power of precision
Another common mistake repeated before Black Friday is ignoring data and customer segmentation. Many businesses still rely on mass communication — one email for everyone, the same message for different customers, and identical ads shown to all audiences. This approach might have worked a decade ago, but today, when consumers receive dozens of promotional messages every day, it simply loses its impact. Generic content no longer creates an emotional connection, and irrelevant messages usually end up straight in the spam folder.
In modern e-commerce, personalization is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. During the Black Friday period, consumers are bombarded with offers, so the only way to stand out is by matching your message to their real needs. Segmentation enables targeted, data-driven communication based on user behavior, purchase history, average cart value, or loyalty level. This kind of analysis not only increases conversions but also reduces wasted ad spend — because messages are shown to those most likely to buy.
For example, loyal customers can receive personalized offers with early access to sales, new shoppers can be given a special discount code, and users with abandoned carts can get reminders with an extra incentive to complete their purchase. These personalized actions boost both conversion rates and customer trust and satisfaction.
Moreover, data analysis allows you to monitor campaign performance in real time and make quick, informed adjustments. If a certain segment isn’t responding to your communication, content, or channel, you can immediately optimize it. This way, campaign efficiency improves, and the budget is used more effectively.
Fast logistics and quality service – the silent chain of success
Logistics is another area where many businesses stumble. Product shortages, inaccurate stock updates, or delivery delays can easily damage the reputation an online store has worked hard to build. During Black Friday, customers are not willing to wait — if delivery times seem too long or information is unclear, they’ll switch to a competitor without hesitation. That’s why it’s essential to assess warehouse capacity in advance, have a clear and visible shipping policy, and prepare for a smooth return process.
Another often-overlooked aspect is customer service and the period following Black Friday. The sale doesn’t end when the “Buy” button is clicked. How quickly inquiries are answered, how returns are handled, and how post-purchase communication is managed often determine whether the customer will return. Unfortunately, many businesses relax after an intense week and miss a valuable opportunity to turn one-time buyers into loyal customers.
2025 Black Friday trends: AI, mobility, and authenticity
Black Friday 2025 is being shaped by new trends, with one of the most prominent being the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into marketing and shopping processes. Today, AI tools help businesses not only forecast demand but also personalize offers and segment audiences more effectively. These technologies make it possible to understand which products interest specific customers, when they’re most likely to buy, and what kind of message would motivate them to act. According to DHL’s 2025 e-commerce trends report, as many as 70% of consumers now expect a personalized shopping experience. This means that one-size-fits-all offers are losing relevance — personalization has become a key competitive advantage.
Another major direction is mobile commerce, which already dominates globally. More than two-thirds of all Black Friday purchases happen on mobile devices, making mobile website design, fast page loading, and a simple checkout process critically important. Shoppers want to complete their purchases in just a few clicks — without unnecessary fields, redirects, or payment errors. Businesses that optimize the mobile experience and present clear, easy-to-understand promotions tend to earn more and gain stronger customer trust.
A further noticeable shift is the rise of the so-called Black Friday month. More and more businesses are choosing to spread their promotions over several weeks instead of concentrating everything into one weekend. This strategy helps avoid ad cost spikes, maintain steady customer attention, and extend the overall sales period. Early campaigns also provide a chance to test offers, observe consumer behavior, and fine-tune strategy before the main shopping weekend.
At the same time, social commerce is rapidly gaining ground. Purchases made directly through Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook Shops — along with live shopping streams and authentic, real-time content — are becoming an integral part of the buying process. Consumers increasingly trust content created by real people rather than brands. Short videos, reviews, live demos, and creator recommendations strongly influence purchase decisions, especially among younger audiences. This form of communication not only builds emotional connection but also creates the sense that a brand speaks authentically — not just for marketing’s sake.
How to prepare without stress: from planning to analysis
To avoid stress and ensure success, preparation must start early. Ideally, Black Friday planning should begin at least eight weeks before launch. During this time, define your goals and budget, create a content plan, check technical stability, and outline your communication strategy. In the weeks leading up to the event, test all payment processes, and during the campaign — actively monitor data and respond in real time.
After Black Friday, it’s essential to analyze the results: review conversion rates, traffic quality, average order value, repeat purchases, and email performance. This analysis helps you understand what worked and what didn’t, so you can prepare even better for the next season.For a detailed guide on how to prepare for this crucial period, read our article: How to get ready for Black Friday and the Holiday Season: Best Digital Marketing Practices
Success is driven by strategy, not discounts
Black Friday success doesn’t depend on how many discounts you offer — it depends on how strategically you apply them. E-commerce businesses that plan ahead, analyze data, and prioritize user experience not only achieve higher sales growth but also build more sustainable relationships with their customers.
Black Friday 2025 will be even more intense and competitive than in previous years. Only those businesses that think strategically, rely on data, and focus on creating experiences — not just promotions — will stand out.
If you want this year’s Black Friday to be a period of growth rather than chaos, start preparing now. The earlier you take action, the stronger foundation you’ll build for a successful season.
FAQ
When should you start preparing for the Black Friday season?
Ideally, preparation should begin at least eight weeks before Black Friday. This allows enough time to ensure technical readiness, plan communication, optimize your website, and create a well-thought-out discount strategy.
What are the most common e-commerce mistakes before Black Friday?
- starting planning too late,
- failing to test website performance and checkout processes,
- applying the same discount to all products,
- ignoring customer segmentation and data analysis,
- overlooking logistics and after-sales communication.
How can you create an effective discount strategy?
A successful discount strategy should be value-based, not percentage-based. It’s best to differentiate your offers — give loyal customers early access, offer special deals to newsletter subscribers, or create product bundles. This approach helps increase average order value and customer satisfaction.
How do segmentation and data analysis help boost sales?
Segmentation allows you to tailor offers based on user behavior, purchase history, and loyalty level. Data analysis helps you use your ad budget more efficiently and reach audiences that are most likely to convert.
What are the key Black Friday 2025 trends?
The most important trends include AI integration, the dominance of mobile commerce, the rise of social commerce, and a focus on authentic content. Businesses that adapt to these trends will stand out in an increasingly competitive market.
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