It’s never too soon to start preparing for the biggest ecommerce shopping period of the year. And in a year already shaped by economic uncertainty, shifting consumer behavior, and increased pressure to drive ROI across every channel, getting a head start isn’t just smart—it’s essential.
Waiting until Q3 to get ready for the holiday rush could mean missed opportunities and last-minute scrambling. Instead, lay the groundwork early and position your brand to stand out when it matters most. This article shares how (and why) you should start your Black Friday preparation long before the holidays approach.
2025 Will Be Bigger Than Ever
Black Friday remains the biggest online shopping day of the year—topping $10 billion in sales in 2024. Every year, more and more consumers skip the never-ending lines and crushing crowds of in-store shopping, and savvy online shoppers are now fully aware that the best Black Friday bargains are accessible from the comfort of home or while they’re out and about.
This Black Friday, the demand for seamless ecommerce experiences is sure to continue. However, with more and more retailers turning their focus to online promotions over in-store sales, it’s increasingly difficult to stand out. To compete in a crowded marketplace this Black Friday, you need to prepare your strategy now.
5 Steps to Prepare for Black Friday Success in 2025
Ready to get started? Here are five steps to win Black Friday 2025 by preparing early.
1. Start with Last Year’s Reports
Revisit your Black Friday ecommerce reports from last year to refresh your memory on what performed well, and how your site could have been better prepared. Take the time to examine how shoppers interacted with your store. What were they searching for? Which categories were they most likely to view? Which promotions resonated more than others? At what point in the journey did they drop off? These data-driven insights should shape your Black Friday 2025 campaigns.
2. Plan Your Campaign Landing Pages
Once you have determined what your shoppers typically search for, it’s time to review where they land. For high profile events like Black Friday, it’s a good idea to create dedicated campaign or category landing pages to which you can direct all relevant search queries. These campaign landing pages can—and should—be planned, designed, and tested well in advance of Thanksgiving. Then, with campaign scheduling, all you need to do is set the precise dates and times that these pages will go live to coincide with your sale periods.
3. Create Merchandising Banners and Badges
What kind of promotions will you offer on Black Friday 2025? Do you always run a standard site-wide discount? Will you vary your offers? Whichever approach you choose, you will need a pre-prepared gallery of merchandising banners and badges to showcase your offers. From teaser promotions on your homepage to specific highlights for each category, get all your collateral ready now. In addition to being ready to update your website when the time comes, you’ll also have a wealth of assets prepared for social media, email, and online advertising.
4. Build Loyalty
One of the most common flaws of Black Friday promotions is that they tend to attract one-off, seasonal shoppers that never return. Extreme discounts may generate a single-day spike in sales, but how can you boost the customer lifetime value of this year’s shoppers? Nurture your database now with segmented messaging and personalized recommendations. Offer exclusive perks and pre-sale access for members of your loyalty program. Then, when Black Friday is all over, have a retention strategy in place to bring new visitors back again and again.
5. Test, Test, and Test Again
Pressing the launch button on Black Friday campaigns is always nerve-racking, but there are steps you can take now to prevent unnecessary stress later on. Check in with your tech stack and solution providers to see how they will handle spikes in traffic. Run a full site audit to identify issues like broken links, slow load times, or bugs in your mobile experience. Review and update key pages like your FAQ and delivery and return policies. Do this groundwork now so you have plenty of time to remedy problems that could otherwise crop up when your site (and team) is under heightened pressure.
Get Ready to Win Black Friday 2025
Start by downloading Part 1 of Searchspring’s Black Friday 2025 Playbook Series to learn all you need to know about successfully preparing for this year’s holiday shopping season.
