The Phased Offer Strategy (Don’t Running One Offer for 14 Days)
Most brands kill their Q4 with offer fatigue. Here's the winning timeline:
Phase 1: Early Access (Nov 13-24)
Offer: Similar to Black Friday but slightly less value
Positioning: Exclusive early access, guaranteed shipping, guaranteed stock
Psychology: "Get Christmas gifting done early, skip BFCM chaos"
Phase 2: Black Friday (Nov 26-29)
Offer: Your BEST and most sitewide deal
Duration: 4 days (launch day before Thanksgiving)
Focus: Simple, clear, easy to understand—the main event
Phase 3: Cyber Monday/Week (Dec 1-3)
Offer: Change angle or add twist (free gift, extra % off, bundles)
Target: People who ignored/missed Black Friday
Focus: Gift-giving for holidays
Phase 4: Holiday Gifting (Dec 4-14)
Offer: AOV boosters, upsells, gift bundles
Focus: Christmas shopping with urgency
Phase 5: Last Chance Gifting (Dec 15-21)
Urgency Drivers:
- Dec 15: Standard shipping cutoff
- Dec 19: Priority shipping cutoff
- Dec 21: Express shipping cutoff
- Free shipping offers work best here
Real Brand Examples: What Actually Worked
Breeze
- Early Access: $15 store credit + lifetime supply giveaway
- BFCM: $25 credit + free shipping on $100+
- Gifting: Holiday bundles up to $180 off
- Key: Simple offers, clear urgency, positioned as "biggest ever"
Dr. Squatch
- Pre-BFCM: Holiday bundles (Oct 27-Nov 27) with double loyalty points
- BFCM: Custom markdowns + tiered discounts (automatic at $40/$55/$70 levels)
- Last Chance: Free 2-day shipping on $65+ orders
- Key: Browse-the-store strategy with automatic tiers
Gymshark
- Early Early Access: Up to 70% off markdowns (Nov 14-21)
- Early Access: 70% + extra 20% off (72 hours)
- BFCM: 70% + extra 25% off (Nov 29-Dec 5)
- Key: Stacked percentage discounts on markdown items
Scaling Strategy
When performance exceeds targets:
- Set columns to compare attribution windows (p.s. we talked about this in our last newsletter)
- Focus on 7-day click data
- Scale 2-5x immediately when CPA is significantly below target
CPM Reality: Don't save everything for Black Friday weekend.
- CPMs increase daily from October 1 through Black Friday
- Early spending = lower costs, higher margins
- Start NOW while CPMs are manageable
The Email & SMS Execution Plan
Pre-BFCM Preparation (Do This NOW):
1. Grow Your List Aggressively
- Install killer pop-ups (recommend Alia platform)
- Run paid ads to capture traffic
- Bigger list = more profit (it's that simple)
2. Fix Your Deliverability
- Target: 60%+ open rates
- Only send to engaged segments until deliverability improves
- Stop burning your list with 20% open rates
3. Warm Your Audience (Don't Burn Them)
- Send high-value non-discount content
- Product education and social proof
- Tease what's coming but save big discounts
4. Unsuppress Past Profiles
- Past buyers and window shoppers may be suppressed
- Reactivate as many profiles as possible for biggest list
The Sending Schedule That Wins
Early Access (Nov 13-24):
- Email: Every other day, ramp up to daily at end
- SMS: 3-4 total (launch, reminders, last chance)
Black Friday (Nov 28-29):
- Email: 2-3 per day minimum (AM launch, PM reminder, urgency)
- SMS: 1-2 per day
- Why: Email lifespan during BFCM is 2-3 hours max
Cyber Monday (Dec 1-3):
- Email: 2 per day
- SMS: Launch, midpoint, final hours
Gifting Period:
- Email: Every other day
- SMS: 2 per week + shipping cutoff urgency messages
Sample November Calendar:
- Nov 1-10: 3 emails/week (warm-up)
- Nov 11: Veterans Day email
- Nov 13-24: Early Access (email every other day + 2-3 SMS)
- Nov 26-29: Black Friday (2-3 emails/day + 1-2 SMS/day)
- Dec 1-3: Cyber Monday (2 emails/day + daily SMS)
- Dec 4-14: Gifting (email every other day)
- Dec 15, 19, 21: Shipping cutoff urgency (email + SMS)
Critical Truth: This is NOT the time for 1-2 emails. Inbox competition is brutal. Frequency = visibility = sales.
Update Your Flows & Pop-Ups
Pop-Up Strategy:
Create different pop-ups for each phase:
- Early Access pop-up (Nov 13-24)
- Black Friday pop-up (Nov 26-29)
- Cyber Monday pop-up (Dec 1-3)
- Gifting pop-up (Dec 4-21)
Why: You're getting MASSIVE traffic. Capture emails/SMS with relevant offers. You'll get unsubscribes but need new people coming in.
Flow Updates:
Turn OFF all flows except:
- Welcome flow
- Site abandoned
- Browse abandoned
- Cart & checkout abandoned
- Immediate post-purchase
Adjustments:
- Welcome: Quick email with discount explanation + bestsellers
- Site Abandoned: Wait only 45 min (not 24 hours) + BFCM offer + urgency
- Browse/Cart Abandoned: Email 1 immediately showing product + offer, Email 2 after 2 hours with extreme urgency
- Post-Purchase: Thank them + push to add more ("Best offer all year, get gifts for friends")
Critical: Every abandonment email must mention the current BFCM offer. People are shopping multiple brands and forgetting deals.
Now execute. Q4 waits for no one.