Your ultimate guide to crushing high-volume sales periods

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) just around the corner, ecommerce brands are gearing up for what could be the most profitable—and let’s be honest, the most challenging—time of the year. But here’s the thing: navigating these high-volume sales seasons doesn’t have to feel like surviving the Hunger Games. Success isn’t just about slashing prices—it’s about getting your Shopify store, marketing strategy, and tech ready to shine when the rush hits.

To help you prepare, we asked our experts for their top strategies: Marijke van der Lee, our Shopify consultant; Ieva Stuikyte, our Klaviyo consultant; and Malcolm Kente, our Engineering Manager. They’ve shared practical tips to guide you through BFCM with confidence.

In this guide, we’ll break down their insights, covering everything from refining your marketing to optimizing your Shopify storefront for a seamless customer experience. We’ll also explore the technical essentials that keep your operations smooth and efficient, so you can focus on what truly matters—delivering exceptional value and driving your business forward.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear roadmap to prepare your ecommerce store for BFCM and other peak seasons, turning potential stress into sustained success.

When the holiday rush hits, your Shopify storefront needs to be more than just functional—it needs to be flawless. A well-optimized store not only ensures a smooth shopping experience for your customers but also maximizes your revenue potential. 

1. Deals & Discounts: Automate for a seamless experience

Discounts are at the heart of BFCM, but managing them doesn’t have to be complicated. Instead of manually communicating discount codes, take advantage of Shopify’s automatic discounts to streamline the process. These discounts are automatically applied at checkout, offering a smoother experience for your customers and reducing friction in the purchase process. Whether it’s buy-one-get-one, free shipping, or a percentage off, automatic discounts ensure that your offers are applied effortlessly—making it easier for customers to complete their purchase.

For an added boost, consider Shopify’s Bundles app. Create irresistible product bundles that encourage customers to buy more by offering discounts on multiple items bought together. Not only does this drive sales, but it also increases your Average Order Value (AOV)—effortlessly.

2. Mobile optimization: Your store in everyone’s pocket

Most BFCM purchases happen on mobile, and if your store isn’t mobile-optimized, you’re leaving money on the table. Shopify’s Search and Discovery app is an easy way to enhance the customer experience. Use the app’s complimentary products feature to offer personalized product recommendations directly on your product pages, just like brands such as Outdoor Voices do. These smart suggestions encourage shoppers to add more items to their carts, driving up AOV without interrupting their browsing.

Beyond those recommendations, ensure your entire mobile experience is seamless. Fast load times, easy navigation, and eye-catching banners are non-negotiable. With mobile optimization dialed in, you’ll be able to convert mobile visitors into paying customers.

3. Backend preparedness: Ensuring a seamless operation

A polished storefront is only half the battle—your backend operations need to be just as prepared for the holiday surge. First, make sure your teams are ready to handle high-volume orders by using Shopify Flow templates. These pre-built workflows help automate key processes, saving your team time and ensuring everything runs smoothly.

You should also double-check your payment gateways and test your discount codes, shipping options, and refund processes to ensure there are no hiccups when it matters most. Lastly, integrating real-time support with tools like Shopify Inbox or Gorgias can make a world of difference. Having live chat on your store enhances the shopping experience and can turn a hesitant customer into a paying one

Key takeaways:

• Use Shopify’s automatic discounts for a seamless checkout experience.
• Increase your Average Order Value with Shopify’s Bundles app and personalized recommendations through Shopify’s Search and Discovery app.
• Optimize your mobile site for fast load times and intuitive navigation to capture mobile shoppers.
• Ensure your backend operations are ready for high-volume sales with automated workflows and real-time customer support.

When it comes to BFCM, your marketing strategy needs to be sharp, targeted, and ready to cut through the noise. Creating experiences that resonate with your customers and make them feel valued is key.

1. Early access: Make your best customers feel like VIPs

Offering early access to your most loyal customers is a powerful way to create exclusivity and reward your community. Think about hosting a time-sensitive or password-protected early access sale for the top tier of your loyalty program or those who signed up through specific VIP landing pages. The psychology is simple: when people feel special, they act fast. Even a small VIP-only discount of 5-10% can make a big impact without cutting too much into your bottom line. This approach not only boosts engagement but also encourages faster conversions.

2. Incentivize wish lists: Turn window shoppers into buyers

Encouraging your customers to build wish lists is another clever tactic that boosts engagement and purchase intent. A standout example is the Australian sustainable brand Daughters of India, which ran a highly successful BFCM campaign. They invited their customers to build wish lists, with the chance to win everything on their list. Even those who didn’t win were offered a generous discount to purchase the items they had saved.

The beauty of this strategy? It encourages customers to deeply engage with your products—browsing categories, reading reviews, and making thoughtful choices—all actions that signal high purchase intent. By the time the sale hits, they’re ready to buy, and you’ve already boosted their emotional connection to your brand.

3. SMS & Email: A powerful duo for real-time engagement

SMS marketing is a game-changer when it comes to timely, targeted messaging. By integrating SMS into your email flows—especially for cart abandonment, flash sales, and checkout reminders—you can re-engage your audience in real-time, directly on the device they use most: their phone. Using SMS to follow up with customers who engaged or abandoned earlier in the day can significantly increase conversions during BFCM. It’s an emerging channel, and combining it with email ensures you’re covering all the bases.

Key takeaways:

• Offer early access or VIP discounts to create exclusivity and reward loyalty.
• Incentivize customers to build wish lists, driving deeper engagement and purchase intent.
• Combine SMS and email marketing to engage customers in real-time and maximize conversions.

The technical performance of your ecommerce store is crucial, especially during high-traffic periods like BFCM. If your site can’t handle the surge in visitors or if the user experience is compromised, you risk losing sales and damaging your brand reputation. Let’s dive into the essential technical strategies that will keep your site running smoothly when it matters most.

1. Optimize Web Vitals: Speed, stability, and smooth interactions

Core Web Vitals are key to ensuring a smooth user experience, and they become even more critical during peak sales periods. Focus on three main areas:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This measures how fast your largest assets, like hero images or videos, load. Compressing these digital assets and minimizing third-party scripts can significantly improve load times.

• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): This is all about interactivity. Make sure buttons like your call-to-action (CTA) load quickly by delaying less important elements like social widgets or chatbots until after key interactions.

• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This ensures that elements on your page don’t shift around unexpectedly. Set clear height and width attributes for images and videos to prevent layout shifts, improving user experience and retaining customers through smooth navigation.

These optimizations not only improve your site’s performance but also reduce bounce rates and enhance conversions.

2. Tailor your checkout: Reduce cart abandonment

Your checkout process can make or break a sale. With Shopify Functions, you can customize your checkout experience to include dynamic discounts, upsell opportunities, and tailored shipping options based on the customer’s location or cart contents. For example, you can offer special discounts to loyal customers or upsell complementary products that pair with what’s already in their cart. North Sails uses Shopify Functions to offer early discounting for its members, showing how personalized checkout experiences can increase conversions during BFCM.

3. Optimize search: Help customers find products fast

A strong site search helps customers find what they need quickly, boosting conversions during the busy holiday season. Tools like Shopify’s Search and Discovery App and Algolia can enhance your site’s search experience. With Shopify’s Search and Discovery, you can create custom synonyms and filters so customers easily find products, even if they use different terms. Pink Gellac’s use of this tool allows for smooth navigation between products and deals. Algolia’s autocomplete feature, as seen with Shaping New Tomorrow, makes it even faster for shoppers to find what they’re looking for—speeding up the path to purchase.

Key takeaways:

• Optimize Core Web Vitals to ensure your site is fast, stable, and responsive during high-traffic periods.
• Customize the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment and increase conversions.
• Enhance site search and navigation to help customers quickly find the products they’re looking for.