Limited Supply S14 E9: Last Minute BFCM 2025 Playbook
Host: Nik Sharma
Date: November 26, 2025
Episode Overview
In this jam-packed, tactical episode, Nik Sharma serves up his no-BS, last-minute Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) checklist—culling from his own hard-won insights as a DTC growth and brand operator. With BFCM just days away, Nik breaks down step-by-step what direct-to-consumer brands must double- and triple-check across website tech, email, paid media, organic social, influencer ops, and customer service to avoid nightmares...and capitalize on the biggest e-commerce event of the year.
Nik’s tone is candid, direct, and energetic—akin to “a behind-the-scenes conversation you won’t hear anywhere else.” Brands are warned: skip the puff PR and focus on what actually works.
Key Discussion Points & Tactical Insights
1. Website & Tech (02:55 - 15:50)
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Test Every Customer Touchpoint
- “Test every variant selector, add to cart, slide out cart, and checkout button… on both mobile and desktop, especially custom landing pages or collections pages.”
- Make sure every CTA works, variants display correctly, bundles show accurate imagery and pricing, and subscriptions/promo logic are right.
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Promo Codes & Auto-Applies
- “Make sure if you’re linking from an ad or newsletter, the promo code auto-applies to the right page. ChatGPT can give you the URLs—just do it, it helps conversion.”
- Double-check manual codes, auto-apply links, and test everything.
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Discounts: Start/End at the Right Time Zone
- “Start on East Coast time and end on West Coast—shopping spikes at night. Don’t screw over your west coast buyers.”
- (06:05) Example: Cyber Monday starting at 12:01 a.m. EST, ending 11:59 p.m. PST.
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Homepage Hero & Announcement Bar
- Update homepage hero for BFCM: “Push the sale—make it stupid simple for somebody to know what the deal is.”
- Use a clickable announcement bar, formatted cleanly, ideally with multiple rotating messages.
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Countdown Timers & Site Speed
- Add countdown timers to landing/key product pages for urgency (acceptable here, even if normally tacky).
- “Site speed is massive—people don’t have patience on Black Friday. They just want their deal. Make it frictionless.”
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Pixel, Analytics, and Tracking
- Ensure all marketing pixels are firing—Meta, Klaviyo, Google, TikTok, etc.—even on custom pages and subdomains.
- Run heat maps/scroll maps (Clarity, heatmap.com), and cross-device/browser checks (Browser Stack, Litmus).
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Code Freeze
- “If it’s not mission critical, freeze your code. Last-minute changes are how stuff breaks.”
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Reviews Across SKUs
- Merge reviews for duplicate SKUs and bundles for maximum social proof (shouts out Caraway for best-in-class execution).
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Vanity URLs & Redirects
- “Never give creators, affiliates, or texts long URLs—use vanity URLs so tracking is clean and attribution is clear.”
- Example: “[Brand].com/creatorname” instead of “brand.com/products/item?utm…”.
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Back in Stock Alerts
- Set up “back-in-stock” widgets to capture demand if things sell out. Collect emails/SMS—and be ready with product-specific segments.
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Tag BFCM Customers
- “Every BFCM new customer, tag ‘BFCM 2025’ so you can cohort and study them later.”
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Check Shopify Scripts
- Ensure scripts (bundles, auto-adds, discount logic) don’t collide in a way that double-discounts or breaks the cart.
Memorable Quote
“People don’t care about your brand on Black Friday. They just want their deal.” — Nik Sharma (09:35)
2. Email & SMS (16:25 - 20:50)
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Lock in Your Email Schedule
- Prep sends, segmented resend groups (didn’t open/opened but didn’t click), and set up exclusions (e.g., don’t blast recent buyers).
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Dynamic Sale Banners & Popups
- Use dynamic banners in Klaviyo: update sale messaging in one place, reflects everywhere.
- Popups: “Call out the discount. No one wants ‘sign up for updates’—tell them what they get, make the exchange clear.”
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SMS Strategy
- Announce via SMS, do a mid-sale nudge, then a last-call. “Segment smartly—SMS is expensive. Prioritize high-potential segments.”
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Emergency Templates (Pre-written)
- Draft three blast-ready emails: site emergency, shipping delay, product sold out/waitlist. “Have 80% written, fill in missing blanks as needed.”
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Personal Founder Email
- Send a plain text “from the founder” nudge. “Always hits—feels personal, drives engagement.”
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VIP Early Access
- Segment for “VIP”s and send early access/preview sale emails.
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Test Everything With Litmus
- Run every email across device/dark mode combos (calls Litmus the go-to app).
3. Paid Media (20:51 - 23:30)
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Upload All Ads Early
- “Approval gets slow this week—upload Cyber Week ads NOW.”
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Keep Evergreen Winners
- Don’t pause evergreen winners; instead, redirect destination URLs at the CMS level to the sales page: “If you change it in Facebook, you reset ad learning. Change it on the site, not Ads Manager.”
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Retargeting & Budget Scaling
- Scale retargeting budgets to match increased site traffic.
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Check Product Feeds Everywhere
- Sync sales pricing and creative across TikTok Shop, Marpipe, Google Shopping, etc.
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DPA Ad Accuracy
- Double-check Dynamic Product Ads (DPAs) are reflecting correct sale prices everywhere.
4. Organic Social (23:31 - 28:42)
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Social Bios & Highlight Stories
- “Update your bios with your BFCM offer. Pin a story highlight (‘BFCM’) and keep it updated each day.”
- Remove old highlight slides so users see only the current deals.
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Links, Pinned Posts, and Reducing Clicks
- Minimize barrier: “One link in bio is best—get straight to your offer, ideally with unique UTM tracking. Two or more links is two clicks, not one.”
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Daily Stories, UGC, and Timers
- Post daily stories detailing sales, products, bundles, countdowns, UGC, social proof.
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Live Streams
- If possible, go live on Instagram or TikTok during peak hours.
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Founder Video
- “Film a quick iPhone founder video about the sale—personal anecdotes sell. High conversion, minimal work.”
5. Influencers & Affiliates (28:43 - 31:10)
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Affiliate/Influencer Enablement
- Send all codes, auto-apply links, and a reference sheet with sales dates/times to every affiliate/creator.
- “Assume they lost it—over-communicate. Make it so easy a five-year-old could copy the right link.”
- Send all codes, auto-apply links, and a reference sheet with sales dates/times to every affiliate/creator.
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Incentivize Top Partners
- Special commissions, year of rent, even cars—“If your top affiliates go hard, the prize pays for itself.”
6. Operations & Customer Experience (31:11 - 35:19)
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Internal BFCM FAQ & Macros
- Build a “BFCM FAQ” doc for CX reps: shipping times, return policies (many brands allow post-holiday returns), all active discount codes/logic.
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Return Policy Notice
- Make extended return windows clear, as platforms favor brands with generous holiday returns.
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Preload Macros for Issues
- Write canned replies for shipping delays, missing orders, etc. Under-promise and over-deliver.
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Flag Warehouse/3PLs for Volume
- Make sure fulfillment teams are briefed on expected order spikes.
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CX “Issues” SWAT Channel
- Create a Slack channel for BFCM emergency issues; have reps from CX, marketing, tech, and retention on call.
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Order Confirmation Messaging
- Add BFCM-specific language to order confirmations to set expectations about potential delays.
7. Final Details & Power Tips (35:20 - End)
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Gamification & AOV Boosts
- Gamify first X orders, offer mystery gifts, or bonus cards for comeback in January.
- Tailored bundles, replenishment upsells, double (or “upsell-plus-downsell”) offers on the Thank You page.
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Continuous Testing
- “Stress test checkout. Every few hours, go incognito and do a test purchase. Stuff breaks for dumb reasons—catch it early.”
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Self-Care Reminder
- “Get espresso ready, hydrate, block your calendar, text your team—this is your Super Bowl. Everything that goes right or wrong is your fault.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On relentless last-minute testing:
“Even though everything might work properly, something might still break. So just keep testing everything.”
(37:05) -
On BFCM customer priorities:
“People don’t really care about your brand on Black Friday—they just want their deal.”
(09:35) -
Real talk on founder presence:
“Just record a founder video...it feels like you’re telling somebody as a friend—not as a company.”
(26:15) -
Battle-hardened wisdom:
“This is the Super Bowl and everything that goes right or wrong is your fault. So make sure you get it done.”
(38:05)
Key Takeaways
- BFCM success is all about detail: test relentlessly, prep every message, and segment every push.
- Focus on functional excellence—user friction kills sales when shoppers are in “deal mode.”
- Over-prepare for operational chaos: CX, fulfillment, and technical infrastructure must all be watertight.
- Make it stupid easy (and crystal clear) for affiliates, customers, and your own team.
- Personal touches (founder videos, hand-written emails) cut through the Black Friday noise.
Useful Timestamps
| Segment | Time | |---------------------------|------------| | Website & Tech Deep Dive | 02:55-15:50| | Email/SMS Playbook | 16:24-20:50| | Paid Media Tactics | 20:51-23:30| | Organic Social Checklist | 23:31-28:42| | Influencers & Affiliates | 28:43-31:10| | Ops & Customer Experience | 31:11-35:19| | Advanced Tactics/Win Tips | 35:20-38:50|
In Nik’s Words (Closing):
“Good luck on Black Friday. Hopefully you found one or two tips here that saved you and I’ll see you next week.” (38:45)
