The My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast With Steve Chou

Episode 616: The Black Friday Playbook We’re Using This Year
Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Steve Chou
Guests: Sarah Chrisp, Tony, Kim

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into practical, data-driven Black Friday and holiday sales strategies tailored for ecommerce sellers. Sarah, Tony, and Kim break down what’s actually working in their own stores—emphasizing profit-raising tactics over margin-killing discount wars. The trio discuss how changing consumer habits, early promotions, bundling, gamified emails, and live selling are shaping modern, sustainable holiday sales plays for independent ecommerce brands.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Black Friday Has Changed: The New “Normal” (01:30–07:17)

• Earlier & Longer Promos: The team notes how Black Friday sales now start earlier each year—sometimes as early as November 1st—resulting in a desensitized market.
  • “I think Black Friday is no longer a thing, to be honest with you.” – Kim (01:47)
• Major Retailer Competition: Tony and Kim reflect on how Prime Day and competing sales (Walmart Day, Target Days) further dilute the impact of Black Friday.
• Holiday Shopping Patterns: The nostalgia of in-person doorbusters is gone; shopping is less frenzied, more spread out.

2. Understanding Your Brand’s Real “Black Friday” (06:46–07:17)

• Not every brand’s biggest sales peak is on Black Friday. For Kim, Thanksgiving-related products peak before Black Friday.
  • “Our Black Friday actually happens leading up to Thanksgiving.” – Kim (06:46)

3. Discounting: The Pros, Cons, and Real Math (07:17–10:21, 31:03–32:10)

• Caution Against Deep Discounts: Kim emphasizes that discounts can eat dramatically into profits, especially when paired with expensive ads. She suggests brands carefully calculate if the extra volume justifies margin loss.
  • “Whenever you discount, how much you lose is dramatically more than you think.” – Kim (07:29)
  • “If you’re going to do like a 15 or 20% discount, you better make sure you can actually double your sales as a result… just to break even.” – Kim (07:33)
• Ad Costs Soar During BFCM: Tony explains that heightened ad competition mean returns can tank—and those customers may be less “sticky.”
  • “You could be actually down, you know, when it comes to just pure profit.” – Tony (08:55)
• Discount Strategy by Product Margin: Brands with high margins (like Tony’s 80–90% on certain products) can afford deeper discounts (35–40%) but caution others to tread carefully.

4. Rethinking Paid Traffic and Retargeting (10:59–14:29)

• Dial Down Cold Traffic: Both Tony and Kim recommend dialing down top-of-funnel ads near Black Friday, focusing instead on retargeting and heavy use of email/SMS with offers.
  • “Traditionally, we just up the retargeting and we kind of dial down the cold ads. And then it’s just all email and SMS.” – Kim (11:13)
• New Product Launches: The excitement and limited inventory of new, unique products (e.g., Tony’s magnetic Bible bookshelf) can drive big sales without the need for heavy discounts.

5. Using AI to Increase Efficiency (15:00–18:19)

• AI is beginning to play a role in creative and campaign efficiency, but there’s internal hesitation about quality and job security. Both Tony and Kim see it as a supplement, not a replacement.
  • “I see this as a way to create so much more assets… not have to do stop motion photography for everything.” – Tony (18:00)

6. Bundling & Strategic Sales Events (19:03–22:27)

• 12 Days of Christmas: Kim boosts AOV by bundling underperforming SKUs together as part of a 12 Days of Christmas sale.
  • “We’re taking the ones maybe that didn’t do so well... and creating 12 Days of Christmas bundles to boost up the average order value.” – Kim (19:50)
• Bundling to Even Out Margins: Tony recommends pairing lower-margin items with high-margin ones to create attractive bundles without crushing profit.

7. Flash Deal Psychology and Email Tactics (22:27–27:03)

• Flash Discounts for Traffic: Limited-time, heavily discounted “hero” items mainly serve to drive traffic—most buyers shop for other products once they land.
  • “If we can say $5 in an email, people click. We know that.” – Tony (23:10)
• Gamification / Mr. Beast Tactic: Kim shares her success with an email “click the cup” game—dramatically raising engagement and deliverability.
  • “Only one of the icons holds the discount. So what ends up happening is everyone clicks on all of them... your click through rate for that email and the engagement goes through the roof.” – Kim (24:18)

8. Leveraging Gifts With Purchase (Freebies) (27:16–31:03)

• Low-Cost, Exclusive Gifts: Tony’s teams offer exclusive free gifts with any purchase (e.g., gratitude jars, New Year’s Eve kits) to boost order frequency and excitement.
  • “They’re all exclusive to that month. You cannot buy them.” – Tony (26:00)
• Tiered Gifts: On large shopping events, he offers a tote bag at higher order thresholds ($100+), increasing AOV.

9. Discount Depth: What Actually Works? (31:07–32:10)

• Ranges Vary by Margin: Tony’s store (with 80+% margins) can offer 35–40% discounts on select items, while Kim caps at 15%. Both carefully avoid site-wide deep cuts if margins are tight.

10. Holiday Burnout & Operational Realities (32:31–33:53)

• Seasonal Stress: Extra sales mean extra work, especially for brands with physical production.
  • “I hate Black Friday. I hate the holiday season because that means I gotta go in, everyone’s on deck… it’s just a madhouse for like two weeks.” – Kim (32:53)

11. Email & SMS Frequency (33:53–34:45)

• Testing Frequency Limits: SMS daily blasts can lead to subscriber fatigue/annoyance. Tony and Kim recommend a measured approach—4 texts over 9 days.
  • “People started getting a little annoyed.” – Kim (34:18)

12. “Scarcity Code” & Gamified Promotions (35:13–39:08)

• Scarcity: Limited-Code Sales: Leveraging the “22 codes remain” tactic (inspired by MrBeast/Passionate Penny Pincher) can drive urgency and conversions.
• Evening Flash Shipping: Tony sends last-minute free shipping offers for a few hours; these spike conversion.
  • “Free shipping till midnight... people go bananas. The email made like $30,000.” – Tony (36:10)
• Making Codes Foolproof: Keep coupon codes simple (ADD5, FREE) and use clickable links to reduce friction.

13. NEW: Live Selling for BFCM (39:26–48:00)

• Experimenting with Live Streams: Tony’s team is testing a live selling event (owner-led, on Facebook/YouTube) for curated, giftable items with special deals.
  • “You’re helping your social media... your Facebook algorithm, you’re going to get people commenting, interacting. That video can live throughout Black Friday.” – Tony (43:36)
• Low-Tech but Engaging: Initial setup is simple—a landing page with 10 products, no complicated chat integration, but lots of social/email promo.
• Potential for Demonstrations: Live selling is a way to humanize the brand, demo products, and differentiate from “discount flash” tactics.

14. The Human Touch Matters (48:12–49:34)

• Owner on Camera: Having the founder front-and-center builds trust and disrupts the usual “faceless” sales emails.
  • “Anytime the owner… can come on and talk to the customer is really impactful for people.” – Tony (48:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Holiday Promotions Starting Early
  “I feel like I walked into Sam’s Club November 1st and it was like all Christmas. Right. Like just nothing but Christmas decorations.”
  — Tony (03:16)

• On Discount Math
  “If you’re going to do like a 15 or 20% discount, you better make sure... you can actually double your sales as a result of that discount just to break even.”
  — Kim (07:33)

• On Flash Discount Psychology
  “If we can say $5 in an email, people click. We know that.”
  — Tony (23:10)

• On Gamified Emails
  “What he did was he sent out an item for a discount and in the email itself he had five different images. And he said, if you click on the right image… only one of the icons holds the discount. So what ends up happening is everyone clicks on all of them.…your click-through rate... goes through the roof.”
  — Kim (24:18)

• On Leveraging Free Gifts
  “These gifts are exclusive to that month. You cannot buy them. You only can get them if you make a purchase.”
  — Tony (26:00)

• On Live Selling’s Potential
  “Having [the owner]… telling people what to buy… that’s impactful. You’re talking about why the products are great… you’re helping your social media… it’s completely disruptive.”
  — Tony (43:36)

• On SMS and Annoyance
  “Last year… I was like, yeah, what the heck, let's just try texting every day. Let's see what happens. People started getting a little annoyed.”
  — Kim (34:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:30–07:17: The evolution of Black Friday and holiday promos
• 07:17–10:21: The real cost of discounting and its effects on profits
• 10:59–14:29: Rethinking ad strategy; the role of new products/creatives
• 15:00–18:19: AI in ecommerce content and creative
• 19:03–22:27: Bundling tactics and boosting AOV
• 22:27–27:03: Flash deals, traffic drivers, gamified email strategies
• 27:16–31:03: Gifts with purchase, free exclusives, tiered bonuses
• 31:07–32:10: Deep discounts and margin strategy
• 32:31–33:53: The operational grind of the holiday sprint
• 33:53–34:45: The balance of SMS/email notifications
• 35:13–39:08: Limited-code sales, last-chance urgency, making codes simple
• 39:26–48:00: Live selling: setup, goals, and lessons for BFCM
• 48:12–49:34: Why having the owner “face” the brand matters

Summary Takeaways

• Start Early, Stand Out: Black Friday is now a month-long event; adjust timing and messaging accordingly.
• Protect Your Margins: Deep discounts can devastate profits—test smaller discounts, bundles, and exclusives.
• Profit from Bundles/Freebies: Use high-margin items and “gifts with purchase” to shape buyer behavior while protecting profit.
• Gamify & Humanize Marketing: Flash discounts, game-like emails, and live selling add excitement and boost engagement.
• Segment & Nurture Traffic: Prioritize retargeting/email/SMS—especially as ad costs spike and new buyers get less loyal.
• Experiment, But Measure: Unique tactics like live selling can be a point of differentiation and community building if done right.
• Stay Human: An authentic, real face—especially from the founder—remains a competitive advantage even in a digital sales world.

For actionable tips, checklists, and the free ecommerce mini-course mentioned, visit mywifequitterjob.com!