Preparing for BFCM 2025: Why tech-first strategies will separate winners from the pack

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) have always been the biggest dates in eCommerce, but 2025 is a new game. Consumers are smarter, platforms are more expensive and the technology available to brands has never been more advanced. Winning this year won't come down to who can shout the loudest or slash the deepest discounts. It will come down to who uses technology, data and personalisation to engineer profitable growth. 

Smarter consumers, higher stakes 

Shoppers today aren't fooled by old-school tactics. They know if they wait until November, a sale is coming. Many buy once on discount and never return. Brands that only chase volume over that weekend end up with bloated top-line revenue and a customer base that disappears in January. 

The real challenge of BFCM 2025 isn't acquisition, it's retention. How many of those new customers stick around when the discounts disappear? That's the metric that matters. 

One-size discounts don't work 

Blanket offers are a fast way to burn margin. Some customers will convert with 20% off, others need $100 off to budge. Treating everyone the same is lazy and expensive. 

With modern CRM platforms like Klaviyo, it's possible to design incentives around behaviour and value. AI takes this further, predicting who is likely to buy again, who needs a nudge and who is just there for a deal. The difference is material: instead of over-discounting across the board, you protect margin while still driving conversions. 

Data as your moat 

If there's one strategic truth this year, it's that your database is the only durable advantage. Paid channels are noisy, CPMs are inflated and attribution is murkier than ever. Owning data gives you independence. 

That means treating every BFCM buyer as the start of a relationship. Capture zero-party data early, enrich profiles with behavioural insights and use your database as the engine for lifetime value. The smartest brands won't only launch public sales, they'll run VIP offers to their database first, rewarding loyalty and testing campaigns before pushing them to the masses. 

Tech stack pressure testing 

Operationally, BFCM is a stress test. Can your storefront handle surging traffic? Will your checkout crash under load? Can your ESP deliver millions of emails and SMS messages in compressed windows? 

This is where experimentation and infrastructure matter. CRO tools should already be running, ironing out conversion leaks before November. Inventory systems must sync directly with storefronts and CRMs to avoid overselling. Real-time dashboards need to measure contribution margin, not vanity clicks. Increasingly, AI is being baked into workflows – generating creative variations, predicting inventory needs and powering on-site recommendations in real time. 

Tariffs and global complexity 

For US brands, tariffs and supply chain costs are a hidden trap. Trade policies in 2025 have shifted landed costs, freight rates and margin calculations. A 30% discount that looks attractive on a spreadsheet can collapse profitability once tariffs are factored in. Brands that ignore this are flying blind. Decision-makers need clarity on how global logistics and duties shape their pricing and discount strategy. 

Redefining success 

The old definition of success was simple: revenue spikes. But in 2025, that's not enough.  

The leaders will measure: 

• Contribution margin per campaign, not just sales volume 

• Retention rates of BFCM buyers at 30, 60 and 90 days 

• Cost per retained customer, not just cost per acquisition 

Revenue makes headlines. Profitability and loyalty build empires. 

This year, BFCM won't reward the loudest brands. It will reward those who think differently: who personalise offers instead of blanket discounting, who see their database as a moat, who stress-test their tech stack and who factor global costs into every decision. 

Consumers are too smart for cookie-cutter strategies and the tools at our disposal are too powerful to justify guesswork. Growth in 2025 won't come from doing more of the same, it will come from smarter execution.