Believe it or not, BFCM 25 are only 6 months away! While it may seem like a distant event, now is the prime time to start planning for one of the biggest shopping events of the year.
Whether you're a small business owner or managing a larger retail operation, the brands that win peak season are the ones already forecasting, testing, and tightening their operations months in advance.
Below is a streamlined, strategy-driven guide to help you prepare effectively and maximise revenue when peak hits.
Audit last year’s performance
Before planning promotions or placing inventory orders, assess what happened in 2024. What worked well? What didn’t? By evaluating sales data, customer feedback, and website traffic, you can identify trends and areas for improvement.
Sales: Which products performed best? Where did you miss targets — and why?
Digital: Did your site stay fast under pressure? Did downtime or checkout issues impact conversions?
Customer sentiment: What did reviews, returns, and post-purchase behaviour reveal? Where was friction most obvious?
A data-driven audit stops you repeating the same mistakes and clarifies where the biggest wins lie for 2025.
Secure inventory early
Global supply chains are still inconsistent, and peak season amplifies every vulnerability. Begin forecasting now and secure stock for your hero products and anticipated bestsellers.
Place early POs and align with suppliers on lead times, contingencies, and delivery windows. If you're launching limited-edition products or bundles, your planning should reflect that.
Treat inventory as a core strategic pillar, not an afterthought.
Strengthen your online experience
Consumers expect a seamless, high-performance online experience during BFCM — and tolerance for friction is minimal. Over the next few months, prioritise:
Technical infrastructure: Run load tests, remove redundant scripts, and ensure your site is optimised for mobile (it will dominate your traffic).
User experience: Update product pages with compelling copy, high-quality images, and conversion-focused design. Simplify checkout to the fewest clicks possible.
Payment Flexibility: Offer diverse payment options such as digital wallets, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), and local currency support to reduce abandonment.
Aero retailers benefit from sub-1.5s load times out of the box — a significant advantage when peak traffic hits.
Plan promotions with purpose
Discounting is expected, but strategic discounting is what will actually drive profit. Rather than defaulting to blanket markdowns, develop a promotional strategy that enhances perceived value while protecting margins.
This could be:
Tiered incentives (e.g., spend thresholds) to lift AOV.
Flash windows to keep engagement high across four days.
Bundles combining hero products with high-margin accessories.
Audience-specific offers based on segmentation data.
Deep discounting is not a strategy. Build your promotional calendar early and bake in margin protection.
Own the end-to-end customer experience
Winning BFCM isn’t about the first sale — it’s about retention. The sale may be the hook, but the experience is what leaves a lasting impression. From first click to delivery, ensure your customers feel confident and cared for.
Get it right:
Customer service: Train your team for high-volume queries and set clear escalation paths.
Shipping clarity: State delivery windows upfront and keep comms proactive.
Returns process: Make it simple, transparent, and confidence-building — it directly impacts conversions.
Prepare your team for peak
Operational readiness is where many retailers fall down. If you need seasonal staff, begin recruitment and training early.
Ensure marketing, warehouse, support, and development teams are aligned. This could look like holding pre-BFCM briefings to ensure everyone is on the same page and clear on responsibilities.
Create an internal BFCM playbook with roles, timelines, and escalation paths that people can resort to.
Stress test everything
Peak exposes bottlenecks you don’t know exist yet. Don’t let technical failures derail your BFCM efforts. Start testing now to ensure stability under pressure.
Site load capacity: Simulate heavy traffic and optimise for performance across all devices and browsers.
Payment gateways: Ensure all systems process payments reliably and securely.
Fulfilment readiness: Test your shipping workflows, packaging standards, and inventory management for scalability.
Fix the cracks now, not in November.
Watch your competitors
BFCM is a strategic battleground. Staying ahead requires insight into what others in your space are doing (and what gaps you can leverage).
Track:
Discount depth
Messaging trends
Bundling tactics
Shipping incentives
Customer sentiment shifts
Use findings not to imitate, but to identify missed opportunities or evolving consumer expectations.
Don’t let the post-BFCM opportunity go to waste
The real value of peak lies in retention. Use this momentum to deepen relationships and extend the customer lifecycle.
After the weekend:
Send personalised follow-ups.
Promote loyalty incentives and early-access holiday drops.
Replenish inventory fast for December demand.
Tighten returns processing and communication.
Peak should start a longer customer relationship, not end it.
Get ready for the biggest BFCM yet
BFCM is not just a weekend — it’s a full commercial cycle.
Retailers that start early will convert more, retain more, and reduce operational risk.
Want to make sure your store is technically ready and fast enough to win this peak?
Book a demo with Aero and get set up for BFCM success.
