If you think Black Friday is for big brands with endless budgets, think again.
As a small business owner, BFCM 2025 is your moment to stand out. The beauty of being a small business lies in your ability to connect with shoppers on a more personal level.
While the big players fight over margins, you get to win over your customers.
In this article, we’ll walk you through 10+ Black Friday ideas for small businesses. These include BOGO offers, collaboration with other businesses, website optimization and much more.
Before diving in, here’s one quick truth: the earlier you plan, the better your results.
How to Prepare for BFCM for Small Businesses?
Before you dive into discounts and creative campaigns, you need a solid plan.
Black Friday can bring a traffic surge that tests your systems and your patience. Laying the groundwork early ensures everything runs smoothly when the orders start rolling in.
Define Your Goals and KPIs
As a Shopify expert, I always tell Shopify store owners to start by deciding what success looks like for their business.
- Do you want to increase your average order value (AOV)?
- Bring in new customers?
- Grow your email list for holiday retargeting?
- Clear out slow-moving inventory?
Having clear goals helps you pick the right offers and track what actually works.
Plan Your Inventory
There’s nothing worse than over-promising what you can’t deliver.
Review your stock levels and identify best-selling items. Plan your inventory before the holiday season and make sure your fulfillment partners or shipping team are ready for higher volume.
Create a Black Friday Landing page
Give your products a spotlight. A Black Friday landing page keeps visitors focused on what matters most.
Your Black Friday landing page should include countdown timers, featured products, and clear calls to action.
You can also link this page in your emails, ads, and social posts so all your traffic lands where conversions happen.
Best Black Friday Sales Ideas for Small Businesses
BOGO Offers
BOGO deals are timeless because they feel like a win for the customer while helping you move inventory. Try “Buy One, Get One 50% Off” or “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” to drive volume without losing your margins.
Shopify apps like iCart help store owners to provide buy-one-get-one offers easily on their cart
Flash Sales & Hourly Deals
Flash sales create urgency. Offer discounts for a limited window, such as 20% off for one hour or exclusive daily deals leading up to Black Friday.
Promote these flash windows via email, SMS, or pop-ups to notify the customers. The fear of missing out (FOMO) will do more for your revenue than any other strategy.
Mystery Boxes
Mystery boxes work by packaging several items together at a flat price, promising a value higher than what customers pay.
It’s a fun, low-risk gamble that drives engagement and clears out slower-moving stock. Highlight that “every box is worth more than you pay” to build excitement.
Exclusive Discount Codes
Free shipping is one of the most powerful conversion triggers in Shopify.
Combine a modest discount with free shipping. For example, “10% off + free shipping on orders over $75.” It pushes shoppers to hit that minimum and feels like double the reward.
Free Gifts With Purchase
A free gift can tip the scales in your favor. Offer a free product when customers cross a spending threshold. For example, “A free candle with $75+ orders’ or a ‘free headphone with any $100 purchase.
Choose something lightweight and easy to ship. It’s a simple way to delight customers and boost AOV at the same time.
Best Black Friday Marketing Ideas for Small Businesses
Start teasing your sale early on social channels and your website. Share behind-the-scenes videos, “coming soon” countdown timers, or sneak peeks of your deals.
A creative tip: Post a user poll on social media or a mini quiz to boost engagement. This not only builds curiosity but also helps you understand what your followers actually want most.
Holiday Gift Guides
Gift guides are one of the easiest Black Friday marketing tools for small businesses. Create curated collections like “Gifts Under $50,” “For Her,” “For Tech Lovers,” or “Best Sellers for the Holidays.”
These guides help shoppers find products faster and subtly push them toward higher-value items.
Collaborate with Other Small Businesses
One of the Black Friday ideas for small businesses is also to partner with another small business that targets a similar audience but sells different products.
For example, a skincare brand could team up with a candle store for a “Self-Care Set.” Each brand promotes the bundle to its own audience, effectively doubling sales with minimal cost.
Email Campaigns
Email is still one of the highest-converting marketing channels for Shopify stores.
Start with a teaser campaign that explains your upcoming sale. Think subject lines like “Something big is coming…” or “Your exclusive Black Friday deal drops soon.”
Follow up with a launch email when your sale goes live, then send reminder emails till the last day to create urgency.
Post-Black Friday Campaigns
Black Friday ideas for small businesses don’t end at Black Friday.
Follow up with a thank-you email to recent buyers and show them related items they might love.
For those who didn’t buy, send a gentle “Did you miss this?” message with a smaller discount or Cyber Monday incentive.
Black Friday might bring in the sales, but the way you treat customers determines whether they’ll come back after the rush.
How to Maintain Customer Experience During BFCM?
Focus on Quality Customer Service
More orders mean more questions. Prepare your customer service for a higher volume of chats and emails.
Set up live chat or quick reply templates for common questions like shipping timelines or return policies.
Charity & Giving Back
One of the most meaningful ways small businesses can stand out during Black Friday is by giving back.
For example, donate a portion of every order to a local charity or support community initiatives that reflect your brand values.
In-Store Experiences (For Brick-and-Click Brands)
If you operate both online and in-store, use Black Friday as a chance to make your physical space an experience.
Offer free coffee, snacks, or small giveaways for in-person shoppers or create a holiday corner with a mini photo booth.
The goal is to make your store feel like an event worth visiting.
Optimize Your Website
Black Friday traffic comes from all devices. Optimize your store for phones and tablets, and desktops.
It should load fast, buttons should be easy to tap, and checkout should be smooth. A one-second delay in page load can mean the difference between a sale and an abandoned cart.
Conclusion: BFCM is not for Big Brands Anymore
Black Friday isn’t just for the big brands; small businesses like yours can also shine.
With a little planning and a smart approach, your small business can compete, stand out, and make sales during the holiday season.
Pick a few ideas that fit your brand and go all in. It’s always better to execute two strong campaigns than ten average ones.
Black Friday Ideas for Small Businesses FAQs
1. How to attract customers on Black Friday?
Start early with emails, a Black Friday landing page, gift guides, and social proof, with your best offers. Segment by behavior so every message feels personal and urgent.
2. What are the best Black Friday ideas for small businesses?
Go with margin-smart plays like tiered “spend more, save more” bundles, VIP early access, BOGO, flash windows, and a free-shipping threshold.
3. What are some top-selling items for Black Friday?
Year after year, electronics, toys, and apparel lead the pack. In Shopify, especially, fashion, beauty products, and jewelry lead the sales.
4. What sells most on Cyber Monday?
Electronics are the standout in every Cyber Monday season. Followed by appliances, apparel, and personal care.
5. How to have a successful Black Friday sale?
Set clear goals, store up inventory and check for site website speed (especially on mobile), build a focused Black Friday page, and run segmented customer emails.
About the author
Vineet Nair
Vineet is an experienced content strategist with expertise in the ecommerce domain and a keen interest in Shopify. He aims to help Shopify merchants thrive in this competitive environment with technical solutions and thoughtfully structured content.