13 Black Friday campaigns to inspire ecommerce brands

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Hold on tight — BFCM is just around the corner, which doesn’t leave businesses much time to prepare their Black Friday campaigns. But there’s no need to worry if you’ve fallen behind this holiday season — we’re going to help you launch effective promotions in the guide below.

The following insights and actionable tips explain how to squeeze the most profit from this high-traffic period. Creativity is the secret sauce that separates bland brands from true innovators. You must think outside the box to stand out from the crowd.

Ready to create Black Friday campaigns that actually convert? Keep reading as we share 13 winning examples that brands can learn from.

What makes a Black Friday campaign successful?

How do you run a successful Black Friday campaign? We’ve boiled it down to four key principles:

• Creativity: Does your message stand out?
• Targeted promotions: Who is your message for?
• Effective use of email and SMS marketing: Are you taking advantage of the most relevant strategies?
• Strong social media presence: Can you adopt cross-channel marketing for a seamless and consistent experience?

Creativity is a biggie. Black Friday is one of the busiest days of the year for ecommerce stores. To catch attention in crowded inboxes, brands must adopt email marketing ideas that stand out and connect with customers.

But creativity means very little if promotions aren’t targeted — that is, sent to people based on their interests, demographics, and purchasing behavior. Marketing automation tools like Omnisend have tons of features that can help with this, such as audience segmentation.

Lastly, the most successful Black Friday campaigns keep up to date with the best social media, SMS, and email marketing practices. There are plenty of effective examples out there to draw inspiration from, some of which we’ll explore below.

13 best Black Friday campaigns to learn from

Understanding what other brands do well is a great starting point for creating your own Black Friday campaigns. We’ve rounded up 13 examples below that offer a masterclass in BFCM content creation, packed with practical tips for ecommerce store owners.

1. Glossier’s site-wide discount strategy

Glossier’s discount pricing strategy centers on exclusivity. This is a super popular beauty brand that doesn’t offer coupons or freebies often, so when it does, there’s an understandable rush of excited shoppers.

Black Friday is Christmas come early for Glossier fans because it runs its appropriately named “Only Sale of the Year.” Over the BFCM weekend, customers have the opportunity to purchase their favorite products at a fraction of the cost. If they miss out, they’ll have to wait another 365 days — how’s that for creating a sense of urgency?

Of course, Glossier still runs smaller promotions throughout the year, including tempting tiered discounts and early access offers. For example, the “Friends of Glossier” program swaps savings for personal information and rewards customer loyalty.

2. Patagonia’s Anti-Black Friday campaign

Sometimes, the best Black Friday marketing campaigns break all the rules. Over a decade ago, in 2011, Patagonia made headlines with a full-page advertisement in the New York Times telling people: “Don’t Buy This Jacket.” The brand actively encouraged shoppers not to spend money in a protest against overconsumption.

You might think this sounds crazy, but Patagonia focused on the net effect. It sacrificed profit for brand awareness and, in turn, became a pioneer of eco-conscious fashion. The message is simple — if you care about sustainability, come to us.

3. Nike’s personalized discounts

The Nike BFCM sale is always highly anticipated. Not only does the brand offer generous discounts on top product ranges (usually 30% or more), but it also personalizes the shopping experience. Strategies include:

• Tailored product suggestions
• Custom product bundles
• Unique VIP discounts for NikePlus members

How does Nike know exactly what you want, sometimes before you do? It’s all thanks to AI, which uses a customer’s personal details, purchasing history, web browsing data, and social media interactions to anticipate their wants and needs.

Personalization is effective because it improves the shopping experience. Customers hate being bombarded with products and marketing that just doesn’t appeal to them, so it’s crucial to connect with them on a more meaningful level.

4. Steve Madden’s early access incentives

The most lucrative Black Friday campaigns create a sense of urgency and exclusivity. There are various ways to do this, including:

• Time-limited discounts
• Countdown timers and other gamification tools
• Behind-the-scenes sneak peeks
• Loyalty and membership programs
• Social proof, such as testimonials and endorsements

Fashion brand Steve Madden thought outside the box and came up with something completely different. It offered early access to special Black Friday deals and discounts in exchange for newsletter signups.

People don’t willingly give away personal information, so the messaging had to be just right. Luckily, the content added value upfront to incentivize shoppers, such as “be the first to find out about our Black Friday deals.” Plus, the tone was light-hearted rather than pushy, with an emoji to stand out on crowded social media feeds.

5. Cards Against Humanity’s satirical approach

It’s no secret that Max Temkin, the Cards Against Humanity founder, despises Black Friday. In a 2015 interview, he elaborated: “It’s this really gross orgy of consumerism right after a holiday about being thankful for what you have — so we’ve always tried to think of funny jokes or comments we could make about the tradition.”

This sentiment fits in perfectly with the brand’s anti-establishment values. Cards Against Humanity doesn’t care about trends or being offensive — it simply wants to have fun.

One year, it ran a promotion titled: “Give us $5.” Shoppers received absolutely nothing in return and didn’t know where the money would end up, but they still donated $75,000 in total. In 2023, it created a social media platform called Yowza, where users could only comment “yowza.” This was designed to poke fun at the ridiculousness of social media culture.

6. Tentree’s Green Friday initiative

Like Patagonia, sustainable clothing brand Tentree couldn’t, in good conscience, support Black Friday. Instead, it launched the cleverly named “Green Friday” initiative that aims to tackle thoughtless consumerism.

The concept is simple but effective — Tentree offers amazing discounts and deals, with the promise to plant 10 trees for every item purchased. It’s a win-win situation. The consumer gets a bargain, and the brand generates profit without compromising its values.

7. Urban Outfitters’ social media engagement

If there’s one thing Urban Outfitters does well, it’s user-generated content. During BFCM, the brand encourages shoppers to share their favorite deals and purchases on social media, using specially created hashtags to boost engagement, such as #UOcommunity and #UOgiveaway.

On top of this, it relies heavily on influencer marketing to promote its Black Friday discounts. While celebrity endorsements have somewhat fallen out of fashion, especially with Gen Z, influencers still hold sway — as long as they’re relatable.

Combined, these strategies create a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out). Basically, the more you see other people doing something, the more you’ll want to do it too. 

8. Apple’s gift card promotion

Apple is known for exclusivity — you’re either part of the community or a Luddite stuck on yesterday’s tech. It’s a risky marketing strategy, but one that’s created an army of superfans who will always purchase the latest iPhone, gadget, or accessory.

This VIP approach also informs Apple’s creative Black Friday campaigns. Rather than indiscriminately slashing prices or offering a site-wide discount, it issues gift cards on selected items during its “One Day Shopping Event.”

It’s smart because it adds value rather than devaluing products. There’s still an incentive to shop, but the brand retains its premium prices and image.

9. ASOS’s bold discount tactics

Fashion powerhouse ASOS isn’t afraid of aggressive discounts at any time of year, especially not on Black Friday. It stands out for offering unbelievable deals that smaller brands simply cannot accommodate — usually 50%, 60%, or even 70% off.

How does it make money with such huge price cuts? Ultimately, people buy more than they usually would when they think they’re getting a good deal. Think being the operative word because the largest discounts often only apply to the more expensive collections.

10. Gymshark’s wishlist guide

The best Black Friday marketing campaigns start way before the actual day. For instance, who’s going to be more successful: a brand that sticks a discount on its website with absolutely no warning or one that generates pre-BFCM excitement with sneak peeks, gift guides, and teaser emails?

Gymshark understood this and created gift guides and wishlist functionality, which allowed customers to set aside their favorite products in advance. Baskets were full and ready to purchase as soon as the discount launched.

Wishlists are especially effective because they’re aspirational. Shoppers can save items for future consideration or paydays rather than forget about them completely.

11. Barnes & Noble’s signed editions

Black Friday campaigns don’t always offer discounts. Take Barnes & Noble — it released over 500,000 signed books in 2016, encouraging consumers to invest in its more timeless and exclusive pieces. This led to one of the brand’s most successful BFCM holiday seasons. 

The secret ingredient was scarcity. The less there is of something, the more people value and desire it — for better or worse. Even if someone had never considered buying an autographed edition of their favorite book, the once-in-a-lifetime messaging might be enough to tip them over the edge.

12. Macy’s early access deals

Like Gymshark, Macy’s delivered tons of exciting early access BFCM content across channels to pique consumers’ interest. Its Black Friday social media campaigns, in particular, created a huge buzz around the brand and a sense of anticipation.

One of its most genius strategies involved a mobile giveaway game that targeted users in stores prior to the big weekend. Once customers downloaded the app, they could walk into any shop on Black Friday and win a gift, ranging from a discount code to a celebrity meet-and-greet.

The “Walk in and Win” campaign brought in thousands of people who might not have otherwise made the trip.

13. MeUndies’ virtual campaign

Creative Black Friday campaigns think outside the box and explore brand-new territory and technology. MeUndies really took this on board when it hosted an exclusive Facebook live party with a DJ. Throughout the set, the team unlocked discounts and deals for excited shoppers. 

Overall, the event attracted over 13,000 viewers with an impressive 25% conversion rate. Even better, the live organically reached 660,000 users through shares, likes, and comments.

Key takeaways from these Black Friday campaigns

Long gone are the days when Black Friday campaigns simply stick to deals and discounts. While shoppers will always appreciate big savings, innovative brands realize they must offer something more to make a splash in crowded markets.

There are a lot of golden lessons to digest in this guide. Choose the strategies that support your vision, adapt where necessary, and leave the rest. Here are our key takeaways:

• Creativity is king: Color outside the lines to command attention
• Personalization: Use tools like email segmentation to direct your content to the most receptive audiences
• Early planning: Generate excitement before the BFCM weekend
• Cross-channel promotions: Create consistent messaging across your website, social media, and email campaigns
• Prioritize your values: Some brands celebrate BFCM differently because it doesn’t align with their values — something to consider

Ready to put your knowledge into action? Sign up for Omnisend and take advantage of its powerful automation and marketing features. The platform has everything you need in one place to create lead-converting Black Friday campaigns, including product recommendations, A/B testing, web push notifications, and much more.

Plus, the email automation functionality streamlines back-end processes so that you can send BFCM material quickly and efficiently. 

Wrap up

Hopefully, you’re excited to start creating profitable Black Friday campaigns using the actionable tips in this guide. You can’t go far wrong if you lead with creativity, authenticity, and personalization.

Using tools like Omnisend will bring cohesion into your marketing efforts. The user-friendly interface makes it easier than ever to create on-brand BFCM emails that boost open rates and conversions. 

Best of all, the platform is compatible with all major ecommerce software, including Shopify, Woocommerce, and Wix.