Having a bank of creative Black Friday coupon code ideas means you’ll never be short of ways to turn your most hesitant browsers into buyers during the most competitive shopping weekend of the year.
Your best results will come from customizing coupons for your customer segments — maximum discounts for window shoppers, exclusive perks for VIPs, freebies for value-seekers.
Omnisend lets you auto-generate unique discounts for Shopify and WooCommerce, trigger automated emails for customer segments, and add Gmail annotations that display promotional previews in Gmail’s Promotions tab.
In this article, we’ll explore why coupons are crucial to Black Friday success, reveal 10 proven discount formats beyond basic percentage-offs, share multi-channel promotion tactics, and cover essential practices for creating urgency.
Join Omnisend to use coupon codes in your emails and SMS for maximum sales this Black Friday
Distinctive and memorable Black Friday discount code ideas can make all the difference during one of the busiest days of the year for ecommerce.
Consumers are increasingly digitally savvy, with many planning to take advantage of the lucrative discounts and promotions of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period from the comfort of their own home.
Black Friday 2024 saw Shopify process $4.6 million in sales every minute at peak times, contributing to a record $11.5 billion weekend total — a 24% jump from 2023.
Additionally, automated emails generated 29.3% of all email orders during the 2023 Cyber 10 period while accounting for 1.75% of email sends.
By offering intriguing and time-sensitive Black Friday coupon codes, you’re increasing customer engagement and driving sales — especially if you deploy targeted online-only deals. You’ll also be maximizing the chance of repeat purchases and increased average order values by driving traffic to your website.
Omnisend can streamline your Black Friday coupon code creation process and tracking, making it seamless to reward email subscribers and convert more sales with unique discount codes embedded in your email marketing.
Even better, ensuring a stress-free Black Friday purchasing experience will improve customer loyalty, supporting the likelihood of referrals.
10 creative Black Friday coupon code ideas
Prepare your business for one of the busiest times in the ecommerce calendar by pre-planning your Black Friday coupon code ideas.
These are our top 10 choices for creative and appealing Black Friday code ideas:
1. BOGO (buy one, get one) code
Buy one, get one (BOGO) codes offer customers a free or discounted item with the purchase of another. It works to drive volume sales through bulk buying.
With a BOGO code, you likely already have an engaged customer on the cusp of making a sale. You’re increasing the average order value by offering a BOGO code that discounts another item — such as a “buy one, get second for 50% off.”
You can offer a site-wide BOGO deal, a BOGO code on a product bundle, or a BOGO deal on a special product. Plus, a BOGO code can be particularly effective if you’re trying to move inventory and sell bulk products.
Zound uses a simple BOGO offer, which is the focal point of its email. It includes a to-the-point “SHOP NOW AND SAVE” call to action, emphasizing both the value and urgency of the offer.
2. Mystery discount code
Promising and revealing mystery discounts can create intrigue and anticipation, which drives customer engagement. By withholding the discount until customers reach the checkout point, the shopping experience is made more exciting.
Customers are compelled to complete their purchases quickly, which speeds up the buying decisions and accelerates sales.
This mystery discount code from Charlotte’s Web works by gamifying the shopping experience, piquing customer interest, and enticing engagement.
Image via Really Good Emails
Gamification increases enjoyment for the customer, with the benefits of an improved experience, increased sales and revenue, and a greater chance of repeat and future purchases.
If you distinguish your Black Friday coupon code offering by gamifying it, you’re making your brand stand out from competitors.
It can also improve your overall brand awareness and reputation by creating a lasting impression on your audience.
3. Countdown-triggered discount
Countdown-triggered discounts work off one of the most important elements of any deal — urgency.
If you’re looking for tried-and-tested Black Friday promo code ideas, countdown-triggered discounts must feature in your marketing plan.
Image via Really Good Emails
This countdown-triggered discount encourages impulse buying by showing exactly how much time is left to make a decision. This nudges undecided shoppers to complete their purchase.
Like mystery discounts, countdown timers in emails also work on the principle of gamifying the experience and improving its enjoyment. You can even use countdown-triggered discounts to build anticipation for the actual day by sending exclusive previews and rewarding early shoppers.
4. Early access discount code for VIP customers
You can combine countdown-triggered and early access discounts in your company’s Black Friday coupon code ideas.
Build on existing loyalty programs and increase customers’ lifetime values with special Black Friday discounts and perks. Rewarding VIP customers with early access discount codes will kickstart your sales and build momentum for Black Friday.
You’ll also be nurturing your relationship with loyal and repeat customers, improving their experience with your brand, and further establishing brand trust and advocacy.
Image via Really Good Emails
This email from BaubleBar uses language that makes a customer feel appreciated and valued as a VIP.
Don’t forget that you can also use word-of-mouth marketing and reward loyal customers for promoting your business.
Offer referral rewards through further coupons or points and incentivize customers to refer friends and family. You’ll drive sales, expand your customer base, and increase brand awareness.
5. Tiered discount codes
There are many advantages to using discounts for your Black Friday promo code ideas. From acquiring new customers to retaining a loyal base of repeat purchasers, discount codes can help cultivate and promote customer loyalty, as well as improve their overall experience with your brand.
Tiered discount codes are a particularly effective element of Black Friday code ideas. They increase cart value, encouraging customers to spend more and increasing the average order value.
Plus, tiered discount codes can even offset operational costs — fewer orders of higher value are less burdensome for your logistics.
You can implement tiered discount codes by distinguishing the overall discount according to the order total.
Image via Really Good Emails
This email from Baggu creates exactly this ladder-like (tiered) system by offering 25% off orders over $50 and 30% off orders over $100.
Offering free shipping for a limited time with a Black Friday coupon code can help amplify sales by creating a sense of urgency. You can improve your own conversions and reduce the likelihood of abandoned carts by offering a limited-time free shipping code.
Image via Really Good Emails
This email clearly defines the 24 hours over which free shipping is offered. In doing so, it incentivizes customers to purchase over this time period.
Alternatively, you could offer free shipping to first-time customers or orders over a certain value to encourage customers to increase their overall cart value.
7. Exclusive SMS-only discount
SMS messaging can be one of the most effective and engaging ways to reach your audience and drive up sales over Black Friday.
Using holiday SMS promotions allows you to send customers personalized, direct, and timely messages.
Image via Omnisend
An SMS text offering a discount like this can add a sense of urgency, compelling customers to make speedy purchases to avoid the risk of missing out.
Sending an SMS-only promotional discount can give you access to thousands of engaged consumers quickly and easily. Plus, it’s a highly cost-effective way of engaging your audience and can be automated and integrated with your Black Friday email marketing in no time with a platform like Omnisend.
Divatress has used Omnisend’s SMS marketing to achieve 20% year-on-year growth, thanks to personalized promotions. Read the case study here.
8. Subscription-boosting coupon code
Subscription-focused coupons convert one-time buyers into recurring revenue streams. Hello Klean’s email demonstrates this perfectly — the subject line promises “Save 30% sitewide,” but its most effective element is how it positions subscriptions as the smarter choice:
Image via Really Good Emails
The email immediately highlights subscription benefits beyond the discount, “PLUS get a free sample in every order.” This stacks value, making the recurring commitment feel like gaining perks rather than losing flexibility.
The prominent “HELLO30” code works for both options but clearly favors subscribers, and the product grid reinforces the subscription push by displaying “HAIR G1” tags on products.
Each product card features dual CTAs — “Shop Now” for one-time purchases and implied subscription options — letting customers choose while nudging them toward recurring orders.
The “#1 BRAND FOR HARD WATER AS SEEN ON WOMEN’S HEALTH, DAILY MAIL, POPSUGAR, AND MORE” footer builds trust for hesitant subscribers. Media validation matters when asking customers to commit long-term.
Sitewide codes offer the simplest Black Friday strategy — one discount covering everything. Nick’s makes “30% OFF SITEWIDE” the focal point, with “BLACKFRIDAY30” positioned directly below for immediate use:
Image via Really Good Emails
Product imagery sells the offer’s scope. Cookie, ice cream, and chocolate bar shots against blue backgrounds showcase variety while keeping design cohesive. The code stands out in blue text against white space, ensuring customers can’t miss it.
Nick’s creates urgency with “(holy smaka, it’s our biggest sale of the year!)” — casual language matching brand voice while stressing the discount won’t last. Simple checkout instructions eliminate confusion at purchase.
The bundle section shows how to guide shoppers to universal discounts. “Grab an Ultimate Keto Bar Bundle” gets the same 30% off but gives overwhelmed customers a starting point.
Featured products help navigation without restricting choices — sitewide means sitewide, but suggestions still matter to appeal to as many customers as possible.
10. Gift bundle coupon code
Product bundles solve the Black Friday gifting dilemma — multiple products, one transaction, clear value. BROC SHOT positions its “Limited Edition Gift Trio” as the hero, combining sitewide savings with a curated selection:
Image via Really Good Emails
The email leads with multiple benefits: “30% off site wide + free shipping on Gift Trio or subscription orders.” Bundling the discount with free shipping on gift sets removes two purchase barriers at once.
“The perfect way to introduce your loved ones to BROC SHOT” frames the bundle as thoughtful rather than transactional. Gift-givers want validation that recipients will appreciate their choice, and the copy’s positioning helps reassure that desire.
How to promote your Black Friday coupon codes
Getting your Black Friday codes in front of customers requires multiple touchpoints across channels. Here are the most effective promotion strategies to maximize code visibility and usage:
Email campaigns: Schedule a series of emails starting two weeks before Black Friday. Send early access codes to VIPs, then expand to broader segments. Include countdown timers in emails and place codes prominently in the subject lines, such as “Your exclusive 40% code inside.” Test sending at different times since Black Friday shoppers check emails throughout the day for deals.
SMS campaigns: Text messages have high open rates, making them perfect for time-sensitive Black Friday codes. Send copy-and-paste codes directly in texts rather than requiring link clicks, or create custom carts for your customers with the discount code pre-applied, and add the link to your texts.
On-site popups and banners: Exit-intent popups can capture leaving visitors with last-chance code offers. Sticky headers ensure codes stay visible during browsing without disrupting the shopping experience. Welcome popups grab first-time visitors immediately — offering newcomer discounts converts browsers who might otherwise compare prices elsewhere.
Social media posts with countdowns: Create Instagram countdown stickers leading to code reveals. Post teaser content to build anticipation, then share codes at peak engagement times. Use Stories for flash codes lasting only 24 hours. Pin posts with master code lists to profile tops. Create shareable graphics with codes embedded for customers to spread deals organically.
Abandoned cart recovery with codes: Trigger automated emails within three hours of cart abandonment, featuring exclusive recovery codes. Add urgency with “Your 20% code expires in six hours” messaging and layer in SMS follow-ups for high-value abandoned carts. Automated messages convert 2,361% better rates than campaigns, making them your highest-ROI promotion strategy.
British children’s wear brand Rachel Riley increased its BFCM revenue by 77% using Omnisend. Automations generated 46% of email revenue, and it discovered that SMS particularly resonated with US customers, opening new revenue streams beyond its traditional UK base.
Best practices for using Black Friday coupon codes
You may have the best Black Friday promo code ideas, but without implementing best practices around them, you may not reap the benefits.
Follow these three strategies, and you’re one step closer to success:
Use urgency and scarcity
A Black Friday sale is built on urgency and scarcity — after all, it’s only four days in the calendar year. You should compile your list of Black Friday promo code ideas based on these two principles.
When you advertise your products or services as limited in number or availability, you’re more likely to compel customers to purchase.
By pushing the urgency of customer purchases through coupon codes with countdown timers, you can cultivate a fear of missing out and motivate purchases by working on your audience’s loss aversion bias.
Personalize codes for different audience segments
There are several tangible benefits to segmenting your audience. Customer segmentation allows you to effectively target your audience based on different variables. It helps you send the best possible message to that niche, better serving their interests.
Personalizing Black Friday discount codes will improve your customer engagement and satisfaction.
By avoiding generic mass market messages, you’re catering to each group’s needs and demonstrating your value as a brand. This will increase conversions and build customer loyalty, potentially even leading to referrals.
Test codes ahead of time to ensure functionality
There’s no point in having a creative list of Black Friday discount code ideas without first testing each code to make sure it actually works. Broken checkout flows and downtime during peak shopping hours will lead to abandoned carts and reduced conversions.
Conduct thorough end-to-end testing before the Black Friday period to ensure that your website can manage the uptick in stress and load.
You should also conduct a comprehensive security audit to guarantee your gateways are compliant and won’t be at risk.
Wrap up
Having a list of comprehensive, appealing, and unique Black Friday coupon code ideas is one surefire way to support your business’s ecommerce success over this busy period.
Strategies such as mystery and tiered discount codes can all help to increase customer loyalty and referrals, improve the shopping experience, maximize conversions, and drive sales.
Remember to always plan ahead to ensure your site runs smoothly, minimizing the risk of cart abandonments. You can also take lessons from your year-long digital marketing, segmenting audiences to deliver discount codes that meet their niche.
Use Omnisend to send personalized coupon codes this Black Friday
Milda is a Senior Content Marketing Manager at Omnisend, with extensive experience in communication, helping brands establish a unique and authentic online presence.
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