As we step into the heart of the Black Friday and holiday marketing season, the atmosphere couldn’t be busier. Competition is fierce, ad costs are climbing, and shoppers are changing their habits faster than ever before.
To stand out in 2025’s peak season, marketers need more than big budgets, they need creativity with precision. The brands that win will be the ones who can read the data, understand their audiences, and make fast, smart adjustments on the fly.
At ExtraDigital, we know this is where campaigns are made or broken. So, we’ve pulled together a set of practical, last-minute tactics to help you sharpen performance, boost conversions, and squeeze every bit of value out of your Black Friday spend.
1. The 2025 Shopper – Longer Journeys, Smarter, and More Ethical
a. Extended Shopping Windows
In 2025, shoppers are starting earlier and buying over longer periods. Studies show that over 40% of consumers begin researching deals before November, with many waiting for mid-month promotions.
Tip: Keep your holiday awareness campaigns always on, nurturing these early browsers through remarketing and personalised.
b. Mobile Dominance
Mobile-first shopping continues to shape eCommerce. Over 75% of 2025 holiday traffic is expected to come from mobile devices. Your landing pages, checkout flow, and ad creatives must be optimised for seamless speed and clarity across all screens, particularly for short attention spans during the Black Friday rush.
c. Ethical and Sustainable Spending
A growing number of consumers are choosing brands that align with their values. Highlighting sustainability, ethical sourcing, and transparent practices in your messaging can boost conversions and brand loyalty, especially among Gen Z and Millennial audiences.
2. Quick Fire Optimisation Tactics for Black Friday Campaigns
a. Perfect Your Landing Pages
When the Black Friday rush hits, your landing page is often the first real moment of truth. If it’s clunky, slow, or confusing, people won’t think twice about clicking away; they’ll just go to the next offer in their feed. So this is the time to give your pages a quick but meaningful tune-up. Make sure everything loads quickly (aim for under 2 seconds), looks clean on mobile, and guides visitors toward a single clear action. The simpler the page feels, the easier it is for shoppers to commit.
It also helps to make your page feel trustworthy at a glance. Add the kind of reassurance people look for when they’re buying under time pressure, reviews, star ratings, delivery promises, free returns, security badges, anything that says “you’re safe to buy here.” These details might seem small, but they make a big difference when shoppers are comparing five tabs at once.
And the best part? These kinds of small, last-minute tweaks regularly deliver 10–20% jumps in conversion during peak season. It’s a quick win at a time when every improvement counts.
These micro-optimisations can yield 10–20% conversion uplift during high-traffic periods.
b. Streamline the Checkout Flow
Once someone hits the checkout page, you’re so close to winning the sale, which is exactly why this part of the journey needs to be as smooth as possible. During Black Friday, shoppers move fast, compare deals, and get easily distracted. Any friction here, even tiny things, can cause them to give up and move on.
Make it effortless for them. Offer guest checkout so no one is forced to create an account when they’re in a hurry. Make sure autofill works properly and allows customers to use their saved payment details wherever possible. And don’t skip digital wallets, options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, or Klarna can dramatically speed up the process, especially on mobile, where most holiday shoppers are browsing.
These small improvements might not feel flashy, but they’re powerful. The easier and faster your checkout feels, the more people will complete their purchase, and that’s essential for holiday eCommerce success.
c. Dynamic Ad Optimisation
During Black Friday, your ads need as much attention as your customers do. Things change quickly, costs spike, audiences shift, and what worked yesterday might fall flat today. That’s why it pays to keep an eye on your ad performance daily (or even a couple of times a day during the busiest periods).
Don’t be afraid to move the budget toward the creatives and audiences that are clearly pulling ahead. Most platforms now have smart automation tools that can help you make those decisions faster, but your own judgement still matters. Sometimes, a simple change, switching up a headline, updating a visual, or tweaking an offer, is enough to revive a campaign that’s started to slow down.
These tiny adjustments can be surprisingly powerful, often delivering better click-through rates and more conversions across the whole Black Friday weekend.
3. Powering Conversions with First-Party Data and Remarketing
With third-party cookies fading, first-party data marketing is more powerful than ever. Use your CRM, email lists, and website tracking to build precision audiences and remarketing lists.
Tactics for higher conversion efficiency:
- Target visitors who viewed products or abandoned carts in the past 7 days.
- Launch email and SMS remarketing sequences with limited time urgency.
- Sync custom audiences across Meta, Google, and TikTok Ads for unified reach.
By focusing on known, engaged users, you’ll achieve higher ROI and lower acquisition costs throughout the holiday sales period.
4. Creative Refreshes, Urgency Triggers & Smart Budget Pacing
a. Refresh Ad Creatives Regularly
Ad fatigue is real and costly. According to Meta, brands that refresh ad creative every 7–10 days see up to 30% higher ROI. Rotate visuals, messaging, and formats to maintain attention and relevance.
b. Apply Authentic Urgency Triggers
Use countdowns, limited stock indicators, or delivery deadlines to drive action, but avoid overuse. Authenticity builds trust, while excessive FOMO tactics can backfire.
c. Manage Budgets Intelligently
Peak spending spikes over Cyber Weekend. Pace your budget to avoid early burnout. Set automated bid rules to scale spend based on ROAS and conversion performance, especially on Meta and Google Ads.
5. After the Rush – Retention & December Remarketing Opportunities
A lot of brands treat Black Friday like the finish line, but really, it’s just the beginning of a new relationship with your customers. If you’ve brought in a wave of new buyers, now’s your chance to turn them into loyal fans rather than one-time bargain hunters.
a. Retention Campaigns
Once the dust settles, reach back out to your new customers while you’re still top of mind. Offer something that makes them feel appreciated, whether that’s a loyalty program invite, a thank you discount, or early access to your Christmas or January sales. Little gestures like these go a long way in building trust and encouraging a second purchase.
b. December Remarketing
And whatever you do, don’t switch everything off after Cyber Weekend. December is full of opportunities, especially for shoppers still browsing, gifting, or looking for last-minute solutions. It’s the perfect time to re-engage:
- People who browsed over Black Friday but didn’t buy
- Gift givers and last-minute shoppers are hunting for something quick and reliable
- Customers who need express delivery or prefer digital gift cards
These audiences are already warm, already aware of your brand, and often ready to convert with the right nudge, making December one of the most overlooked (and profitable) windows for holiday remarketing.
Your 2025 Peak Season Playbook
The brands that come out on top this Black Friday 2025 will be the ones who move fast, think creatively, and let data guide every decision. From mobile-first experiences to real-time campaign tweaks and post-sale retention, success this season is all about staying agile and always improving.
At ExtraDigital, we live and breathe this kind of optimisation. Our marketing team helps cut through the noise, fine-tune performance, and build campaigns that work harder, not just during the sale, but long after.
So if you’re ready to make every click count this holiday season, let’s turn your Black Friday and holiday campaigns into momentum that carries your brand well beyond December.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are shopper behaviours evolving in 2025 and beyond?
Shoppers are researching earlier, buying over longer periods, and making more considered decisions. Brands need always-on visibility and smarter remarketing to stay relevant as behaviour continues to evolve.
Why is mobile optimisation so important during the holiday season?
Most holiday traffic now comes from mobile, and shoppers make fast decisions. Fast-loading pages and simple mobile checkouts are essential to avoid losing sales during peak periods.
What are the fastest ways to boost Black Friday conversion rates?
Improving page speed, simplifying landing pages, and adding trust signals like reviews can quickly increase conversions. ExtraDigital applies these quick optimisations to capture more value from peak traffic.
How does first-party data improve Black Friday performance?
First-party data enables more precise targeting of high-intent users like product viewers and cart abandoners. ExtraDigital uses this data to improve ROI and reduce acquisition costs during the holiday season.
Should brands keep marketing after Black Friday ends?
Yes. December remarketing and retention campaigns often drive additional sales. ExtraDigital helps brands re-engage browsers, convert gift shoppers, and turn new buyers into repeat customers.
