The Outdoor Brand Guide to BFCM Success in 2025

As the leaves turn and the days shorten, many outdoor brands brace themselves for their biggest stretch of the year. Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) and the weeks that precede and follow can drive serious revenue. But success in 2025 demands more than blasting a blanket discount. To win, you need strategy on timing, messaging, offer structure, and momentum.

Price Sensitivity Outside Key Sales Windows

Understanding buyer psychology is critical in the outdoor space. Many shoppers deliberately delay major purchases until BFCM or other peak discount periods, which can leave the months leading up to Thanksgiving feeling soft. Instead of pushing against this behavior, lean into it.

• Be prepared for softness in October and November. Some of that softness is intentional; shoppers wait for BFCM.
  

• Use that slower period to test messaging, build up your list, and warm your audience rather than pushing deep discounts prematurely.

For a deeper look at how these purchase patterns are evolving, check out RapidSearch’s breakdown of BFCM consumer trends.

Winning Discount Strategies That Convert

Discounting is both art and science. Outdoor brands can’t afford to erode margins with overly aggressive markdowns, but if the offer feels underwhelming, shoppers will look elsewhere. The sweet spot is simplicity combined with smart incentives.

• Simple, bold sitewide discounts (30% off or more ideally) grab attention. The less friction, the better.
  

• Use auto-applied coupons or built-in discounts so customers don’t have to hunt for or manually enter codes.
  

• Tiered discounts like “Spend $150, get 35 percent off; spend $300, get 40 percent off” can drive AOV without deepening margins too much.
  

• Offer future incentives such as “Get a $20 gift card toward your next purchase” or “Free shipping on your next order” to encourage repeat visits.
  

• For outdoor brands, bundling gear (like jacket plus accessories) can be especially effective during BFCM.

If bundling is part of your strategy, FastBundle’s Shopify BFCM checklist offers practical tools for execution.

Use October and Early November for List Building

The work you do before Cyber Week is often more important than what happens during it. With ad costs surging in November, your ability to drive conversions hinges on what you do in the weeks leading up to BFCM

• Cyber Week remains the most competitive period of the year. CPMs and CPCs surge, but conversion rates tend to justify it.
  

• Your success during Cyber Week often depends on how well you primed your audience beforehand.
  

• Invest in top-of-funnel campaigns in October (lookalikes, cold traffic, content offers) to build awareness and expand your email or SMS lists.
  

• Use gated content, guides or early-bird signups, or small value promos to capture leads ahead of BFCM.
  

• Once they’re in your funnel, warm them with educational content, brand stories, product reviews, and early hints of holiday deals.

For acquisition tactics specific to this period, see Klaviyo’s guide on BFCM advertising & acquisition.

Email Strategies That Support BFCM Success

Your email and SMS programs are where planning meets execution. By the time Cyber Week arrives, subscribers should already feel primed and eager. Now it’s about pulling the right levers to keep momentum going.

• Send teaser emails to your most engaged subscribers to build suspense just before your BFCM launch.
  

• Use urgency in your copy like “price goes up at midnight” or “only a few left in stock.” If a deal won’t improve later, say so clearly.
  

• Upsell early shoppers with personalized messages that recommend holiday gifts or bundles based on what they’ve already purchased.
  

• In your flows, make sure no conflicting offers are running alongside your BFCM promo.
  

• Duplicate automated flows and create a BFCM-specific version that can be turned on or off quickly without disrupting your evergreen logic.
  

• In post-purchase flows, confirm the deal with a thank-you (“You scored 30 percent off before sell-out”) and suggest complementary products still on sale.
  

• Shoppers expect early access tied to loyalty or past engagement, and often return to check if specific items are discounted.

For more ideas on email performance, read What Healthy Email Automation Looks Like in 2025.

Maintaining Holiday Momentum Beyond Cyber Week

The end of Cyber Monday isn’t the end of holiday demand. Outdoor brands that sustain offers and creative energy into December can capture gift-givers, procrastinators, and loyalists who are still in the market.

• Don’t assume traffic and conversions drop after Cyber Monday. There’s still holiday demand and last-minute gift shopping.
  

• Refresh your offers, creative, and messaging throughout December. Highlight urgency with phrases like “last chance,” “only a few left,” or “ship by date.”
  

• Segment your audience. Late buyers may respond better to different messaging, such as “arrives by Christmas” or “e-gift card available.”
  

• Use email and SMS to continuously nurture, upsell, or cross-sell.
  

• Plan around shipping deadlines. Your final push needs to align with when orders can realistically be delivered on time.

Pitfalls to Avoid

The margin for error shrinks during BFCM. Shoppers are flooded with offers, so any confusion or poorly structured promo can push them away. Keep it clean, consistent, and aligned with your brand.

• Overcomplicated offers are a turnoff. If your promo can’t be stated simply in one sentence, it’s too confusing. Avoid “up to 50% off select items” style discounts if there are not many items that are actually 50% off.
  

• Deal of the day or flash offers can fragment your audience and dilute urgency when not paired with a sitewide discount.
  

• Discounting clearance or out-of-season stock under the BFCM banner often undermines brand perception.
  

• Set guardrails to protect your margins. Model worst-case scenarios and define discount floors.
  

• Don’t bury your main offer beneath layers of exclusions, tiers, or fine print.

Bringing It Together: A Sample Timeline

The best way to make sense of BFCM is to treat it as a full campaign, not a one-off sale. By breaking down your priorities week by week, you’ll know where to focus energy and budget at each stage.

Period | Focus | Key Activities

• October | List and awareness | Top of funnel ads, gated content, early lead capture
  

• Early November | Audience warming | Retargeting, email or SMS engagement, teaser creative
  

• BFCM (Late Nov) | Drive conversions | Simple sitewide promos, auto-applied codes, dynamic creative
  

• Post-Cyber to Dec | Sustain momentum | New offers, urgency messaging, holiday shipping cutoffs

BFCM isn’t just a weekend. It’s a multi-week campaign that demands preparation, clarity, and post-sale momentum. 

If you’re ready to elevate your own BFCM strategy,
reach out to Foghorn Labs today