Shoppers want to begin BFCM before November, according to new research. Give them a good reason to start early

7 min read

September 30, 2024

Black Friday Cyber Monday seems to start earlier and earlier each year.

But is this what consumers want? How early is too early? Are there any negative side effects to launching campaigns sooner than November?

These are the questions every ecommerce marketer grapples with around BFCM.

According to Jia Lee, senior content marketing manager at Klaviyo, brands are reluctant to launch their BFCM campaigns earlier in the year for a variety of reasons.

“They fear that launching too early could upset customers who might see the promotions as premature, potentially leading to dissatisfaction and churn,” Lee explains. “Additionally, without historical precedent, brands are hesitant to break away from traditional timing without proven success.”

These are all valid concerns—but until they’re rooted in data, they’re just speculations. That’s why we conducted a global survey of consumers and published all our findings in our 2024 consumer spending report.

We surveyed 8,538 consumers around the world—across generations, relationship and family status, and household income brackets—to understand when, where, how, and why consumers spend their money during the holiday season.

Here’s what we found.

Consumers want early access to BFCM deals

When we asked respondents to identify the “ideal month” for brands to begin their holiday season sales, more than half of shoppers (51%) identified a month earlier than November. In other words, consumers aren’t just tolerant of an earlier start to BFCM—they actively want it.

There are a few factors that might contribute to this preference:

Inflation is hitting consumers, hard

Our survey found that 97% of respondents are aware that inflation is affecting the cost of goods and services. As a result, 88% say inflation is currently affecting their spending decisions and/or will affect their spending decisions in the future.

But holiday spending seems to be the one area where consumers aren’t planning to tighten their purse strings. In fact, 61% plan to spend the same amount on holiday shopping as last year—and some (19%) are even planning to increase their spending.

Given these statistics, it makes sense why consumers are receptive to an earlier start to BFCM.

“Early shopping allows consumers to take advantage of promotions and discounts that may not be available closer to the holiday. Additionally, spreading out holiday purchases can help people manage their budgets more effectively,” Lee says.

Our report confirms this. While only 14% of consumers currently shop for holiday gifts throughout the year, 64% of those consumers do so to take advantage of early promotions and discounts.

Certain demographics prefer to shop ahead

Of the 14% of consumers who currently shop for holiday gifts throughout the year, 51% do so to spread out their holiday spending.

Specifically, compared to Gen Z and millennials, Gen X and boomers are slightly more likely to do their holiday shopping throughout the course of the entire year. As a result, they may be more intrigued by those early promotions.

“Starting BFCM shopping earlier in the year offers several benefits for these consumers,” Lee says. “It provides more time to compare deals and make informed decisions, reducing the stress and pressure of last-minute shopping.”

Another benefit of an early approach is that it lets people break up their spending and take advantage of consistent savings. This might explain why consumers in lower income brackets also demonstrated a slight preference for shopping throughout the year.

How to apply these findings to your BFCM marketing strategy

Now that you have the BFCM data to support that consumers want an earlier start to the holiday shopping season, here are a few ways to make sure you’re set up for success:

Tip 1: Lean into data as early as possible

It’s always important to take a data-driven approach to marketing strategies—but this is especially true when 88% of consumers are adjusting or planning to adjust their spending decisions as a result of inflation.

“To maximize sales opportunities, it’s crucial to leverage customer data to understand buying patterns and purchase intent. Analyze existing recency, frequency, monetary (RFM) purchases and loyalty data to tailor promotions and discounts effectively,” Lee suggests.

Take Ruffwear, for example. The outdoor gear brand for dogs wanted to better understand their disengaged customers. Specifically, which ones were the most valuable? Who would be most likely to return and make another purchase?

To better predict these behaviors, Ruffwear implemented Klaviyo CDP to take advantage of its powerful RFM segmentation capabilities. Now, if a customer enters the “Needs attention” or “At risk” RFM segments—for high- and low-LTV customers who haven’t bought recently, respectively—it triggers a retention flow.

Personalized based on purchase history, the flow content recommends bestsellers the customer hasn’t yet bought. “Compared to our other post-purchase flows, these ones are doing really well,” says Natalie DeRatt, ecommerce communications coordinator at Ruffwear—to the tune of contributing to 9% YoY growth in overall revenue.

With a similar approach, you can understand the behaviors of your most valuable customers for BFCM. The only thing to note: given that consumers are showing a preference for earlier BFCM deals, you may have to start the process of collecting data sooner rather than later this year.

Tip 2: Find ways to optimize value

With consumers more price sensitive than ever before, the 2024 holiday season also presents an opportunity for brands to uncover more value for their customers—especially their most loyal shoppers.

“As consumers become more selective with their spending, focus on delivering genuine value. Enhance your loyalty programs with exclusive perks such as early access to holiday deals, personalized gift suggestions, and bonus points for purchases,” Lee recommends.

Happy Way, an Australian brand that sells natural health products, uses Klaviyo to take a highly segmented approach to reward their most loyal customers during BFCM. They target their most engaged customers with early-bird communications—giving loyal shoppers first exclusive access to their BFCM sale, even before the official sale kicks off.

The strategy contributed to 27% YoY growth in BFCM revenue in 2023.

“This approach not only boosts engagement but also fosters long-term relationships, positioning your brand as a preferred choice for those managing tighter budgets,” Lee says.

Tip 3: Give last-minute shoppers a reason to change

Although over half of shoppers are open to a pre-November BFCM launch, there are still certain demographics that tend to procrastinate on their holiday shopping.

Single consumers and non-parents, for example, tend to do more of their holiday shopping in the month the holiday falls compared to partnered consumers and parents.

To motivate these demographics to start their holiday shopping earlier, brands can employ several tailored tactics.

Lee recommends leaning into platforms where these demographics are most active. For example, social media is one of the top 3 marketing channels for both single consumers and non-parents (36% and 32%, respectively).

Knowing this, brands can use platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat to deliver engaging and genuine content, whether organically or through collaborations with influencers they trust.

Lee also encourages businesses to find ways to remove barriers and simplify the shopping experience—whether that’s by providing easy access to gift guides, personalized recommendations, or convenient wishlists that streamline the process.

There are lots of ways to get creative with these tactics. Lifestyle brand POPFLEX, for instance, ran a shopping spree giveaway in October 2023 that required entrants to create holiday wishlists on their site.

Nearly 100,000 customers entered, which gave the brand plenty of browsing and BFCM data to use for targeted holiday messaging. This is one of the tactics that led POPFLEX to a record-setting 2023 holiday season.

Of course, no matter how good your marketing tactics are, there will always be last-minute shoppers—so don’t miss the opportunity to capture this potential revenue as well.

“Don’t forget data-driven ‘last-minute’ email and SMS campaigns to capture late shoppers. These reminders, often more effective than non-BFCM campaigns, can significantly increase click rates and conversions, especially when paired with timely incentives,” Lee says.

Get the full report for a successful 2024 BFCM season

Ready to confidently go into the 2024 BFCM season knowing exactly when to launch your campaigns? With the additional insights from our 2024 consumer spending report, Lee says you can find even more ways to set your marketing strategy up for success.

“By being both strategic and responsive,” Lee says, “brands can turn economic challenges into opportunities for growth and customer retention during the holiday season.”