BFCM 2024 just shattered records with a 9.5% (source) surge in transactions. While these sales bring in more revenue, they show just how demanding and difficult the holiday season can be. From cash flow crunches to inventory strain (overselling/stockouts) and struggling to keep operations running, these costly errors can destroy months of hard work in a single weekend.
At the same time, Black Friday's later timing compresses the window to Christmas, adding fresh challenges for retailers to perform well in a shorter timeframe.
The truth is, success during BFCM isn’t about who slashes prices the most; it’s about who prepares the smartest.
In this blog, we’ll uncover all the possible mistakes during BFCM and deep dive into how to overcome them while ensuring a positive customer experience.
During BFCM, even small mistakes can cost ecommerce brands big, leading to lost revenue and a damaged reputation. Here are the most common pitfalls to watch out for, along with practical ways to avoid them:
One of the biggest mistakes during BFCM is assuming it’s “just another sales weekend.” Many brands fail to plan ahead - skipping inventory checks, leaving website performance untested, and waiting until the final week to launch campaigns without even testing them. This lack of foresight often results in website crashes, lost sales, and overwhelmed teams, all at the most critical time of year.
How to overcome it:
Success during BFCM requires military-level preparation starting 2-3 months in advance; some brands start in July, whereas some in August:
A lot of brands believe that “deepest discounts win.” But the truth is that constant price-slashing erodes long-term profits and conditions customers to only purchase during sales. This can further damage their brand’s premium perception as well.
How to overcome it:
Smart brands focus on value creation rather than just price reduction:
Relying exclusively on email marketing and social media while ignoring the power of push notifications represents a significant missed opportunity. Push notifications appear directly on users’ screens, bypassing inbox clutter and triggering instant visibility. This leads to 7x higher open rates than email, faster engagement, and stronger conversions for urgent, time-sensitive offers.
How to overcome it:
Implement a comprehensive push notification strategy:
One of the biggest mistakes during BFCM that ecommerce sellers make is sending generic sales messaging without urgency triggers, leading to procrastination and abandoned purchases.
This includes using weak call-to-actions like "Shop Now" instead of action-driven language
or running sales without clear time limits or scarcity indicators. Some examples of strong CTA include “Claim Your Deal Before Midnight” or “Get 30% Off – Ends in 2 Hours.”
How to overcome it:
You can master the psychology of urgency with these proven tactics:
Starting promotional campaigns only during the BFCM weekend means competing in an oversaturated market where customer inboxes are flooded with promotional messages and their attention is divided among hundreds of competing offers. Plus, advertising costs are at their annual peak and there's insufficient time to build anticipation and warm up audiences.
How to overcome it:
Create a strategic pre-BFCM campaign timeline:
Brands that fail to analyze last year’s performance repeat the same mistakes during BFCM again. Overlooking insights like top-performing products, winning marketing channels, and effective pricing or discount strategies leads to wasted ad spend and missed opportunities.
How to overcome it:
Conduct a comprehensive data analysis of past BFCM performance:
According to the latest report from Adobe Analytics, during the 2024 U.S. holiday season, 54.5% of online purchases were made using smartphones, but many brands still prioritize desktop or overlook the importance of mobile optimization. The result?
Frustrating shopping experiences like clunky navigation, long checkout forms, and non-optimized payment gateways quickly drive customers to abandon their carts.
How to overcome it:
Prioritize mobile-first optimization strategies:
Some brands rely only on polished, branded content, but today’s buyers trust organic social proof more, such as reviews, unboxings, case studies (customer stories) and testimonials. Lack of UGC reduces credibility during high-stakes seasons like BFCM.
How to overcome it:
Build a comprehensive UGC strategy before BFCM:
Inventory mistakes during BFCM can hamper your brands’ reputation and revenue. Understocking leads to stockouts, disappointed customers, and lost sales opportunities. Overstocking results in excess inventory, cash flow issues, and forced post-holiday discounting. Poor synchronization across channels creates overselling and fulfillment problems.
How to overcome it:
Implement sophisticated inventory management strategies:
Launching a one-size-fits-all promotion at the last minute is one of the classic mistakes during BFCM. A weak or generic strategy means your campaigns get lost in the crowd, reducing your ability to stand out and maximize ROI. Plus, it also hurts your brand positioning and profit margins without driving loyalty.
How to overcome it:
Relying solely on the DTC store is risky. An omnichannel approach is essential, as BFCM shoppers actively search for deals on Amazon, Walmart, eBay, and other marketplaces. If your brand isn’t present or your listings aren’t optimized, you miss out on massive traffic opportunities.
Simultaneously, inconsistent pricing, product details, or promotions across channels can confuse and frustrate customers, ultimately weakening trust in your brand.
How to overcome it:
BFCM is a stress test not just for sales but also for customer support. Many brands underestimate the volume of inquiries and complaints, leading to frustrated teams and customers. Pair that with unclear shipping or return policies, and buyers are quick to leave negative reviews.
Ignoring the post-purchase experience is another big mistake; it turns first-time BFCM buyers into one-time customers instead of repeat loyalists.
How to overcome it:
One of the least obvious but most damaging mistakes during BFCM is not having accounting and cash flow under control. Many ecommerce brands focus only on top-line revenue and excitement from sales while ignoring hidden costs like ad spend, payment processing fees, returns, refunds, and marketplace commissions.
Without real-time financial visibility, brands may celebrate “big sales” but later discover negative profit margins.
How to overcome it:
Too many brands treat BFCM as the finish line instead of the starting point for long-term growth. After the sales rush, they fail to follow up with new customers, run retention campaigns, or analyze performance.
This mistake turns BFCM into a short-lived spike instead of a lasting growth opportunity. Without proper recovery, all the investment in ads, promotions, and operations benefits competitors who nurture those customers.
How to overcome it:
BFCM 2024 proved that prepared brands achieved unprecedented growth while unprepared ones lost market share. With 746% referral activity spikes and mobile orders surging 3.91%, the competition will be even tougher in 2025.
The 14 mistakes during BFCM we've covered hurt revenue, drain profits, and damage customer trust. The good news? With the right accounting automation, you can remove these profit killers and turn BFCM into a long-term win.
Smart brands are already gearing up for BFCM 2025 with Webgility's AI-powered automation. Sync every order, reconcile every transaction, and gain real-time financial visibility so you can scale confidently and protect your margins. Book a demo today and secure your BFCM success!
BFCM Amazon refers to Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on Amazon. It’s one of the busiest shopping periods, where sellers must optimize listings, manage inventory, and compete for ad visibility.
Start 2–3 months in advance by planning inventory, testing website load times, building teaser campaigns, optimizing mobile experiences, and ensuring accounting/cash flow tracking.
BFCM dates cover the Black Friday weekend through Cyber Monday, typically from the day after Thanksgiving through Monday, marking the biggest shopping days of the year. In 2025, Black Friday is on 28th November 2025, followed by Cyber Monday on 1st December 2025.