The holiday season is more than just a date on the calendar. For e-commerce teams, it’s the biggest moment of the year—a time of high stakes, fierce competition, and incredible opportunity. Black Friday and Cyber Monday can feel like a mad dash to the finish line, but the teams that win big don’t just show up; they prepare.
The numbers tell the story. In 2024, Black Friday online sales hit $10.8 billion, while Cyber Monday remained the biggest day for online shopping with a staggering $13.3 billion in sales according to Adobe. But here’s what those numbers don’t show: the months of preparation, testing, and collaboration that made those wins possible.
This isn’t about finding a single “hack” for holiday success. It’s about building momentum through smart, steady, and collaborative effort. It’s about asking the right questions, testing bold ideas, and learning from every single click.So, let’s get ready together. Here are some proven strategies—many of which you can find in our “30 Tests for Black Friday” e-book—to help your team go further this season.
First things first: Build a foundation of trust
Before the first sale banner goes up, your site needs to be ready for the rush. A slow or buggy experience is the fastest way to lose a customer. The difference between a page that loads in one second and a page that loads in five seconds can be a 17% drop in conversion rate.
Start by pressure-testing your site. Simulate high-traffic moments to find and fix potential bottlenecks before they become holiday headaches. Compress your images, streamline your code, and make sure your servers can handle the peak. A smooth, reliable experience is non-negotiable—it’s the foundation of trust.
Create urgency that doesn’t just shout, it connects
The holidays run on urgency, but “BUY NOW!” only gets you so far. The real goal is to create a sense of shared excitement and opportunity. This is where testing your messaging becomes essential.
Try moving beyond generic phrases. Experiment with different calls-to-action (CTAs), placements, and designs to see what truly motivates your audience.
- Promotional Banners: Don’t assume every visitor lands on your homepage. MeUndies added a bold promo-code banner to their product detail pages (PDPs) to catch visitors arriving from ads. This small change led to a 9.8% increase in transactions and an uplift of over $400,000 in revenue.
- Countdown Timers: The team at Moulinex wanted to drive traffic to a limited-time shopping event. They tested a simple banner with a countdown timer against one without. The result? The countdown banner drove 74% more clicks on the CTA. It’s a simple way to show that time to grab a great deal is running out.
Make every experience feel personal
Holiday shoppers aren’t a monolith. They’re individuals with unique tastes and needs, and they expect to be treated that way. Personalization is how you show your customers that you see them. Use browsing behavior and purchase history to tailor offers that feel less like a sales pitch and more like a helpful suggestion.
For example, if a customer has been eyeing your winter coats, feature them prominently. Dynamic content that adapts to user behavior makes every visit feel relevant and keeps people engaged.The team at Pan Pacific Hotels Group took this to heart. They created two audience segments—families and couples—and tailored the entire website experience with custom banners and offers. The result was a 35% uplift in bookings from these visitors. That’s the power of making it personal.
Non-negotiable: optimize for mobile experiences
More than half of all e-commerce sales happen on a phone. This isn’t a trend; it’s the standard. A clunky mobile experience isn’t just an annoyance—it’s a dealbreaker.
Your mobile site needs to be fast, responsive, and incredibly easy to navigate. Think simplified checkouts and thumb-friendly buttons. Test every step of the mobile journey, from landing page to confirmation.
A great idea is to add a fixed search bar for mobile visitors. When the Calvin Klein team tested this, they saw a 267% increase in search bar clicks. It’s a small change that removes friction and helps people find what they’re looking for, faster.
Build confidence with social proof
In a sea of holiday deals, trust is your most valuable currency. Social proof—like customer reviews, ratings, and real-time activity—is a powerful way to build that trust. It shows hesitant shoppers that they’re in good company.
- Showcase what’s popular: NYX Professional Makeup tested adding a message on their product pages that said, “75 beauties have purchased this product today!” This simple addition doubled their transaction rate.
- Suggest scarcity: L’Occitane en Provence tested showing how many people were currently viewing a product. This touch of social proof increased their transaction rate by 5.8%.
When people see that others are buying and loving your products, it makes their decision to purchase that much easier.
A checkout that just works
Cart abandonment is the ghost of holidays past, present, and future. A complicated, clunky checkout process is often the culprit. Your mission is to make paying as simple and seamless as possible.
Minimize the steps, offer multiple payment options (like PayPal or Apple Pay), and be upfront about shipping costs. Every bit of friction you remove is a potential sale saved.
The team at Galeries Lafayette noticed that two-factor authentication was adding an extra step to checkout. They tested a version that prioritized payment methods without it. The change was a huge win, boosting their conversion rate by 38%. It proves that even small steps toward simplicity can lead to big progress.
Keep the conversation going
The holiday season is an amazing time for acquiring new customers, but the real win is turning them into loyal fans who stick around. The journey doesn’t end when the package arrives.
Think about what comes next.
- A simple, personalized thank-you email.
- An exclusive offer for their next purchase.
- An invitation to join your loyalty program.
Building these post-holiday touchpoints is how you turn a seasonal rush into sustainable growth. It’s about building a relationship, not just completing a transaction.
Your holiday prep list: Prepare, test, iterate
Winning the holiday season is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s the result of the work you put in beforehand—the preparation, the testing, and the courage to try something new.
By focusing on a solid foundation, personalizing the experience, and removing friction at every turn, you’re not just optimizing a website; you’re building a better journey for your customers.
Stay agile, keep learning, and trust in the process. With your team behind you and a willingness to iterate, you can do more than just survive the holiday rush—you can thrive in it.
