Email and SMS
Klaviyo publishes data on when BFCM winners start their preparation. The top performers - the brands with the highest revenue per subscriber during BFCM - start building their owned channel strategy in August and September.
By the time October arrives, the most important decisions have already been made. List growth push is underway. Templates are designed. Segmentation is set up. The only thing left to do is execute.
Here's the full Q3 email and SMS prep playbook.
The most important thing you can do for BFCM email performance in August has nothing to do with BFCM. It's growing your list.
Every subscriber added in August has time to go through your welcome sequence, receive two or three campaigns, develop brand familiarity, and be re-segmented by engagement before BFCM arrives. That subscriber is worth significantly more during BFCM than one added in October who barely made it through the welcome flow.
What to do in August:
• Audit and optimize your email capture popup. Test a lead magnet against your current discount offer. Test two different timing triggers (exit intent vs. time on site).
• Launch an SMS opt-in push to your engaged email subscribers who aren't yet on your SMS list.
• Run a re-engagement campaign for anyone who hasn't opened or clicked in 90 days. Clean the list before you need it.
• Audit your welcome flow. Does it convert? Does it reference the offer that drove the opt-in? Does it have a path for non-converters?
September is strategy month. By the end of September, every decision about your BFCM email and SMS campaign calendar should be made. Nothing should be figured out in October.
What to decide in September:
• What is your BFCM offer? One primary offer, clearly defined, with a specific discount structure and timeline.
• What is your VIP early access strategy? Your best customers should hear about your sale before the general list. When does that go out, and who is in the VIP segment?
• How many email sends will you do across BFCM week? A typical high-performing BFCM calendar includes: VIP early access, sale launch, mid-sale reminder, last chance, and a Cyber Monday follow-up. That's five sends in five days, plus SMS touchpoints.
• How will you sequence email and SMS? Email carries the full announcement. SMS nudges non-openers and adds urgency. Plan the coordination.
Templates get built in October. Subject lines get written and A/B tested. Segmentation gets verified.
What to build in October:
• All BFCM email templates. These should be designed, written, and in Klaviyo by October 31.
• Subject line variations for each send. Plan three subject line options per email and test the first one in your October campaigns.
• Your post-BFCM flow. The week after BFCM is a massive new-customer acquisition event. If you don't have a post-purchase sequence ready to retain those buyers, you'll spend a fortune acquiring them and watch them churn.
Sending to your full list without segmentation. Your most engaged subscribers and your least engaged subscribers should not receive the same campaign at the same time. Suppressing unengaged contacts during BFCM protects your deliverability when you need it most.
No post-BFCM retention plan. BFCM buyers who don't receive a strong post-purchase sequence churn at high rates. The 30 days after BFCM are as important as BFCM itself for long-term revenue.
Discounting aggressively every year. Training your list to wait for BFCM devalues your brand and cannibalizes full-price sales for the rest of the year. Think carefully about your offer structure and whether there are ways to create urgency without a blanket site-wide discount.
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