Here’s your map: Nope, we aren’t being metaphorical here. Wunderkind made an actual map for marketers to use on their journey to striking BFCM gold. Check it out.
Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BCFM) ain’t what it used to be. For consumers, it’s no longer about elbowing people at midnight so you get to the TVs before the store runs out. And for marketers, it’s no longer about having a quick-fire event. BCFM is a high-stakes, full-quarter campaign that must be treated as a strategic journey rather than a last-minute push.
Wunderkind gathered data to find out exactly what this strategic journey should look like based on what’s worked in years past and what consumer sentiment looks like. And, of course, they explored how AI could impact BCFM now.
Check out the learnings to see which lessons to take with you in this year’s campaign.
Lessons worth repeating
According to Wunderkind’s data, mobile made a huge comeback. And not just with browsing but also with serious buying. November alone drove up to 50% of total annual email/text opt-ins for some brands. What’s more, brands using identity resolution and personalized, triggered messaging saw 33% of BFCM revenue come from known users.
All those signs point to the fact that marketers shouldn’t sleep on mobile. Half of consumers plan to delay nonessential purchases until BCFM or similar events, but brands can’t lean too heavily on brand loyalty. 76% of consumers are willing to switch brands for better prices. And loyal customers aren’t immune—even they will jump ship for a 10%–20% discount.
This year, it could be worthwhile to take a long think about the discounts you offer and how you offer them.
Performance strategies that work
Fortunately for marketers, many effective performance strategies revolve around automation and AI (aka less manual work for teams).
Email remains the revenue workhorse of BCFM, but only when it’s fast, responsive, and behaviorally intelligent. And while email does its thing in the inbox, texting is the urgency engine. Wunderkind shared a few best practices:
- MMS performs well outside of peak hours.
- AI can be used to decide format, cadence, and audience.
- Urgency (e.g., “ends at midnight”) is most effective when paired with personalization.
When it comes to on-site engagement, passive pop-ups aren’t cuttin’ it. Wunderkind found the most successful on-site opt-ins have smart timing and personalization. Multiple sends per day are now standard and necessary, provided they’re coordinated.
AI-driven cadence makes all the difference with these touchpoints. Rather than static schedules, consider using it for scroll depth, session time, and category engagement.
AI’s impact (read: competitive advantage)
Wunderkind can speak firsthand to the results AI agents have on consumers and the marketing funnel. Their agentic AI reads behavioral and ergonomic signals in real time to optimize timing, channel, and message. So those wait-and-see customers get turned into confident buyers.
This AI also powers Wunderkind’s Autonomous Marketing Platform (AMP), which goes beyond automation and actually decides and deploys across email, text, ads, and on-site. And all of this doesn’t just start at BFCM launch—acquisition beforehand means more opportunity at the peak. So start implementing these processes now, track them, and see how your numbers change.
(Extra) happy holidays
Wondering how you’ll execute all that personalization and AI automation during this BCFM? Wunderkind’s AMP can help you create personalized journeys across all your owned channels. Learn more.