5 Lessons from BFCM 2025 to Strengthen Your Holiday Sales Strategy

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) 2025 has concluded, but the opportunity for holiday sales growth remains. Online shoppers spent $44.2B across the five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, a 7.7% increase from last year. This momentum is worth capitalizing on. The upside: the biggest gaps from BFCM can be turned into a stronger holiday sales strategy when viewed with a practical, forward-looking lens.

Understanding the most common BFCM missteps helps you identify what held performance back and what can be improved as you move through the rest of your holiday campaigns. With clearer forecasting and flexible ecommerce funding designed to adapt to your needs, Clearco can support you in making confident decisions through the final weeks of Q4 and into the new year.

Lesson 1: Underestimating Demand Creates Inventory and Revenue Gaps

Many teams entered BFCM confident in their forecasts, only to realize their projections deviated from buyer behavior. With Black Friday 2025 ecommerce sales climbing  30.7% compared to 2020, the continued post-pandemic shift to online shopping drove demand higher and  faster than expected. That surge drained inventory early, creating stockouts that were tough to recover from and leaving meaningful revenue on the table. Discounts also ran a bit deeper than intended, tightening margins and leaving less room to power the holiday push.

Another pattern that emerged was broad, one-size messaging. Shoppers were ready to buy, but the lack of tailored touchpoints made it harder to stand out during a noisy marketing weekend. Ad budgets often burned too fast or landed at the wrong moments. Seeing these gaps clearly underscores what slowed performance  and where to recalibrate for the weeks ahead.

Lesson 2: Misreading the Impact of BFCM Decisions Will Hurt Holiday Sales

Founders are now seeing how their BFCM decisions influenced the weeks that followed. When shoppers hit out-of-stock pages or slow shipping windows, conversions slipped. With the average online cart abandonment rate across industries sitting around 70% in 2025, even small friction points pushed buyers away. Every abandoned cart or competitor switch resulted in lost revenue during a period when sales could have been much stronger.

Teams that mistimed ad pacing compared to buying behavior did not see positive ROAS (Return on Ad Spend). Money went out, yet the return didn’t reflect the effort. Recognizing these ripple effects clarifies where performance weakened and where there is still opportunity to rebuild strength for the remainder of the season.

Lesson 3: Winning Brands Took a Very Different Approach

Top performing brands approached BFCM with a focus on long-term value instead of short-term wins. They used smart retention tactics aimed at encouraging shoppers to return, whether through loyalty perks, follow-up offers, or small personal touches.  Bundles and gentle upsells helped increase order value without relying on heavy discounts, giving customers something that felt worthwhile while keeping profitability healthy.

These brands also planned against  real demand, so their supply stayed steady and shortages didn’t slow things down. Moving away from broad campaigns, they leaned on tighter segmentation that sent the right offers to the right shoppers at the right time. Their discount structures were intentional and balanced, allowing them to attract  buyers while protecting their holiday budgets. Together, these choices built traction that will carry well past the BFCM weekend.

Lesson 4: Missing Quick Post-BFCM Fixes Hurts Holiday Performance

A handful of focused adjustments can meaningfully strengthen your holiday results. Start by sharpening your messaging so it reaches shoppers who are most likely to buy right now, especially those who have already engaged with your brand. This is the perfect moment to give returning buyers a little extra attention through tailored offers, personalized recommendations, or loyalty rewards.

Revisit your discount thresholds to keep margins intact, and lean on bundles or loyalty-focused offers to boost revenue without relying on deep markdowns. Audit your ad pacing and reallocate budget toward the channels that are performing this week. If inventory gaps are slowing things down, replenish what you can and spotlight the items that are fully stocked and ready to ship. Small, focused fixes like these can stabilize results as you move through the rest of the season.

Lesson 5: Strong Forecasting and Flexible Capital Make All the Difference 

Planning ahead becomes far more effective when your forecasting reflects real shopper behavior. Clear visibility into demand helps brands avoid stockouts, pace advertising with intention, and design promotions that protect margins instead of eroding them. It also creates room to prepare inventory in a steady and strategic way rather than reacting to short-term swings.

Flexible capital plays a crucial role in this process. When cash flow is not a constraint, DTC brands can restock quickly, scale the right campaigns at the right time, and carry their momentum into early Q1. Clearco gives founders access to fast, strategic funding and forecasting tools that support smarter decision making, greater financial stability, and better preparation for the next peak season push.

Clearco’s Free Inventory Forecast Template

Even if BFCM 2025 brought a few surprises, reviewing what worked and what didn’t can fuel the rest of your holiday strategy. Treat those learnings as fuel for your holiday efforts. A brief review of your performance data can reveal hidden insights and show where to focus your energy as the year winds down and we head into Q1.