BFCM 2026 Checklist: 24 Things to Set Up Before Cyber Monday
BFCM is won in October. By the time Black Friday hits, your campaigns should be on rails. This 24-item checklist is what we walk every PulseBar Advanced merchant through.
Infrastructure (weeks -8 to -4)
- Verify Shopify Plus or Standard rate limits
- Pre-cache shipping zones in your 3PL
- Test checkout under 10x normal load
- Add status-page link to your footer
- Stage your BFCM theme on a duplicate
Announcement bars (weeks -4 to -1)
- Schedule countdown to launch at 11:59 PM EST Thursday
- Create rotation: shipping, discount, scarcity
- Set device-targeted variants for mobile (shorter copy)
- Schedule auto-replace bar for post-sale ('Sale ends Tuesday')
Test on a real iPhone. iOS Safari quirks (font scaling, viewport units) burn 30% of stores every year.
Have a tactic that worked for you? Email hello@wishvault.io and we'll feature it in the Lab.
Writes about urgency marketing, Shopify conversion, and the intersection of behavioral science and e-commerce design.
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