Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the busiest days of the year for most online stores, and also the days when small mistakes cost the most. A slow product page, a sale price that does not switch off, or a sold-out bestseller with no way to come back can wipe out the benefit of your discounts. This checklist covers what to prepare on a WooCommerce store, in the order you should do it.
Two to three weeks before: the offer
- Choose a clear offer. One simple message (“-25% on everything”, “buy 2, get 1 free”, “free shipping on all orders”) works better than a different discount on every product.
- Select the products. Put your bestsellers and the products with the healthiest margins forward. Check you have enough stock.
- Set the dates. Decide the exact start and end, including the time zone. Many stores run from Friday morning to Monday midnight, others run the whole week.
- Schedule sale prices in WooCommerce. Each product has “Schedule” dates next to the sale price. Use them so prices switch on and off automatically.
One to two weeks before: the store
- Add a countdown on product pages. A timer based on the real sale end date shows visitors exactly how long the price lasts. A plugin like DealClock reads the WooCommerce schedule, so the timer disappears when the sale ends. Read more in our guide to sale countdown timers.
- Announce the sale site-wide. An announcement bar at the top of every page with the offer and the end date. Schedule it to start and stop with the sale.
- Raise the average basket. A free shipping progress bar encourages customers to add one more item. Black Friday shoppers often buy gifts, so the extra item is an easy decision.
- Prepare for stock-outs. Bestsellers will sell out. Instead of losing those visitors, let them subscribe to a back in stock alert.
- Show real activity. Recent sales notifications based on real orders reassure visitors that others are buying.
One week before: speed and checkout
- Test speed on mobile. Run your home page, a category and a product page through PageSpeed Insights. Compress large images, remove plugins you do not use, and make sure caching is active (but cart and checkout must never be cached).
- Make buying easy on phones. A sticky add to cart bar keeps the button in reach while visitors scroll through photos and reviews.
- Simplify checkout. Remove optional fields, enable guest checkout and offer the payment methods your customers use most.
- Place a test order. From a phone, with a real payment method, from product page to confirmation email. Then refund it.
The day before: communication
- Email your list first. Your subscribers are your most likely buyers. Send early access or a reminder the evening before.
- Prepare your support. Publish shipping deadlines for Christmas, your return policy and a quick way to contact you, such as a floating WhatsApp button.
During and after the sale
Watch your stock levels and your orders a few times a day. If a product sells out, update its page and make sure the back in stock form is visible. When the sale ends, check that prices, timers and banners have switched back automatically, then email the people who joined waitlists as soon as you restock.
Afterwards, compare results with a normal week: revenue, number of orders, average order value and new customers. Note what worked for next year. Many of the tools above also help all year round, see our WooCommerce conversion tips.
Get the tools in one pack
The countdown timer, free shipping bar, recent sales popups, back in stock alerts, sticky add to cart and size guide are all in the WooCommerce Plugin Bundle, at a lower price than buying them one by one. You can try each one on the live demos.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start preparing for Black Friday?
Two to three weeks before is comfortable: enough time to choose the offer, schedule prices, test speed and place a test order.
Should I cache my WooCommerce store during Black Friday?
Yes for product and category pages, which makes them faster under load, but never cache the cart, checkout or account pages.
Are countdown timers allowed?
Yes, as long as they reflect a real deadline. Fake timers that restart for every visitor mislead customers and can break consumer protection rules.