The best Black Week campaign ideas give people a reason to come back every day, not just on Friday: build an early-access list the week before, open one daily deal or game per day from Monday to Cyber Monday, fill the quiet weekend with a skill game, and end with a Cyber Monday offer that only works online. Each step should collect an email and consent, so the week also feeds your Christmas sales.
Black Friday used to be one day. In most of Europe it is now a week, often more, and the shops that plan only for Friday spend their budget in one crowded inbox. This guide is about the whole stretch: the run-up, the daily rhythm, the weekend, Cyber Monday and the hand-over to December. If you want popup tactics for October list building, read our Black Friday popup ideas. For one retailer's full story, see how POWER uses gamification on Black Friday.
When is Black Week 2026?
There is no official definition. Most retailers start on the Monday before Black Friday and finish on Cyber Monday. Black Friday is the day after the US Thanksgiving, which is the fourth Thursday of November. Cyber Monday is the Monday after.
| Date | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Singles' Day (11.11) | Wed 11 November | Thu 11 November |
| Black Week starts (most shops) | Mon 23 November | Mon 22 November |
| Black Friday | Fri 27 November | Fri 26 November |
| Cyber Monday | Mon 30 November | Mon 29 November |
| First door of a Christmas calendar | Tue 1 December | Wed 1 December |
Singles' Day sits two weeks earlier and is a good test run. Our Singles' Day campaign ideas cover it. You can see every key date for your country in the free marketing calendar.
Black Week marketing: a planning timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks before | Decide the goal: new sign-ups, sales from existing customers or both. Pick your prize budget. |
| 6 weeks before | Choose formats for each day. Book prizes and upload discount codes. |
| 4 weeks before | Build the campaigns. Write the terms. Test on a phone. |
| 2–3 weeks before | Open the early-access list. Tease the week in your newsletter and on social media. |
| Black Week | One new reason to visit per day. Short daily emails and SMS to people who opted in. |
| Week after | Thank buyers, survey them, and move everyone into your Christmas campaign. |
10 Black Week campaign ideas, day by day
1. The early-access list (two weeks before)
Ask people to sign up for first access to the deals. A pre-registration page with a countdown works on its own, and a small instant prize on sign-up makes it more appealing. Share it in your newsletter, on social media and as a website popup. Measure sign-ups per day, so you know whether to push harder before Monday.
2. Vote for the deal (the week before)
Let your audience choose which product gets the biggest discount. A product battle or vote game is quick to play, and the result tells you what people actually want. Announce the winner on Monday and send it first to everyone who voted and agreed to emails.
3. A daily door from Monday to Cyber Monday
A campaign calendar with one door per day turns eight days into eight visits. Each door holds a new deal, a game or a prize draw. People who come back every day are your warmest buyers, so give them something extra on the last door. Calendars work best when you remind people: one short email or SMS each morning.
4. The morning mystery deal
Send one SMS or push message at 8 am with a link to a mystery box. Three boxes, one choice, and behind each a deal that lasts until midnight. The surprise is the hook, and you control how many of each deal exist. It suits fashion, beauty and home, where a daily drop feels natural.
5. A wheel for your loyalty club
Black Week is a good moment to grow your club, not just your list. POWER ran a Black Friday wheel of fortune that brought 300,000+ game plays and 60,000 new email permissions. Make club sign-up part of the entry, and give members a better prize than everyone else.
6. Gift cards for a few, a code for everyone
Lampeguru's Black Friday wheel gave gift cards as main prizes and a discount code to everyone else. It reached a 56% conversion rate and 4,582 unique leads. A spin the wheel or scratch card with a consolation prize means nobody leaves empty-handed, and the big prizes keep the game exciting.
7. In-store scratch card on Black Friday
If you have shops, put a QR code at the entrance and the till. Shoppers scan, play a scratch card on their phone and win a prize they can use today or online on Cyber Monday. It links busy shop days to your email list. Make printed codes with the free QR code generator, and read more about QR codes in store.
8. A weekend high-score game
Saturday and Sunday are often quieter for email. A skill game like drop game or slice it with a leaderboard gives people a reason to play again and share their score. Award the top scores on Monday morning, which leads straight into Cyber Monday.
9. Cyber Monday: online only
Make Cyber Monday different from Friday. Give an online-only prize, such as free shipping, an extra gift with orders or a code that only works in the webshop. A short quiz about your products ("Which gadget suits you?") or a slot machine keeps it light. For B2B and subscription businesses, Cyber Monday is a natural day for an annual plan offer.
10. The thank-you game and the bridge to Christmas
After Cyber Monday, send buyers a short survey with a prize draw. Ask what they bought, who for and what they still need. Then invite everyone into your December campaign. Our Christmas campaign ideas and the free Christmas calendar planner help you plan the next step.
Black Week without a sitewide discount
Not every brand wants to cut prices for a week. Some swap the discount for a prize draw, a gift with purchase or a donation per play. A prize for a few people can cost less than a discount for everyone, and it protects your normal prices. Compare the two with the discount vs prize calculator, and set fair odds with the prize odds calculator.
| Prize type | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Unique discount codes | Driving orders this week | Margin; use one-time codes from the discount code generator |
| Free shipping | Cyber Monday, low basket values | Make the minimum order clear |
| Gift cards | Main prizes, repeat visits in December | Set a clear expiry date |
| Gift with purchase | Brands avoiding discounts | Stock levels |
| Prize draw for a big prize | Brand campaigns, sign-ups | Write clear terms |
Collect sign-ups and consent the right way
Black Week brings many new people, so make sure you can contact them in December. Add a clear consent checkbox that is not ticked in advance, and say what people will receive. Consider double opt-in for higher list quality. The free consent text generator gives you a starting point, and our guide to competitions and GDPR explains the basics. Send sign-ups straight to your email tool, such as Klaviyo or Mailchimp, so the welcome email goes out the same day.
Price rules for Black Week offers
If you show a price cut, check the rules for comparison prices. In Germany, § 11 of the Price Indication Ordinance requires you to state the lowest price you charged in the last 30 days before the reduction. In Denmark, the Consumer Ombudsman reminds shops that the before-price is, as a starting point, the lowest price in the last 30 days. Rules in the UK and other countries differ, so check with your lawyer. Competitions that require a purchase also have local rules, so check these before you launch.
This article is general information, not legal advice.
What to measure
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Sign-ups and consent rate | How much the week grew your list |
| Daily return visits | Whether the daily rhythm works |
| Code redemption rate | Whether prizes turn into orders |
| Revenue from players vs non-players | The real effect on sales |
| Unsubscribes in December | Whether you sent too much |
Tag every link with the free UTM builder, and estimate the result in advance with the campaign ROI calculator.
FAQ
When is Black Week 2026?
Most shops run Black Week from Monday 23 November to Cyber Monday 30 November 2026. Black Friday is on 27 November. There is no official start date, so some shops begin earlier.
What is the difference between Black Week, Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Black Friday is the day after the US Thanksgiving. Black Week is the longer sales period around it, usually the whole week. Cyber Monday is the Monday after Black Friday and is traditionally focused on online shopping.
When should I start planning Black Week campaigns?
Start about eight weeks before. That gives you time to book prizes, build and test the campaigns and open an early-access list two to three weeks ahead.
How do I stand out when everyone sends discounts?
Give people something to do instead of another percentage. A daily game, a vote on the best deal or a prize draw is more memorable than one more discount email, and it collects data you can use in December.
Is Cyber Monday still worth it in Europe?
Treat it as the final day of your Black Week, with its own online-only offer. It gives you a last reason to email people who did not buy on Friday.
Plan your Black Week now
Pick three or four ideas, map them to days and start from one of 150+ templates. Rex, our AI assistant, can design the campaign in your brand colors and write the texts. Start your free 14-day trial, or book a meeting if you want help planning the week.
