The Ultimate Black Friday Success Guide for Clothing Brands: How to Make Your Biggest Sales Yet

Black Friday is one of the biggest opportunities of the year for clothing brands to boost sales and grow their customer base. But as an emerging designer, you may feel like it’s hard to compete with the bigger brands. The truth is, you don’t need a massive budget or team to win on Black Friday. With the right strategy, you can set yourself up for success by using practical, effective tips that are totally doable—even if you're doing everything yourself!

Before we dive into the strategies, don’t forget to grab our free ChatGPT Prompt Guide! It’s packed with easy-to-customize prompts for your Black Friday email campaigns so you can get started quickly and confidently.

1. Get a Head Start by Launching Your Sale Early

One way to stand out during Black Friday is to avoid getting lost in the noise. Instead of starting your sale on Black Friday itself, consider starting a few days earlier. This gives you a head start before everyone else’s promotions flood your customers' inboxes.

Quick Win: Start your sale early and let your customers in on the "early bird" deals to make them feel special for shopping before everyone else.

2. Focus on Your Bestsellers

One of the most effective strategies is to focus on promoting your best-selling items. These are the products your customers already love, and they’ll be most excited to see them go on sale. Instead of overwhelming yourself with promoting every product, put your energy behind the ones you know will sell.

Quick Win: Feature your top-selling products in your marketing emails and social media posts. This will give your audience clear direction on what to buy, and make them feel confident that they’re purchasing something popular.

Pro Tip: Need help writing product descriptions? Use our ChatGPT Prompt Guide for easy-to-use prompts to highlight your bestsellers.

3. Set Up Abandoned Cart Emails (and Add an Extra Discount!)

Customers may get distracted while shopping, so abandoned cart emails are crucial to recovering lost sales. You can go a step further by offering an additional discount or free shipping to entice them to complete their purchase.

Quick Win: Set up an automated abandoned cart email that reminds customers what they left behind, and sweeten the deal with a special discount or free shipping for coming back to complete the order.

Pro Tip: You can set up abandoned cart emails using free tools like Shopify, even if you’re not a tech expert!

4. Create Urgency with a Countdown Timer

To push your customers to take action, create a sense of urgency by using a countdown timer. Let them know how long they have before the sale ends, and emphasize that the deals won’t last.

Quick Win: Add a countdown timer to your website or within your emails to let customers know the exact time left to grab your special deals.

5. Rebrand Your Sale to Feel More Personal

Instead of just calling it a “Black Friday Sale,” consider rebranding it with something that feels more personal and genuine to your customers. For example, you could call it a "Gratitude Sale" to express appreciation for their support, especially if you're a small, emerging brand.

Quick Win: Use language that speaks directly to your customers and highlights why you're offering these deals—whether it’s to thank them for their loyalty or to help them get your best pieces at a special price.

Pro Tip: A personal touch can go a long way for small businesses. Let customers know how much their support has meant to you throughout the year.

6. Make Sure Your Website Is Ready for Sales

The last thing you want is for customers to be frustrated when shopping on your site. Check that your website is easy to navigate, especially on mobile, and that your checkout process is smooth and hassle-free.

Quick Win: Simplify your website by removing any unnecessary steps or clutter. Make sure your best-selling products and sales are front and center to avoid any confusion.

Pro Tip: Test your site on multiple devices to ensure that customers will have a seamless shopping experience, no matter where they’re browsing from.

7. Automate Where You Can (Even If You’re Doing It All Yourself)

As an emerging designer, you might be handling everything from marketing to order fulfillment, so use automation tools to lighten the load. Automate your email marketing campaigns, and consider using a social media scheduler like Planoly to plan your posts ahead of time.

Quick Win: Schedule your Black Friday email series (start with a teaser, then a launch email, followed by reminders, and a final “Last Chance” email). Tools like Klaviyo, or Flodesk offer easy automation options.

8. Offer Free Shipping for a Limited Time

Free shipping is one of the top incentives that pushes customers to complete their orders. Consider offering it for Black Friday, even if it’s just for a limited time or for orders over a certain amount.

Quick Win: Highlight free shipping in your emails and on your website, making it clear that this offer is only available during your Black Friday sale.

Pro Tip: Make "Free Shipping" a part of your email subject lines to increase open rates.

9. Offer Exclusive Black Friday Bundles

Instead of offering deep discounts on individual products, create bundles of complementary items. Bundling products adds value for your customers and helps boost your average order value. 

Quick Win: Identify 2-3 products that naturally go together (like a top, bottom, and accessory - or multiples of the same item) and package them as an exclusive Black Friday bundle at a slightly lower price than buying each item individually.

Pro Tip: Name your bundle something enticing and exclusive (e.g., “Holiday-Ready Outfit Set” or “Cozy Black Friday Bundle”) to make it feel special and limited. You can create bundles easily with Shopify or WooCommerce plugins without advanced tech skills.

10. Collaborate with Influencers

Working with influencers is an excellent way to expand your reach and create buzz around your Black Friday sale. Choose influencers who resonate with your target audience and offer them a commission through affiliate marketing to incentivize them to promote your sale. This is a great way to leverage their platform without needing a big upfront budget.

Quick Win: Reach out to micro-influencers (those with 5K-50K followers) who fit your brand’s niche. Offer them a commission for every sale they drive through their unique Black Friday promo code or affiliate link. This way, you only pay for actual sales generated.

Pro Tip: Encourage influencers to create engaging content like unboxing videos, try-on hauls, or even a “Behind-the-Scenes” look at your brand to build excitement. It doesn’t have to be overly polished—the authenticity of micro-influencers often resonates more with audiences.

11. Keep It Simple and Focused

With all the hype around Black Friday, it can be tempting to throw every strategy into the mix. But simplicity often works best. Focus on doing a few key things really well, like setting up those abandoned cart emails, highlighting your bestsellers, and creating a smooth shopping experience for your customers.

Quick Win: Stick to what’s manageable for you and your business—focusing on the highest-impact strategies rather than overwhelming yourself with too many tactics.

In Conclusion: Crush Black Friday with Simple, Actionable Strategies

Emerging designers don’t need to do everything to succeed on Black Friday. Instead, focus on the most effective, easy-to-implement strategies like setting up abandoned cart emails, promoting your bestsellers, and starting your sale early. These quick wins can make a big difference in your sales and help you stand out, even against bigger competitors.

And don’t forget to download our free ChatGPT Prompt Guide to help you create high-converting Black Friday email campaigns with ease!