Beyond the Discount: How E-commerce Brands Can Maximise BFCM Orders

BFCM is the time when shoppers are already in a buying mindset.Brands can use this opportunity to make the shopping experience more relevant and valuable.

During BFCM 2025, Shopify merchants generated $14.6 billion in global sales, up 27% from the previous year. More than 81 million customers purchased from Shopify-powered brands, while the average cart price stood at $114.70.

For e-commerce brands, this creates a valuable window of high purchase intent.The question is what happens after shoppers land on your store.

Imagine a shopper looking for a pair of running shoes. She finds the right pair, adds them to her cart and is ready to check out. But what if the store also showed her a pair of running socks that work with the shoes, or offered a bundle that makes more sense than buying each item separately?

That small recommendation can increase the value of the order.

Here are a few ways brands can make every BFCM visit count.

1. Make product discovery easier

During BFCM, shoppers are often moving quickly between brands, offers and product pages. Making them work too hard to find what they want can mean losing the sale altogether.

Organise your catalogue around how people actually shop.

Gift guides, curated collections and clear product categories can help shoppers narrow their choices. A skincare brand, for example, could create collections for “Gifts Under $50”, “For First-Time Skincare Buyers” or “Complete Your Routine” instead of simply displaying dozens of products.

The objective is simple: reduce the distance between a shopper and a product they are likely to buy.

2. Give shoppers a reason to add more

A discount can bring someone to your store. A well-designed offer can encourage them to add more to their basket.

Product bundles are one way to do this. Instead of discounting every item individually, brands can group products that naturally belong together.

Think of a coffee brand offering a starter kit with beans, a French press and filters. Or a beauty brand pairing a cleanser, serum and moisturiser as a complete routine.

The customer gets a convenient combination, while the brand increases the value of the order.

3. Make the next recommendation relevant

Upselling does not have to mean directing shoppers towards the most expensive product.

Consider a shopper who has added a 500 ml bottle of shampoo to her cart. Showing her a 1 litre version at a slightly better per-unit price could be useful. The recommendation works because it is connected to what she is already buying.

The same principle applies to cross-selling.

Someone buying a camera might need a memory card. Someone buying a dress might be looking for a matching bag. Someone buying a sofa might also need cushions.

The recommendation should feel like a helpful suggestion, not a distraction.

4. Do not show every shopper the same store

A BFCM shopper visiting your website for the first time has different needs from a returning customer who already knows your products.

A first-time skincare shopper may need help understanding which products to choose. A returning customer who has purchased a moisturiser twice may be more interested in a refill, a complementary serum or a larger pack.

Showing both shoppers the exact same recommendations misses that distinction.

Personalisation can help brands use signals such as browsing behaviour, previous purchases and cart contents to make product recommendations more relevant.

5. Use the cart as more than a checkout page

The moment before checkout is one of the few opportunities a brand has to understand what a shopper is already interested in.

Instead of simply displaying the items in the cart, brands can use this space to surface relevant additions.

For example, if a shopper has reached $85 and free shipping begins at $100, a relevant $20 add-on may give them a reason to increase their basket. The key is relevance. An unrelated product placed in front of the shopper can create friction rather than value.

BFCM is a particularly useful time to test these experiences because shoppers are already looking to get more value from their purchases.

6. Think beyond the BFCM order

The first purchase is only one part of the opportunity.

A shopper who discovers a brand during BFCM may return months later, particularly if the brand understands what they bought and why.

Use BFCM data to identify popular product combinations, high-performing recommendations, repeat purchase patterns and products that attracted attention but did not convert.

These insights can inform merchandising and customer communication long after the sale ends.

Making every basket count

BFCM creates a rare combination: high traffic, high purchase intent and a limited window to turn that interest into sales.

But maximising that opportunity does not necessarily mean adding more discounts.

It can mean making products easier to discover, creating useful bundles, recommending relevant additions and giving each shopper a more personalized experience.

The strongest BFCM strategy is not just getting more people to click “Buy Now”. It is about understanding what each shopper is trying to accomplish and making it easier for them to find, choose and buy what they need.