In short
- Black Friday: November 27, 2026, Cyber Monday: November 30, Singles’ Day: November 11.
- Calculate your break-even ROAS before you start, otherwise you do not know when a discount pays off.
- The timeline below starts six weeks before the date.
Timeline to Black Friday
| Date | Task |
|---|---|
| October 16 | Set goals, budget and discount frame Which products, which margin, which goals (revenue, new customers, order value)? Calculate break-even ROAS beforehand. |
| October 30 | Prepare offers, landing pages and tech Check offer page, product data, stock, payment and shipping processes. Test page load speed. |
| November 6 | Finish creative and copy Ads, emails, social posts, banners. Do not forget short versions for reels and stories. |
| November 13 | Start teaser and waiting list Warm up email list and social channels: early access for subscribers, reminder sign-up. |
| November 20 | Test tracking and approve campaigns Check conversion tracking, UTM parameters, pixel/API. Set budgets and schedules in ad accounts. |
| November 27 | Black Friday: live and monitoring Monitor stock, load time and cost per order hourly. Pause ads when sold out. |
| November 30 | Cyber Monday: follow up Remaining stock, digital products, retargeting visitors from the weekend. |
| December 7 | Evaluate and prepare for the Christmas season Evaluate ROAS, new-customer share, returns. Move buyers into email flows. |
The timeline is a suggestion based on common practice, not a fixed rule. Adapt it to your team and channels.
Checklist
Strategy
- Set a goal: revenue, new customers, order value or stock clearance.
- Check discount against margin: use the ROAS calculator to find break-even ROAS.
- Existing customers first: early access for email subscribers is cheaper than new-customer ads.
Offer and site
- One clear offer page with an end date, not just discount banners.
- Check price information: for reductions state the lowest price of the last 30 days.
- Test stock, delivery times and payment methods. Check load time under load.
Channels and budget
- Split the budget across channels: media plan template. Overall budget: marketing budget calculator.
- Plan retargeting and email for visitors who have already been there.
- Test tracking: conversions, UTM parameters, server-side tracking.
Evaluation
- Watch ROAS, CPA, conversion rate and share of new customers daily (marketing calculators).
- Include returns and service costs in the profit calculation.
- Move buyers into email flows so they do not remain one-time bargain hunters.
Common mistakes
- Discount without a margin calculation: revenue rises, profit does not.
- Starting too late: ad accounts, approvals and creative need lead time.
- Not testing the site under load: otherwise the checkout breaks at peak traffic.
- Targeting only new customers and leaving your own list unused.
The whole year at a glance: marketing calendar 2027. Christmas advertising: Christmas adverts 2026.