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Black Friday checklist for online stores: a free 2026 countdown
Black Friday 2026 is on Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday on Monday 30 November. Most of the work happens weeks before. Here is a countdown you can print.
Key dates for 2026
- Singles’ Day: Wednesday 11 November
- Thanksgiving (US): Thursday 26 November
- Black Friday: Friday 27 November
- Small Business Saturday (US): 28 November
- Cyber Monday: Monday 30 November
- Giving Tuesday: 1 December
Free printable: BFCM 2026 countdown checklist
8 weeks out (by Fri 2 October)
- Choose your offers for each product or collection
- Check the margin on every offer after costs and fees
- Check stock and supplier lead times, and reorder
- Decide your promotion dates
6 weeks out (by Fri 16 October)
- Plan your email and SMS calendar
- Build customer segments (past buyers, subscribers, lapsed customers)
- Brief or create the creative: images, banners, subject lines
- Plan any gift guide or bundle pages
4 weeks out (by Fri 30 October)
- Create discount codes and test them
- Build landing pages
- Confirm shipping cut-off dates for Christmas
- Write customer service replies for common questions
2 weeks out (by Fri 13 November)
- Test checkout on a phone, start to finish
- Schedule emails and posts
- Count stock again
- Tell your team who covers what, and when
Black Friday week
- Check every code is live at the right time
- Watch stock levels and pause ads for sold-out items
- Reply to messages quickly
- Log orders, revenue and ad spend each day
The week after
- Send thank-you emails and delivery updates
- Write down what worked and what did not while it is fresh
- Note the numbers for next year