10 Black Friday marketing strategies for small businesses

With Peak Season nearly here, your Black Friday preparation should already be underway. And this year, your campaign needs to work a little harder: Belgian shoppers do their homework, and two in three suspect that some retailers raise prices in the weeks before Black Friday. The calendar adds to the squeeze, because Black Friday and Cyber Monday both land in November. As your trusty SME sidekick, we’ve refreshed our 10 marketing strategies to help your e-commerce business stand out from competitors and earn shoppers’ trust. Read on and get planning!

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US that traditionally marks the start of the holiday shopping season. This year, that date is November 27, and Cyber Monday follows on November 30. Retailers offer huge discounts and promotional deals, and many now start them weeks before the day itself. 

Belgium is no exception: some retailers opened their 2025 promotions on November 1, which stretched Black Friday into a month-long event.¹ According to Becom’s annual report, published in June 2026, Belgians spent €18.3 billion online in 2025, up 5.4% on the year before.²

That growth is up for grabs in 2026, and these 10 strategies show you how to claim your share.

Black Friday sales: SMEs’ golden opportunity

The sheer scale of the event means there are plenty of sales to go round – for businesses of all sizes. It’s a great opportunity to shift any excess inventory with some enticing Black Friday discounts.

Many consumers discover a new online store on Black Friday, so there’s a good chance your business will welcome new customers through its online doors on the day. And you can convert new customers into repeat customers – providing you deliver a winning Black Friday campaign.

The playing field is also shifting in your favor. Since July 1, 2026, the EU has charged a temporary €3 customs duty on low-value parcels from outside the EU, a measure the European Commission designed to level the playing field for EU businesses.3 For Belgian SMEs, that should narrow the price gap with cheap imports that used to enter the EU duty-free. 

Use it to your advantage this Black Friday: highlight your EU-compliant products, reliable local delivery and easy returns in your campaign messaging. 

10 ways to win over Black Friday shoppers

1. Tease the sale

Belgian retailers opened their 2025 promotions on November 1, so shoppers already expect early deals. Use social media posts, email newsletters and your website to build anticipation. Add a sign-up form for early access, so you build a list of ready-to-buy subscribers you can email first.

2. Leverage social media

It’s a relatively cheap way for small businesses to reach an audience of millions. Keep content fun and engaging, and encourage your followers to share the posts by offering incentives like additional discounts or giveaways. Use popular hashtags like #BlackFriday to increase your visibility.

There’s a new option for Belgian sellers this year. TikTok Shop has been live in Belgium since June 15, 2026, for both buyers and sellers.⁵ You can now sell directly through shoppable videos and live streams. Check the fees and seller rules before you commit, and start with a few hero products rather than your whole catalogue.

3. Create a Black Friday landing page

Visitors to your website should know immediately that you’re running a Black Friday campaign. Put your best deals front and center of your homepage, use bold headlines, high-res photos, and strong calls to actions. A countdown timer is a great way to add a sense of urgency to your deals.

This year, write for AI shopping assistants too. Nearly three in ten Belgians (29%) now use AI tools at least occasionally when shopping online, up 8 percentage points on 2024.3 Assistants pull from your product data, FAQs, return policy and pricing,⁶ so state your prices, specs, delivery times and return terms clearly in text on the page. If your platform supports it, add structured product data as well. Then check your analytics for traffic from AI assistants, so you can see which ones send you shoppers.

4. Optimize your online store for mobile

A big portion of your customers are likely to be browsing your e-commerce store on their smartphones, so make it easy for them. Offer Guest Checkout, autofill address fields, and the option to pay via digital wallet.

Payment options matter too: around a third of Belgian shoppers abandon their basket when their preferred payment method isn’t available.⁷ Offer local favorites such as Bancontact, and present your store in Dutch and French as well as English. If you offer Buy Now, Pay Later, check the rules. Belgium’s new consumer credit law, which implements an EU directive, takes effect on November 20, 2026 and extends to certain deferred-payment products. Ask your payment provider what changes for you.

5. Ensure your deals are competitive

Look at what price points your competitors are selling their products at – can you price match? Or, even better, go lower? Create special bundles or exclusive product sets available only on Black Friday. Perhaps you can throw in some freebies or samples with every order, too – anything that will give your business a competitive edge. 

6. Create a sense of urgency

Use social media or your website to give live updates on stock levels or when deals are about to sell out. Highlight limited stock or limited-time offers to push hesitant customers to make a purchase.

Plan your urgency across the whole weekend, not only Friday. With Black Friday on November 27 2026  and Cyber Monday on November 30 2026, you can stage your offers: early access for subscribers, Black Friday deals, a weekend extension and a “last chance” on Cyber Monday.

7. Email marketing: think personalization

Segment your email subscriber list and send personalised deals based on customer preferences or past purchase behavior. Give your subscribers early access before the public sale, and use the phrase “Black Friday” plainly in your subject line. Test two or three subject lines against a specific benefit, like early access or free delivery. Keep each email short and mobile-friendly, with one clear call to action.

8. Reward existing customers for their loyalty

Drop your existing customers an email with an extra Black Friday discount code. Use engaging copy to thank them for supporting your business – they’ll appreciate the personal touch. A small bonus gift or a loyalty perk for your best customers works well too, because returning shoppers often spend more than first-timers.

9. Consider free shipping

Consider free shipping, if you can absorb the cost elsewhere in your business – it’s worth it if it secures you extra sales. A free-shipping threshold is a smart middle route. Among 100 of the largest Dutch and Belgian webshops tested on Black Friday 2025, the average threshold was €45.12.¹²

10. Remember the after-sales opportunity

Your post-sales engagement with your customers will influence whether they come back to your online store again. Send a thank-you email to customers who made a purchase, along with a discount code for their next purchase. 

In addition, you can also make returns easy and clear. Spell out how long customers have to return an item, how to send it back and who pays for the shipping, and offer drop-off at a parcel shop or locker if you can. A simple, transparent returns process builds the trust that brings shoppers back to your store. Encourage customers to leave reviews or share their purchase on social media with a specific hashtag.

Did you know that at least 129 countries observe Black Friday in some form or another?⁴ With a DHL Express Business Account, you can ship to customers across the world, seamlessly.