A Black Friday promotion should change a specific customer decision: make a first purchase easier, increase basket value or help sell selected stock. A bigger discount on a banner does not tell you whether an offer achieves any of those goals. Before choosing a discount, write down the desired behaviour, the audience and the cost your business can accept to achieve that change. Then compare promotional mechanics.
In 2026, Black Friday falls on 27 November and Cyber Monday on 30 November. You do not have to run the same offer throughout the weekend. You can prepare one simple proposition or different propositions for clearly defined product groups. The important thing is that customers can understand the benefit independently and your team can deliver it without discretionary exceptions.
Choose the objective before the offer format
If the goal is a first order, remove a specific entry barrier: the price of a starter product, delivery charges or uncertainty about the right choice. To increase basket value, consider products used together or a benefit above an order threshold. For stock that needs selling, select particular variants instead of financing a discount across the collection. Different objectives require different offer structures and measures of success.
Consider the customer's situation too. Someone buying one product for the first time may not want a large bundle. A regular buyer of consumables may appreciate a convenient refill pack. In services, a clearly described scope or additional consultation may provide more value, provided you have capacity to deliver. The mechanic should answer a need, rather than simply reflect the store's ability to generate a code.
Percentage or fixed discount: simplicity requires selection
A percentage discount is understandable when it covers a coherent product group, but can conceal differences in profitability. Two products at the same price may have entirely different purchasing, packing and service costs. Do not automatically apply the same reduction to both. Prepare a list of included products and exclusions, then calculate the outcome after discount for each important group.
A fixed discount makes the saving tangible, particularly for a single price or narrow range. Across a broader assortment it also needs conditions: a minimum basket, limited quantities or selected categories. Avoid a headline promising a simple benefit while checkout reveals a series of restrictions. If the mechanic cannot be explained in one sentence, consider simplifying it.
A bundle should address a shared need
A good bundle has a practical rationale: a core product and necessary accessory, materials for a particular stage of work or a service with a defined implementation. Customers should know what they receive and why the components belong together. Combining a bestseller with an unwanted product may increase the basket but weaken the proposition overall.
Show the contents, variants, bundle price and availability rules for individual components. If comparing the bundle with separate purchases, use products genuinely available and verified prices. Decide what happens when one component runs out. Substitutions need clear communication; they should not result from warehouse improvisation during order picking.
A bundle is not a way around rules on communicating price reductions. Review its presentation, price comparisons and conditions as carefully as an ordinary discount. For services, specify the number of sessions, materials, redemption period and items excluded from the price. The word “comprehensive” does not replace a scope customers can check before buying.
Base the basket threshold on order economics
A benefit above a particular order value may encourage customers to add a useful product. Start with your actual basket structure: which orders are common and what relevant addition could complement them? A threshold far above a typical purchase may be irrelevant. One set too low finances a benefit on orders that would already have qualified.
Calculate the value of additional products after their costs and the cost of the benefit. Decide whether the threshold applies before or after discounts, whether delivery counts and what happens when a product is removed. The message should update using that same calculation. Customers should not discover they have lost a benefit only on the final payment screen.
Delivery and additional benefits also cost money
Free delivery is not free for the seller. Include the carrier, packaging, oversized-item surcharges and any split shipment. The benefit may apply to selected delivery methods or above an order threshold, but show those conditions beside the offer. Check whether orders to other destinations require different costs and messaging.
Treat gifts, samples, personalisation and additional consultations the same way. Their cost includes purchasing or team time, preparation and support. A benefit can be more attractive than a reduction when it answers a real need, but do not assume that without justification. Do not describe an addition as free if the customer faces an unclear compulsory surcharge or hidden condition.
Before choosing benefits, ask support which questions recur before purchase. If customers do not know which variant suits their needs, a larger discount may not solve the problem. A described bundle with selection guidance can help if preparing it fits the economics. Record how you will assess interest: the share of orders using the offer and their contribution after variable costs, allowing for returns.
Starting with a limited promotion makes the mechanic easier to evaluate. Choose one category or a clearly identified bundle, explaining the scope honestly. Remember that some customers would have bought without an extra benefit. Do not attribute all sales to the new offer. Collect abandonment reasons and questions about conditions: they can reveal design problems that order values alone will miss.
Example: three offers with different outcomes per order
This is a hypothetical scenario. All amounts are net values in PLN; they are neither a forecast nor suggested prices. Product A costs the customer 200 PLN, its variable cost is 110 PLN and standard order handling costs 10 PLN. We assume no additional advertising cost, customer-paid delivery and no return. Contribution after those costs is 80 PLN.
- 20% off A: revenue falls to 160 PLN. Subtracting 110 PLN and 10 PLN leaves 40 PLN contribution.
- A and B bundled for 240 PLN: B has a variable cost of 30 PLN and bundle handling costs 12 PLN. Contribution is 240 − 110 − 30 − 12 = 88 PLN.
- A without a discount, with store-funded delivery: at a delivery cost of 15 PLN, contribution is 200 − 110 − 10 − 15 = 65 PLN.
The bundle generates the highest contribution per order here, but requires a larger purchase and genuine interest in B. We do not know how many people will choose each offer. The discount might attract more orders, but its lower contribution requires correspondingly more orders before the propositions become comparable. Per-order performance does not determine the whole campaign's result.
In the real model, also subtract additional advertising, payments, expected returns and other variable costs, avoiding double counting. Contribution is not net profit: fixed costs and other business charges remain. We discuss the broader owner's decision in our article on preparing for Black Friday without sacrificing margin.
Set the conditions before creating campaign materials
Prepare a single version of the rules for the store, advertising and customer service. Specify products and variants, eligible customers, dates, available quantities and how to obtain the benefit. Decide whether the promotion is automatic or requires a code. If availability is limited, messaging must reflect actual stock. Do not use a countdown that restarts without explanation after ending.
Define how the offer combines with welcome codes, loyalty points, employee discounts or free delivery. Establish the calculation order and test a basket containing both eligible and excluded products. One uncontrolled combination of benefits can invalidate the economics. Customers must see restrictions before deciding, and team responses should follow the same rules.
Review prices, returns and communication together
In Poland, announcing a consumer price reduction generally requires showing the lowest price from the 30 days preceding the reduction. See UOKiK for full rules and exceptions.
This is a brief reference, not legal advice or a complete assessment. The person responsible for compliance should check the specific presentation of the discount, bundle and price comparison. Keep agreed rules and materials that allow you to reconstruct the communication. Schedule that review before publication, especially when a similar promotion reaches customers in different markets.
Provide understandable information on returning part of a bundle, allocating discounts between products and any effect on a threshold benefit. Agree this with support and the person checking compliance with applicable rules. Your system should be able to reconstruct the settlement of a particular order. Find further implementation checks in our 15-point online store checklist.
Choose an offer supported by numbers and clear to customers
Compare several versions using the same assumptions, then choose one simple enough to implement and support. Record what outcome counts as success and which costs would trigger a correction. Place implementation within your action plan through Cyber Monday, assigning an owner to each approval.
MB Digital Marketing can help translate a sales objective into an offer and communication through your marketing strategy. Bring prices, variable costs, sample baskets and available resources to a consultation. Together we can assess which mechanic makes sense for your business and how to explain its conditions to customers.