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You can’t win with last year’s playbook.
Black Friday 2025 is around the corner. Festive demand is rising, and shoppers are buying earlier and shopping more deliberately than usual.
At Flow, we’ve seen firsthand how first-party, intent-rich audiences outperform broad interest-based targeting — especially for conversion campaigns. That’s why we launched the Flow Audience Marketplace this year: to give brands instant access to curated, high-performing audiences you can activate directly on Meta, Google, and TikTok.
Want to reach beauty buyers looking for Spring deals? Tech shoppers comparing specs? Braai-lovers stocking up for Heritage Day?
There’s an audience for that — already built and ready to activate.
Let’s get into how to win Black Friday 2025 and build momentum through the festive season.
Why this period needs a different plan
Holiday behaviour isn’t like normal trading.
- People start researching in early October and stay in-market longer.
- The average path from first product view to purchase sits around 17–18 days.
- As November builds, ad auctions heat up.
On Meta, Google, and TikTok, your ads compete in real-time auctions. When more brands bid for the same shoppers, clearing prices (CPM/CPC) rise, inventory feels tighter, learning phases wobble, and budgets can burn earlier in the day.
What this means: You need earlier acquisition, sharper audience targeting, faster creative testing, and flexible budgets competition intensifies.
Targeting strategies that work
1. Start earlier than feels comfortable
Launch in October to catch planners before the rush. Use this phase to:
- Tighten your tracking,
- Test different creative ,
- Build a strong remarketing pool.
Case in point
USN used Flow audiences in Q4 2024 and achieved reduced CPC and cost-per-sale by starting early.
Pro tip: Run a “notify me” / pre-sale interest capture. It builds consented lists and tells you which categories to prioritise when spend ramps up.
2. Stack high-intent signals (not just interests)
Move from broad interest to proof of intent. Layer audiences for accuracy.
Audience stack examples you can test:
- For a consumer tech / small appliances brand: Hirsch’s Small-Appliance Buyers + HelloPeter Tech Reviewers
- For an Alcohol or Gifting brand: Zapper Liquor Purchasers + TicketPro Event-Goers + HelloPeter Review Readers
3. Always-on targeting with seasonal surges
Run a consistent base campaign all year, then dial up spend during peak periods. This stabilises learning, grows remarketing depth, and keeps your brand familiar before you ask for the sale.
How to structure it
- Backbone: Always-on proven first-party audiences, predictable budgets, and cap impressions per person.
- Surge (BF → mid-week): Boost budgets on the same audiences and their closest lookalikes. Prioritise your best-performing SKUs and price-led messaging.
- Sustain (Dec → Jan): maintain visibility for late buyers and gift-card redeemers with light refreshes, not full rebuilds.
Why this works
- Consistent presence: your ads meet shoppers across research, comparison and purchase, not just on one weekend.
- Warmer pools: always-on impressions build recognition, so BF creatives convert better.
- Fewer resets: stable campaigns carry learnings into peak weeks, reducing volatility when auctions get busy.
4. Retarget with care (and context)
Tilt from prospecting to re-engagement in November. Prioritise people who viewed key products, started checkout, or engaged with early offers.
Funnel map
- Browsed → product reminder + social proof
- Added to cart → serve limited-time bundles or free delivery
- Checkout started → focus on reassurance (returns, warranty, stock clarity)
Pro tip: Match lookback windows to buying cycles eg: 14 days for tech, 7 for fashion, 30 for high-consideration homeware. Tighten frequency caps as CPMs rise so you stay relevant without fatiguing feeds.
5. Creative that earns the click
Great targeting falls flat without scroll-stopping creative.
Quick checklist
- Lead with value (price, benefit, or offer)
- Keep copy mobile-friendly
- Hero image = best-seller product + value-add
- Clear offer ladder: early access → bundle/save-more → last-chance delivery
6. Channel plays that work together
Don’t treat channels in isolation. Use each one to play to its strengths.
- Meta → discovery & dynamic catalogues; fast creative iteration that fuels remarketing
- Google → demand capture via Search/Shopping; protect brand terms as rivals bid up
- TikTok → creative discovery and education; creators that seed mid-funnel audiences
Mini-play: TikTok creators show “3 reasons I chose X”, Scale the winning hook on Meta Close with Google Search or Shopping.
Keep momentum into December and January
Black Friday is the spike, not the end. Festive gifting, payday cycles, and gift cards keep demand high into late December, while January brings exchanges and “new-year reset” purchases.
Key moments to plan for:
- Payday (25th Nov & 15th Dec)
- Gift card redemptions (Dec/Jan)
- “New Year Reset” purchases
Offer ideas:
- Target last-chance timers with delivery cut-offs, store collection and easy returns
- Use festive offer upsells in your creative like gift wrap, gift sets and bundle deals
- Post-holiday refresh/reset deals
Measurement and guardrails
Choose one primary KPI (cost-per-sale, ROAS, or CPA) and monitor 2 – 3 diagnostics to explain movement (CTR, conversion rate, add-to-cart rate).
Red flags → fast fixes
- CPA rising, CVR falling: Refresh creative, simplify landing path and narrow audience to recent engagers
- High frequency, low reach: Expand lookback window or lower caps
- CTR dropping : Refocus on product/price lead and use a stronger hero image
- Morning budget burn: Set AM caps; push spend to proven parts of the day and reduce overlap between campaigns.
Pro tip: set simple automation rules, e.g. if ROAS Y for Z hours → reduce bids or shift to the next best audience.
