Quick answer: Black Friday falls on November 28, 2025 and Cyber Monday on December 1, 2025, so October is the time to prepare. Successful Black Friday marketing in Canada comes down to five things: a fast, tested store, an accurate product feed, Google Ads campaigns warmed up in advance, a consent-based email list and clear shipping and return information.
Black Friday has become one of the biggest online shopping periods for Canadian retailers, and competition for attention is intense. This checklist is written for small and medium online stores on Shopify, WooCommerce or similar platforms.
Step 1: Check your store can handle the traffic
A slow or broken store loses sales at the worst possible moment. Test every step of the buying journey on mobile and desktop.
- Place test orders with each payment method and shipping option.
- Check page speed on your homepage, top collections and best sellers.
- Remove unused apps or plugins that add scripts to your pages.
- Confirm discount codes and automatic discounts apply correctly.
Step 2: Plan your offers and landing pages
Decide your offers early so your website, ads and emails all say the same thing. Create a dedicated Black Friday collection or landing page and keep the same URL every year, so it can build search visibility over time.
State clearly when the offer starts and ends, what is included and any exclusions. Clear terms reduce support questions and protect trust.
Step 3: Clean up your product feed
If you run Shopping or Performance Max campaigns, your product feed is your ad copy. In Google Merchant Center, make sure titles, images, prices, availability and sale prices are accurate and that any disapproved products are fixed before November.
Step 4: Prepare Google Ads before the rush
Campaigns perform better when they are not launched at the last minute. Use October to prepare:
- Check conversion tracking so purchases and revenue are recorded correctly in Google Ads and GA4.
- Build audiences from past buyers and website visitors for remarketing.
- Plan budgets for the higher competition and costs that are common in late November.
- Prepare ad copy with your offer, dates and Canadian shipping details.
- Consider seasonality adjustments in Smart Bidding if you expect a short-term jump in conversion rates during the sale.
Our Google Ads management service handles this setup and monitors campaigns daily through the sale period.
Want your store and ads checked before November? We will review your site speed, product feed and campaigns and send a prioritized list. Get my free Black Friday audit.
Step 5: Warm up your email list the right way
Email is often one of the most profitable channels during Black Friday, but in Canada every promotional email must follow CASL. Only send to people with valid consent, identify your business and include a working unsubscribe link. Our CASL guide for businesses explains the rules.
Encourage sign-ups now with an early-access list, so subscribers give express consent before the sale starts.
Step 6: Be clear about shipping, delivery and returns
Shoppers want to know when orders will arrive. Publish order cut-off dates for holiday delivery, any shipping delays and your return policy on product pages, in the cart and in ads where possible.
Step 7: Use SEO for the long term
Organic search takes time, so SEO work done in October mostly helps you in future years. Optimize your Black Friday page with a clear title and description, link to it from your homepage and keep it live all year with a message about the next sale. Our Shopify SEO checklist and e-commerce SEO service cover the product and collection pages that matter most.
Black Friday marketing in Canada: your timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Early October | Decide offers, audit site speed and checkout |
| Mid October | Fix product feed, build landing page, start email sign-ups |
| Early November | Launch or warm up campaigns, test discounts |
| November 28 to December 1 | Monitor ads, stock and site daily |
| Early December | Review results and plan improvements |
Related reading: Shopify Winter ’26 Edition: Key Updates for Canadian Merchants, Google Ads Conversion Tracking: How to Set It Up Properly with GA4 and Product Page SEO: How to Write Descriptions That Rank and Sell.
Frequently asked questions
When is Black Friday in 2025?
Black Friday is on Friday, November 28, 2025, and Cyber Monday is on Monday, December 1, 2025.
When should I start Black Friday ads?
Many stores prepare campaigns in October and start or scale them in early to mid November, so tracking and audiences are ready before the busiest days.
Do I need consent to send Black Friday emails in Canada?
Yes. Under CASL you need express or implied consent, clear identification and a working unsubscribe link in every promotional email.
Should I create a new Black Friday page every year?
It is usually better to keep one Black Friday page at the same URL and update it each year. That page can build search visibility over time.
Sources
- Google Ads Help: Seasonality adjustments
- Google Merchant Center Help: Product data specification
- CRTC: Frequently asked questions about Canada’s anti-spam legislation
Written by the Perfect Digital Solution team. We use AI tools to support research and drafting, and every fact in this article is checked by our team against the sources listed above.
