How We Boosted Black Friday Sales with an Old Database Without Hurting Deliverability – Key Tips for Black Friday 2025
As we all know, Black Friday is one of the most crucial retail events of the year, and for good reason. It’s a chance for businesses to maximize their sales, increase visibility, and foster customer loyalty. According to Statista, U.S. consumers spent a record $9.12 billion on Black Friday alone in 2023, showing a 3.5% increase from the previous year. These figures highlight just how significant Black Friday is for eCommerce businesses and why it’s essential to have a well-thought-out marketing strategy to capitalize on this opportunity.
In this article, I’ll walk you through a real case study from IMPRO Email agency’s 2024 Black Friday campaign. I’ll explain how we successfully re-engaged an old database of contacts for a premium apparel brand, and we’ll share the strategies that helped us boost sales without harming deliverability.
By the end of this post, you’ll be equipped with actionable tips to get ready for Black Friday 2025 and make this year’s holiday season your most successful yet.
Case Study: Apparel Brand in the U.S.
The Client’s Request:
Our client, a premium apparel brand based in the U.S. (I can’t share the name with you because of the NDA signed), contacted us with a challenge: just a week before the start of the Black Friday 2024 season, they had an email database of 30,000 contacts—a list consisting mainly of customers who had made purchases over two years ago and hadn’t been engaged with since. They came to us hoping to re-establish communication with this audience and convert them into sales during the Black Friday period.
Given the short time frame, the request was both urgent and complicated: How could we re-engage these old contacts without overwhelming them with too many emails and potentially hurting the sender’s reputation?
The Goal:
Our primary objectives were clear: first, to increase revenue by leveraging the old database and second, to ensure that these customers stayed engaged with the brand in the long term—ultimately aiming for sustained growth, not just a spike in sales for the holiday season.
IMPRO’s Approach:
The team knew that time was of the essence. Here’s how we tackled the challenge:
- Database Validation and Clean-Up:
The first step in our process was to validate the database and clean up any invalid emails. Using email validation tools, we ensured that all contacts were deliverable and removed duplicates, which already existed in their Klaviyo account. The end result? Out of the original 30,000 contacts, only 16,830 were valid and unique, ready to engage.Tip #1 for Black Friday 2025: When working with both new and old audiences, use dedicated validation tools. Email inboxes are full, or email addresses might belong to bots. By cleaning up your database, you’re not only saving resources but also safeguarding your sender reputation—a crucial factor in Black Friday email marketing. - Strategizing for Deliverability:
With a strong Klaviyo deliverability score of a client, we didn’t face significant obstacles during this phase, but we still proceeded with caution. Given the short timeline, we made sure to segment the database effectively.We also paid special attention to the newly validated contacts, dividing them into smaller segments. Instead of flooding these new subscribers with mass emails, we gradually introduced them to our campaigns to avoid hitting their inboxes too aggressively.Tip #2 for Black Friday 2025: Even in a busy season like Black Friday, be mindful not to overwhelm your audience. Focus on long-term customer relationships. A Black Friday email campaign isn’t just about immediate sales—it’s about establishing a connection that can lead to future business.
Looking for some strategy tips? Check out our latest article! - Segmentation and Engagement:
Now that we had our contacts sorted, we moved on to segmentation. For the existing contacts, we used historical data to create targeted groups based on previous purchases, engagement frequency, and total spend. For the newer contacts, who didn’t have such detailed history, but only the amount spent, we started by sending them smaller, segmented batches to ease them back into communication with the brand.This approach allowed us to:- Avoid damaging the brand’s reputation as a sender, especially during a critical period like Black Friday 2024.
- Gradually reintroduce old contacts to the brand without overwhelming them with too much at once.
Result: By strategically managing the engagement and segmentation, we generated an additional $75,000 from the old contacts, increasing the brand’s Black Friday revenue by 23.5%.
Tip #3 for Black Friday 2025: Remember, Black Friday is just one piece of the puzzle. Building solid customer relationships and maintaining consistent, non-intrusive communication is key to long-term success. Never let the rush of the season dictate your communication style.
To find some segmentation strategy, check out a related article! - Post-Black Friday Strategy:
The work didn’t stop once Black Friday ended. We knew we had to nurture these new and re-engaged contacts to keep them loyal to the brand. As a result, we created a follow-up email series aimed at re-introducing the brand’s story, mission, and values to the customers who hadn’t made a purchase during Black Friday.We didn’t just want to be another promotional email in their inbox. We wanted to reconnect with them in a way that felt natural and informative, reminding them of the unique value that the brand offered.
Result: 15% of the customers who didn’t purchase during Black Friday ended up converting in the next month, proving the importance of ongoing communication.
Key Takeaways
This campaign was a success for several reasons:
- Strong Foundation: The client’s well-established brand, combined with a solid sender reputation, gave us a great starting point.
- Long-Term Strategy: While Black Friday 2024 provided immediate revenue, we focused on building long-term customer loyalty.
- Swift Action: Despite the limited timeframe, the team acted quickly and efficiently to deliver excellent results.
Final Tip for Black Friday 2025: Start Early. While this case was unique, it’s rare that you’ll have enough resources to prepare for Black Friday only one week before. I recommend that our clients plan their strategy in the summer. It will give you ample time to develop your content, clean your database, and ensure that your email marketing platform (like Klaviyo) is set up to deliver the best results.
Need help preparing for Black Friday 2025? Let’s make this the year you take your email marketing strategy to the next level. Reach out to us today, and let’s start working on your success!
Final Thoughts
Black Friday is undoubtedly a critical time for eCommerce businesses, but how you approach it can make or break your campaign. By carefully validating your contact database, segmenting your audience, and focusing on long-term engagement, you can significantly boost sales while protecting your deliverability.
As I demonstrated in this case study, the Black Friday 2024 experience proved that with the right strategy, you can achieve impressive results even with old, unengaged contacts. It’s all about the preparation, strategy, and execution.
So, whether you’re gearing up for Black Friday 2025 or simply looking to improve your ongoing email marketing efforts, don’t wait until the last minute.
Start planning now, and when the time comes, you’ll be ready to conquer the holiday season.