The typical Black Friday visitor is on a phone, has come from an ad or an email, has an offer in mind, and has three other stores open in other tabs. You have a few seconds to show them the offer is real, relevant and easy to act on.
These 15 fixes cover the landing page, the product page and the cart. Each is small enough to finish before the code freeze on 20 November in our Shopify BFCM 2026 Playbook. Speed matters as much as layout, and we cover it separately in is your Shopify store fast enough for Black Friday?
Your BFCM landing page
1. One offer in the first screen
On a phone, the first screen is all most visitors see before deciding to scroll or leave. Put the offer there in plain words — “25% off everything, Friday to Monday” — not a lifestyle image with the offer buried below it.
2. Terms that answer the obvious questions
When does it end? Which products are included? Does it combine with other codes? Answer these in a line under the offer, with a link to the full terms. Unclear terms are one of the commonest reasons for abandoned carts and support tickets.
3. One primary call to action
Give the page one main button — “Shop the sale” — and make it the most visible thing on the screen. Secondary links can sit lower down.
4. Honest urgency
A countdown to the real end of a real offer helps. A timer that resets, or an offer that is “ending soon” every day, does not: customers notice, and fake urgency can breach consumer protection rules in the UK, the EU and the US. If in doubt, check with your legal adviser.
5. Send each visitor to the right page
Link each ad and email to the collection or landing page that matches it. Someone who clicked on an ad for boots should land on boots, not your home page.
Product pages
6. Show the saving clearly
Put the sale price, the previous price and the saving together, next to the add-to-cart button. On Shopify the compare-at price shows the previous price; make sure it is a price you genuinely charged, because inflated “was” prices mislead customers and can attract regulators.
7. Delivery-by and stock messages
“Order by 15 December for Christmas delivery” and “Only a few left in this size” both help customers decide — as long as they are true. We explain how to set the dates in holiday shipping cut-offs by market.
8. Reviews near the price
Customers comparing tabs want reassurance at the point of decision. Show the star rating and review count near the price, not at the bottom of the page.
9. A sticky add-to-cart button on mobile
On long product pages, a button that stays visible as the shopper scrolls saves them scrolling back up. Make sure it does not cover other content or the chat widget.
10. Easy variant selection
Size and colour pickers should be large enough to tap, show what is out of stock, and remember the selection. A size guide one tap away cuts both hesitation and returns.
Cart and navigation
11. A free-shipping progress bar
If you have a free-shipping threshold, show how close the shopper is in the cart: “You are 12 away from free shipping”. It is the simplest way to lift order value without another discount — see BFCM offers that protect your margin for setting the threshold.
12. One or two cart suggestions, not ten
A relevant add-on in the cart can raise order value. A carousel of ten products distracts shoppers from checking out. Keep it to one or two genuinely related items.
13. Express checkout in the cart
Express payment buttons such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay and PayPal in the cart let returning shoppers skip the forms. We cover payments in detail in peak-season checkout and payments.
14. The sale at the top of the mobile menu
Add a “Black Friday” link as the first item in your mobile menu for the season, so visitors who arrive on any page can find the offer in one tap.
15. Filters that find the deals
Let shoppers filter collections by “On sale”, size, price and availability. Shopify’s Search & Discovery app adds filters to most themes without custom code.
Test it on a real phone
Before the freeze, ask someone outside the team to buy a product on a mid-range phone, starting from one of your ads or emails. Watch where they hesitate. That ten-minute test will find problems no desktop review will.
For the principles behind these fixes, see mobile-first design principles for Shopify stores and checkout UX tweaks that boost conversions. If you would rather hand the fixes over, our conversion rate optimisation team can make them before the freeze.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good Black Friday landing page on Shopify?
One clear offer and its terms in the first screen on mobile, a single primary button, and a direct path to the products in the offer. Link ads and emails to the most relevant collection or landing page rather than your home page.
Should I use a countdown timer for Black Friday?
Only if it counts down to the real end of a real offer. Timers that reset or offers that never end mislead customers, damage trust and may break consumer protection rules in markets such as the UK, the EU and the US.
How should I show Black Friday discounts on product pages?
Show the sale price, the genuine previous price and the saving together, near the add-to-cart button. On Shopify, the compare-at price shows the previous price, so make sure it reflects a price you actually charged.
When should landing page changes be finished before BFCM?
Build and test any new sections or templates before your code freeze — we suggest 20 November 2026. After the freeze you can still update content such as text, images, banners and collections.