BFCM 2024: How top brands broke marketing records (and rules)

As the dust settles on another whirlwind Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) season, our team at Simon Data has been busy analyzing the trends, strategies, and outcomes that defined this year's event. 

We've gathered insights from our partners and customers — marketing teams at some of the biggest brands — to examine what worked, what surprised us, and what lessons we can carry into future high-volume sales events. Here’s what we learned.

Use personalization to drive customer retention beyond BFCM

While attracting new customers during BFCM is crucial, retaining them post-event can be even more challenging. The brands that crushed this BFCM treated their customers like individuals. 

Instead of blasting the same generic deals to everyone, they dug into customer data. Past purchases, buying patterns, and even wishlists were used to create personalized promo codes that spoke directly to each shopper's interests — leading to higher retention rates and repeat purchases.

Personalization is key, both during and after the event. Use customer data to create tailored experiences that drive long-term engagement. 

Here’s what really matters: these personalized touches keep customers coming back long after the holiday hype has died down. Armed with even more customer data from BFCM, our clients are now focused on turning deal-seekers into loyal customers through advanced segmentation, predictive analytics, and omnichannel personalization.

The lesson learned? BCFM is a chance to prove you understand what customers want. Get it right, and you’ll build lifetime value and loyalty through genuine connection.

Create instant and lasting wins with automated journeys in your CDP

Customers who leaned into Simon Journeys and Simon Flows also saw incredible results this BFCM season. These tools are all part of the Simon Data CDP and work together to create both immediate wins and lasting customer relationships.

Simon Journeys are like personalized roadmaps, guiding customers through multi-step campaigns that deepen engagement over time. Meanwhile, Simon Flows are fast-acting, behavior-triggered campaigns that are perfect for moments like sign-ups.

During BFCM, the impact was clear:

• A home goods retailer used Simon Journeys to generate $2.50 million in revenue. By creating personalized, multi-step campaigns, they engaged over 20,000 customers and kept their brand top of mind throughout the holiday shopping frenzy.
• On the other hand, a popular footwear brand leaned into Simon Flows for fast results, driving $2.36 million in revenue by targeting high-intent customers right when it mattered most.

Blending long-term relationship building with rapid-response campaigns proved that you don’t have to choose between short-term gains and long-term growth. With the right strategy and tools in place, you can have both.

Maximize revenue with customer identification and event triggers

Want to know the difference between a good BFCM and a great one? $8.11 million in revenue. That’s what our customers generated by turning anonymous browsers into known customers. While other brands played guessing games with their audience, Simon Identity+ (ID+) users turned real-time behavior into instant sales opportunities.

This year, Simon’s ID+ accounted for 3.12 million triggered events, each one a moment when a customer's actions signaled their intent to buy. While it’s important to recognize the signals, marketers can strike when customer interest peaks with offers that match their intent.

Take these wins:

• An innovative apparel brand drove $4.86 million in revenue by using identified triggers to send personalized offers to high-intent customers
• A luxury travel company secured over $1 million in sales by connecting with customers at the perfect moment in their journey
• A mission-driven apparel brand used ID+ to connect with anonymous shoppers, driving 19,679 orders and $2.36 million in revenue through triggered flows.

We also noticed that customer revenue peaked on Cyber Monday, with some clients seeing 25% higher ID+ conversions than on Black Friday. This signaled that early and sustained campaign efforts were critical in maintaining momentum throughout the week.

The takeaway: Once you know who your customers are and what they want, you can stop shouting to the void and start having actual conversations. The ultimate BFCM flex is to turn window shoppers into wallet-openers, and, eventually, loyal customers who return long after mega sales.

Be open to unexpected success: The "free-for-all" approach

One of the most memorable strategies we encountered this year came from a retail brand that took an utterly counterintuitive approach. Instead of focusing on meticulous audience segmentation or niche targeting, they reached out to everyone. This "free-for-all" strategy defied conventional wisdom — and it worked.

BFCM 2024 taught us something surprising: sometimes, breaking the rules works best.

Key elements of this approach included:

• Broad-scale push with no limits on audience segmentation
• Extensive use of layered promo codes, including first-purchase sign-up discounts
• Early start, recognizing that BFCM is no longer confined to specific day

Despite starting before Black Friday itself, this blanket promotion approach exceeded expectations and delivered outstanding results. It's a reminder that casting a wide net can sometimes be just as effective as precise targeting depending on your customers, and mostly during high-traffic periods like BFCM.

Experiment with AI for cross-channel experiences

It's nearly 2025, and the industry still doesn't know how AI will impact customer marketing. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't start experimenting with it. Our clients who dove headfirst into tools like Attentive AI discovered something surprising: sometimes, the best way to understand a technology's potential is to start using it.

Don't be afraid to challenge conventional wisdom. Sometimes, a broad approach can yield surprising results.

The “magic” isn’t in the technology itself but in what it makes possible for marketers. For example, through AI, when customers bounce between email and website, they are seamlessly guided back to checkout across every channel. Many of our customers reported that this wasn't your standard "Hey, you forgot something!" SMS messages — these were sophisticated, multi-touch conversations that felt natural.

Brands that optimize these technologies significantly improve their campaign outcomes, especially during high-stakes shopping events like BFCM. The ability to create seamless, personalized experiences across multiple channels proved to be a game-changer for many of our clients.

Embrace a post-BFCM strategy to maintain customer engagement

Think BFCM success is measured by your holiday sales numbers? Think again.

Our partners and customers emphasize that the work continues even after BFCM ends. After the initial purchase, it's crucial to keep the conversation going through targeted communications across email, SMS, and social media that match each shopper's behavior and interests.

Focus on post-event retention strategies. BFCM's real value lies in converting one-time shoppers into loyal customers.

Brands that excel at this post-BFCM engagement typically see:

• Higher customer retention rates
• Increased repeat purchases
• Stronger long-term customer relationships

Looking ahead: Lessons for future high-volume sales events

As we reflect on BFCM 2024, several key lessons emerge for brands looking to refine their strategies for future events:

• Don't be afraid to challenge conventional wisdom. Sometimes, a broad approach can yield surprising results.
• Personalization is key, both during and after the event. Use customer data to create tailored experiences that drive long-term engagement.
• Leverage AI and cross-channel technologies to create seamless, responsive customer journeys.
• Focus on post-event retention strategies. BFCM's real value lies in converting one-time shoppers into loyal customers.
• Start early, but maintain momentum. BFCM is no longer confined to specific days, so plan for an extended sales period.

BFCM 2024 taught us something surprising: sometimes, breaking the rules works best. 

Whether blasting promotions to everyone or experimenting with AI to get personal with customers, the brands that dared to think differently came out on top. The win isn’t just in the holiday sales but in turning those bargain hunters into loyal fans.  

As we gear up for future sales events, remember: tech is your friend, early birds can get the worm, and keeping customers happy after the sale is just as important as getting them through the door in the first place.