Black Friday and Cyber Monday bring a rush of new customers, but what happens next? Many of these shoppers aren’t your usual audience, they’re gift buyers or deal hunters who may only shop seasonally.

 
In this post, we’ll explore how to nurture these BFCM customers over the festive period, helping you turn one-time buyers into repeat customers while keeping your regular campaigns on track.
 

Bridging Black Friday and Christmas

 
Black Friday and Cyber Monday customers aren’t just seasonal shoppers. They’re perfectly placed to roll seamlessly into a Christmas-focused automation campaign.
 
The buying intent during BFCM often overlaps with Christmas shopping, so creating a tailored campaign to bridge these two periods is a natural next step.
 
Importantly, this campaign should run independently of your BAU (business-as-usual) communications to ensure regular customers and BFCM buyers each receive the most relevant messaging.

Step 1: Create a separate Christmas campaign

 
Your BFCM customers are already primed for seasonal offers, so the tone and content of a Christmas campaign will feel familiar and engaging. Build an automation specifically for this group that reflects their recent shopping activities.
 

Welcome to Christmas

Send an email the week after BFCM to acknowledge their purchase and shift focus toward Christmas. For example:

• Thank you for shopping with us! Need more gift ideas for the festive season? We’ve got you covered.
• Highlight complementary items or popular Christmas gifts within your product range.

Personalised recommendations

Use purchase data to offer tailored suggestions. For instance:

• If someone bought a family board game during BFCM, recommend other family-oriented gifts.
• If the purchase was clearly for a child, highlight stocking fillers, toys, or games.

Gift giving guides

Midway through December, send curated content like “Top Gifts for Everyone on Your List” or “Last-Minute Presents That Arrive on Time.” This keeps your brand top of mind as Christmas shopping peaks.
 

Delivery deadlines

Include a timely reminder about final delivery dates. This creates urgency and encourages last-minute purchases.

Step 2: Keep it separate from BAU

 
To avoid overwhelming or sending irrelevant content to new acquired BFCM shoppers, run this Christmas campaign on its own automation workflow. Here’s how to make it distinct:
 

Unique segments

• BFCM customers only: Keep this group separate from your standard mailing list.
• Exclusion lists: Ensure regular customers aren’t accidentally added to this campaign if they’ve already received similar Christmas content.

Adjust email frequency

While your regular audience might receive BAU campaign emails, keep the frequency lower for BFCM customers to prevent fatigue. You need time to learn their behaviour. Limit it to 2–3 Christmas-themed emails in December.

Step 3: Incorporate festive extras

 
Christmas isn’t just about sales; it’s also an opportunity to build goodwill. Enhance your automation with value-added content:
 

Exclusive BFCM perks

Reward these customers with access to extended discounts or limited-edition items. Position it as a thank-you for choosing your brand during BFCM. As these new customers are more than likely to be voucher or discount driven, this will help you convert that second purchase.
 

Gift wrapping and personalisation

Promote any extras like gift-wrapping services or personalisation options for items bought as gifts. For example: “Make it special with our free gift-wrapping service”
 

Festive content

If you run a more lifestyle/content based brand then share engaging content like recipes, decorating tips, or holiday playlists to keep your emails relevant and enjoyable.

Step 4: Automate post-Christmas engagement

 
Don’t let the relationship fizzle out once Christmas has passed. Use marketing automation to transition into a post-holiday strategy:
 

Thank you email

Send a warm message on Boxing Day or in the week after Christmas: “Thank you for making us part of your holiday season. We hope your gifts brought joy!”
 

New Year offers

Roll into January with exclusive offers or promotions to generate that second or third purchase from your new BFCM customers.

Step 5: Learn for the future

 
As with BFCM, track your Christmas campaign’s performance to refine next year’s strategy.
 
Key metrics to monitor include:

• Open and click-through rates: Are customers engaging with festive emails?
• Conversion rates: Which emails led to purchases?
• Segmented insights: Did gift buyers behave differently from self-shoppers?

 
These insights will help you fine-tune not only your Christmas campaign but also the bridge between BFCM and future seasonal strategies.

Seamlessly connecting BFCM and Christmas campaigns

 
By treating BFCM and Christmas as complementary, not isolated, shopping periods, you can create a smooth and cohesive experience for your new customers.
 
With tailored messaging, thoughtful timing, and careful segmentation, this approach nurtures seasonal shoppers while respecting the preferences of your regular audience.
 
The result? A more personal, impactful way to drive festive sales and create a larger segment of returning customers instead of one-off Black Friday buyers.
 
 

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