According to our data, brands that start sending BFCM campaigns in October and maintain a 1x a week sending cadence are more likely to be top-performing. Our analysis also suggests that even though open rates tend to decline during Q4 due to increased marketing volume and email fatigue among consumers, click rates rise slightly compared to non-Q4 periods.

According to our data, brands that start sending BFCM campaigns in October and maintain a 1x a week sending cadence are more likely to be top-performing.

Year-round, high-performing brands send 1–4 SMS campaigns per month. However, unlike non-Q4 periods, there’s a "best" time or day to send that maximizes SMS conversion during Q4—even during the week of Black Friday. This may be due to the fact that traditionally popular times (typically between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.) draw more senders, so it’s harder to get noticed than during quiet times.

Start your email campaigns in October to increase your chances of being a top performer for BFCM. Granted, your audience may not want to hear about Black Friday for that long, so consider what creative angles you can use to fill up your campaign calendar with product announcements and special offers ahead of the big holiday season.

To combat email fatigue, focus on delivering high-quality, personalized content targeting key segments rather than your entire list. Conduct A/B tests, segment your audience, and leverage exclusive offers to drive urgency and boost engagement, aiming to keep click rates above 2.5%.

For SMS campaigns, since there’s no universal best time to send, avoid sending during peak hours to stand out. If you must send during these peak hours, send off the half-hour (e.g., 10:15 or 10:40) to improve delivery speed.

During the most marketing-saturated days (like Black Friday itself), opt for SMS instead of MMS due to network capacity limitations.