Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November 2026 and Cyber Monday on Monday 30 November. But sales are won earlier than that: the brands that have their list, automations and deliverability in place by October come out on top.
In short
- 27 November: Black Friday. Black Week runs 23–29 November.
- 30 November: Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday is 1 December.
- October: SPF, DKIM, DMARC and one-click unsubscribe in place.
Black Friday, Black Week and Black Month
Black Friday is the Friday itself. Black Week is the whole week around it. Black Month is when offers are spread across all of November.
Customers mostly search for “Black Friday”, so use the term in headlines and subject lines even if your campaign runs longer.
Dates
When is Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday 2026 is Friday 27 November. Black Friday always falls on the day after American Thanksgiving, which makes it the fourth Friday in November.
| Date 2026 | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1–30 November | Black Month: offers throughout the month |
| Wednesday 11 November | Singles Day, the start of the campaign season for many |
| Monday 23 – Sunday 29 November | Black Week |
| Friday 27 November | Black Friday |
| Sunday 29 November | First Sunday of Advent |
| Monday 30 November | Cyber Monday |
| Tuesday 1 December | Giving Tuesday, Black Friday for fundraisers |
For every industry
Black Week in your industry
E-commerce and retail
Discounts, bundle deals and countdowns, plus abandoned cart flows. See e-commerce and retail.
Media and publishing
Subscription offers and win-back campaigns for former subscribers. See media houses.
Travel and hospitality
Package holidays, hotel stays and gift cards ahead of Christmas. See hotels and tourism.
Non-profit
Giving Tuesday on 1 December is Black Friday for fundraisers. See non-profit organizations.
The plan, step by step
Five steps to Black Week
Most Black Friday problems happen because something is done too late. Here’s how to spread the work, from two months out to the weeks after Cyber Monday. Want to tick off the steps one by one? The checklist is in our Black Friday guide.
Early bird
September
Set profitability goals, plan offers and audiences, segment your list and connect your e-commerce platform, booking system and CRM. Check your deliverability.Buzz time
October
Lock in your prices, grow your list with consent for email and SMS, set up your automations and launch teasers and countdowns. Schedule Black Week.The week before
16–22 November
Send a Black Week series to your segments, test your site on mobile and your abandoned cart flows. Prepare customer support.The big day
27 and 30 November
Track results in real time, stay active on social media, cut through with SMS and RCS, and use countdowns, as long as the deadline is real.After Black Friday
1–2 weeks after
Evaluate results per channel, thank customers and follow up ahead of Christmas, look after new loyalty club members and write down what you learned.
Free guide · PDF
Black Friday & Black Week 2026 – the full plan as a PDF
Your week-by-week plan for the most important shopping period of the year – with strategy, automation, AI personalization and tips for email, SMS and RCS.
Deliverability
How to get your Black Friday emails into the inbox
Since 2024, Gmail and Yahoo have set stricter requirements for anyone sending more than 5,000 emails a day, and since May 2025 Outlook does the same. Many senders cross that threshold during Black Week.
| Requirement | What it means | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| SPF and DKIM | Your domain confirms that Rule may send on your behalf | Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook |
| DMARC | A published policy, and the sender address matches the domain | Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook |
| One-click unsubscribe | Straight from the inbox, processed within two days | Gmail, Yahoo |
| Low spam rate | Fewer than 0.3 percent mark your emails as spam | Gmail, Yahoo |
- Check authentication in October
SPF, DKIM and DMARC for the domain you send from. - Clean your list
Remove bouncing addresses and re-engage inactive recipients before Black Week. - Warm up your volume
Increase frequency gradually from early November instead of jumping from one email a week to two a day.
Send schedule
Black Friday emails, SMS and RCS day by day
Combine email marketing for the content with SMS or RCS for time-critical reminders, and exclude anyone who has already bought.
| Day and time | Channel | Send | Recipients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 17 Nov, 18:00 | Teaser: get the offers first | Entire list | |
| Mon 23 Nov, 07:00 | Email + SMS | Early access to Black Week | Loyal customers and VIPs |
| Mon 23 Nov, 12:00 | Black Week has started | Entire list | |
| Wed 25 Nov, 07:00 | Mid-week: new offers | Everyone who hasn’t bought | |
| Fri 27 Nov, 07:00 | Email + RCS | Black Friday is here | Entire list |
| Fri 27 Nov, 12:00 | Reminder with a new subject line | Not opened or bought | |
| Fri 27 Nov, 20:00 | SMS | Final hours | Clicked but not bought |
| Sat 28 Nov, 10:00 | The weekend continues + Cyber Monday teaser | Everyone who hasn’t bought | |
| Mon 30 Nov, 07:00 | Cyber Monday is here | Entire list | |
| Mon 30 Nov, 18:00 | SMS or RCS | Last chance, ends tonight | Clicked but not bought |
| Tue 1 Dec, 10:00 | Thank you + Christmas teaser | Everyone who bought |
Vary the content
The same offer can come back, but the image, subject line and angle should change.
Exclude buyers
Anyone who has bought gets a thank-you and perhaps an add-on offer, not a reminder.
Go easy on SMS
Two to three texts over the whole week is enough. More will increase unsubscribes.
Automation
Black Friday automations that sell while you pack orders
Welcome flow
Explain what’s happening during Black Week and when the offers go live.
Abandoned cart
Shorten the delay to one or two hours and add an SMS where you have consent.
Product reminder
Show browsed products again at the campaign price when Black Friday starts.
Thank you and repeat purchase
Say thanks, suggest related products and ask for a review after delivery.
AI and personalization
The right product and the right send time for every customer
Let AI choose products based on purchase and browsing history, and send when each recipient usually opens. Combine it with segmentation by purchase behavior and engagement.
SMS and RCS: the channel for what can’t wait
An SMS is usually read within minutes. RCS adds images, video, buttons and a verified sender.
| Feature | SMS | RCS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Offers and product selections | Reminders and deadlines | Campaigns with image and button |
| Images and buttons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Verified sender | Via BIMI | No | Yes |
| Sends during Black Week | 1–2 per day | 2–3 in total | 2–3 in total |
Example copy for the mobile sends in the schedule
- Mon 23 Nov, 07:00 · SMS
Black Week starts now for you: 30% off the winter range, a day before everyone else. Shop: [link] Reply STOP to opt out - Fri 27 Nov, 07:00 · RCS
[Image of the offer] Black Friday: 30% off everything until midnight. Free shipping over [amount]. Shop now - Fri 27 Nov, 20:00 · SMS
4 hours of Black Friday left. Your code BF30 is valid until 23:59: [link] - Mon 30 Nov, 18:00 · SMS or RCS
Cyber Monday is your last chance. 30% off ends tonight: [link]
How to write them: what, how much and until when in the first sentence, one link to the right page and under 160 characters. A single emoji cuts the limit to 70 characters. In RCS, the text has to work on its own, since recipients without RCS support get the SMS version.
Avoid
Five common Black Friday mistakes
- Starting in Black Week. Purchases are spread across all of November.
- Testing deliverability too late. A DMARC error can’t be fixed on Black Friday.
- Sending the same email to everyone. Loyal customers and new subscribers need different messages.
- Forgetting to exclude buyers. Reminders to buyers cause irritation and unsubscribes.
- Not testing the site on mobile. Go through the whole purchase, from the email to checkout, on an ordinary phone.
After Black Friday
Turn campaign customers into repeat customers
- Thank and welcome new customers with a welcome flow.
- Move on to Christmas with gift ideas and last order dates.
- Look after your loyalty club and its new members.
- Build customer loyalty: the second purchase decides whether the customer stays.
- Evaluate and plan next year based on your goals.
Checklist
Black Friday checklist: the three most important points
- Deliverability: SPF, DKIM, DMARC and one-click unsubscribe.
- Prices: set by mid-October at the latest.
- Automations: abandoned cart flow set up and tested.
The full checklist is in our Black Friday guide (PDF).
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Black Friday 2026
When is Black Friday 2026?
Friday 27 November 2026. Black Week runs 23–29 November and Cyber Monday is Monday 30 November.
When is Cyber Monday 2026?
Monday 30 November 2026, the Monday after Black Friday. Many stores extend their Black Week campaign through Cyber Monday.
What is Black Week?
The campaign week around Black Friday. In 2026 it runs from Monday 23 November to Sunday 29 November. Many brands also run offers throughout November, known as Black Month.
When should you start preparing for Black Friday?
In September at the latest with goals and offers, and in October with deliverability, list, prices and automations. Communication to customers should start in early November.
How many emails should you send during Black Week?
About one a day, and two on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, works for most brands as long as the content varies and buyers are excluded. Scale back if unsubscribes rise.
Should you use SMS for Black Friday?
Yes, for what’s time-critical: that the campaign is starting, that it’s ending soon and that a cart is waiting. Two to three texts are enough, and only to recipients who have given consent.
What is the difference between SMS and RCS?
RCS is the next generation of SMS, with images, buttons and a verified sender. Recipients without RCS support get a regular SMS.
How do you keep Black Friday emails out of the spam folder?
Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC, make sure one-click unsubscribe works, clean your list and increase your send frequency gradually.
When is Giving Tuesday 2026?
Tuesday 1 December 2026. The day is the fundraising equivalent of Black Friday.
Make Black Friday 2026 your best yet
Rule is a Swedish platform for data-driven, automated customer communication via email, SMS and RCS. Get started for free with Rule Free.
Already a customer? Book a Black Friday review with Customer Success.
