Black Friday 2026 Email Checklist for Klaviyo: What to Set Up Before November
Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November 2026, with Cyber Monday on 30 November. For most Australian ecommerce brands, email is the channel that does the heavy lifting over that weekend. But the work that decides your results happens in October and early November, not on the day.
Here is the Klaviyo checklist I work through with clients. If you want a quick score first, take the free Black Friday Email Readiness Scorecard.
6 to 8 weeks out: foundations
Check your sending domain and authentication. Make sure you are sending from a branded domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up. Gmail and Yahoo tightened their bulk sender requirements in 2024, and big sale weekends are when problems show up.
Clean your list. Suppress long-term unengaged profiles or run them through a sunset flow. Sending to people who never open drags down inbox placement for everyone else.
Audit your core flows. Welcome, abandoned checkout, abandoned cart, browse abandonment and post-purchase should all be live and working. Traffic spikes over Black Friday, and these flows catch it. (Here are the seven flows every store needs.)
Grow the list. Launch an "early access" or VIP sign-up form now so you have warm subscribers ready when the sale starts.
3 to 4 weeks out: plan the campaign
Decide the offer and the dates. Sitewide, tiered, gift with purchase, or bundles. Decide whether you are running Black Friday only, the full weekend, or a longer "Black November".
Map the send calendar. A typical sequence: teaser, VIP early access, launch, reminder, "still on", final hours, Cyber Monday, last chance.
Build your segments. VIPs, recent buyers, engaged non-buyers, and a smaller "engaged in the last 30 to 60 days" segment for extra sends.
Warm up engagement. Keep sending regular, useful emails through November so you are not going silent and then suddenly sending five emails in four days.
1 to 2 weeks out: build and test
Write and design every campaign in advance, and schedule them.
Update flow content: swap evergreen offers in welcome and abandoned cart flows for sale messaging, or pause discounts that would conflict with the sale.
Test every discount code, link and dynamic product block.
Check emails on mobile, where most people will open them.
Add smart sending and flow filters so customers in an active flow are not buried under campaigns as well.
Sale weekend
Watch deliverability: bounce rates, spam complaints and unsubscribes after each send.
Resend to non-openers only for your key sends, with a new subject line.
Keep an eye on stock, and pull sold-out products from scheduled emails.
After the sale: keep the new customers
This is where most brands leave money on the table. A strong post-purchase flow for Black Friday buyers turns discount hunters into repeat customers. Follow up with your Christmas shipping cut-offs, gift guides and Boxing Day plans.
Don't forget the Australian basics
Every commercial email must meet the Spam Act 2003: consent, clear sender identification and a working unsubscribe. Also make sure any "was/now" pricing is accurate, because misleading pricing claims can attract ACCC attention.
Need help getting it done in time?
If your Black Friday emails are still sitting on the to-do list, this is exactly the kind of work I take off founders' plates. Start with the free scorecard, or get in touch and let's plan it together.
