Last Calls Before Black Friday and Cyber Monday: What Our Ecommerce Operators Would Still Fix

With just a few weeks to go, most Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) plans are locked. The promotions are set, the creative is approved, and the inventory coming in has already shipped. What's left is a short list of decisions that still move the result, and an even longer list of tempting changes that only add risk.

We asked three Chameleon Collective operators who have run peak season from the inside what they would still fix with a few weeks left. None of their answers involve rebuilding the plan. Each one is a small move that decides whether the weekend can be measured, whether the buyers can be reached again, and whether the discount helps or hurts the brand.

Each move also sets up a conversation for after the weekend, so we'll come back to all three in our After the Rush series in December.

1. Write down what success means before the weekend

Farzana Nasser, Partner and VP of Digital and Growth Marketing

On the Tuesday after Cyber Monday, almost every team reports the same number first: revenue compared with last year. It is the easiest number to pull and the easiest one to celebrate, and it tells you very little about whether the weekend was worth it.

Farzana's advice is to decide what a good weekend looks like before it starts, while nobody has a result to defend. That means writing down a few targets in plain language. Examples include the contribution margin you need after discounts, shipping, and returns; what you are willing to pay to acquire a new customer; and how many of this year's buyers should be new rather than existing customers buying at a discount.

"If you only decide what success means after you see the numbers, you will always find a way to call it a win." 

It takes about an hour with your finance and marketing leads, and it changes the conversation on December 1 from "did we beat last year?" to "did we get what we paid for?"

2. Fix what shoppers see first, and make sure you can reach them later

Matt Obendorf, Ecommerce and Marketplace Manager

On Amazon, the late fixes that still pay off are the ones shoppers see in the first few seconds. Matt's checklist for the final stretch covers your top sellers only. Check that the main image is sharp and current, that the title leads with what the product is rather than brand language, and that the first few bullets answer the questions your reviews keep asking. Then check inventory against your forecast, because a listing that sells out on Saturday misses Cyber Monday entirely and loses momentum it can take weeks to rebuild.

What he would leave alone is anything structural, such as new variations, big catalog changes or a fresh campaign setup. Those changes need time to settle, and peak week is the worst time to find out something broke.

On your own site, the priority is making sure every BFCM buyer can be reached again. Plan your Cyber Monday emails now too, since it's the most online-heavy day of the weekend. Confirm that checkout captures email consent, that your welcome and post-purchase flows are switched on, and that new buyers land in their own segment.

"BFCM buyers are the easiest customers to get once and the hardest to get twice. Your only shot at the second order is being able to reach them." 

3. Decide what you discount and what you protect

Ilan Tito, Head of Ecommerce

It's tempting to put the whole site on sale and let shoppers sort it out. Ilan, who has spent two decades in DTC leadership and merchandising, sees that as the most expensive shortcut of the season. A sitewide discount teaches your best customers to wait for a sale before buying your best products. It also gives away margin on orders that would have happened anyway. 

With a few weeks left, he suggests sorting your assortment into three groups. Traffic drivers are the products you discount to bring people in: items with enough margin to absorb the markdown, or inventory you need to move. Heroes are the products your brand is built on, protected at full price or supported with a gift with purchase instead of a markdown. Everything else follows your normal promotion. It’s a decision, not a build, so there’s still time.

Then, make sure your homepage, emails, and ads lead with the right group. Your heroes should be excluded from sitewide codes, affiliate coupons, and the sale prices in your catalog feeds. If your hero product is the first thing shoppers see at 40% off, they will remember that price long after December.   

"BFCM decides what customers think your products are worth for the rest of the year. Choose which ones you're willing to reprice." 

After the rush

None of these moves will make headlines on Black Friday morning. They matter most on the Tuesday after Cyber Monday, when the dashboards come in. Having a baseline means you can judge the weekend honestly, having buyers you can reach means you can earn a second order, and having protected your hero products means January doesn't start in a markdown hole.

In December, each of these operators will pick up where they left off. Farzana will cover whether BFCM actually made money, Matt will cover turning deal buyers into repeat customers, and Ilan will cover how sell-through should shape your 2027 merchandising plan.

If you'd like a second set of eyes on your plan before the weekend, or help making sense of it afterward, Chameleon Collective's ecommerce operators are glad to talk.