Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) are the pinnacle of the retail calendar, and this year, a savvy AI strategy isn’t just optional, it’s essential.
As Jonathan Snow aptly put it during a recent webinar hosted by REDO: GenAI is shifting BFCM creative expectations. As Jonathan Snow described during the REDO webinar, he hopes to have one concept and one creative made with 20 different iterations, and just have those ready to go without human intervention. In short, planning starts today.
Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) are the pinnacle of the retail calendar, and this year, a savvy AI strategy isn’t just optional, it’s essential. As Jonathan Snow aptly put it during a recent webinar hosted by REDO: “I’m hoping by Q4, it’s gonna be fully ready to go where I could have one concept and one creative made with 20 different iterations and just have those ready to go without human intervention.” In short, planning starts today.
Here’s how brands can get a competitive edge with AI for BFCM 2025.
1. Build Your Creative Arsenal with Generative AI
Why it matters
Meta and AppLovin report that modern ad platforms thrive on hundreds of creatives, not tens. To stand out during BFCM, brands must scale volume without draining teams. Jonathan Snow estimates that replacing manual tasks with AI-driven creative could yield 200 ready-to-launch creatives in minutes.
How to do it
Create conversion-focused templates that reflect BFCM best practices and clearly show the deal in under half a second.
- Upload your top-performing assets to GenAI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Creatopy.
- Ask for multiple variations per template.
- Bulk review and select your best 50 to 100 ads.
- Leverage scheduling tools to launch at peak BFCM times.
This prep means you are not scrambling for designs mid-November. You are unleashing a creative blend while others are catching up.
2. Dominate with AI Search Optimization (GEO)
Big-picture impact
Jonathan Snow explained that AI-driven search (GEO) is the new frontier for customer acquisition. With CTRs down about 35 percent on classic Google results, placements within AI summaries on platforms like ChatGPT become pivotal.
Strategic steps
- Ensure your site content is LLM-readable using structured JSON-LD, A plus content, and FAQ modules.
- Secure high-quality mentions, especially listicles and round-ups relevant to your product category.
- Build AI-specific SEO campaigns using technical SEO, strategically placed PR pieces, and landing pages tailored for AI queries such as best gifts for teaching assistants 2025.
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3. Hyper-Personalize Advertising and Email Flow
The power of personalization
AI-crafted recommendations can tailor each deal to individual profiles, maximizing conversions. Personalized shopping increases buyer action in the fast-paced BFCM environment.
How to implement
- Segment current shoppers including top spenders, window-shoppers, and lapsed cart users.
- Feed past behavior and preferences into AI systems such as Klaviyo or Bloomreach.
- Deliver personalized flows such as targeted promotions or urgency-driven abandonment emails.
- Automate dynamic email creation with custom product carousels.
Done before October, this keeps engagement high and eyes on your deals come BFCM.
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4. Use AI-Powered Site Search for Instant Discovery
Why it’s key
BFCM shoppers rely heavily on site search for fast answers. Traditional keyword search fails under natural-language queries such as cheap leather boots under 150 dollars.
Tactical steps
- Implement AI-enabled search platforms that support natural language.
- Optimize with product synonyms and intent detection.
- Boost best-sellers and clearance items upfront.
- Add real-time review summarization to speed decision-making.
Fast, accurate search keeps bounce rates low and conversions high.
5. Enhance Support with Conversational AI Assistants
The human touch at scale
AI chatbots like Amazon’s Rufus saw an 1800 percent increase in site traffic and 9 percent lift in conversions during last year’s holiday.
Activation plan
- Deploy chatbots across critical pages such as homepage, product pages, and checkout.
- Train them on BFCM-specific queries such as shipping deadlines and returns policies.
- Use insights from these chats to improve FAQs and reduce live-chat volume.
- Monitor performance via conversion tracking and compare to baseline.
Shopper confidence and cart completion both rise when help is just a click away.
6. Forecast Smarter with AI Demand Planning
Avoid stockouts and overstock
Bloomreach highlights AI’s ability to predict demand using historical and real-time signals. This keeps your inventory lean but not depleted.
Prep guide
- Feed past BFCM performance, trends, and current consumer signals into AI forecasting tools.
- Use dashboards to identify anticipated best-sellers and risk items.
- Align with suppliers and fulfillment teams in September and October to secure coverage.
- Plan buffer shipping for top-risk products.
A smooth logistical run prevents disappointment for both you and your customers.
7. Set Governance and Human Verification
Pitfalls to avoid
Jonathan advised trusting AI but verifying, especially with data insights. Johnny Hickey also shared how AI can hallucinate numbers or misinterpret spreadsheets.
Best practices
- Assign an AI lead such as a marketing ops manager for BFCM initiatives.
- Establish feedback loops with weekly checkpoints to QA AI outputs including ads, emails, and forecasts.
- Label clearly as draft generated by AI in early review stages.
- Only deploy verified AI content to customers.
This keeps AI as a productivity tool, not a liability.
Your Q3 and Q4 AI Prep Timeline
| Timeframe | Key Activities |
|---|---|
| June and July | Audit data including inventory, product meta, site structure. Set up AI-friendly infrastructure. |
| August and September | Build templates, workflow automation, push AI chat support live. Activate AI forecasting. |
| October | Train AI for creative variation. Launch AI-powered search and personalization. Begin dynamic email segmentation. |
| November | QA ads, chatbots, and email flows. Stress-test site speed. Ready backups. |
| BFCM Weekend | Launch creative bursts. Monitor demand and chat performance. Verify AI analytics. |
| Post-BFCM | Analyze performance, harvest learnings, refine AI models for next year. |
Final Word
Starting BFCM prep in June puts you leagues ahead of the competition. As Snow framed it, brands can deploy hundreds of AI-powered creatives, dominate AI search, and deliver personalized deals while others scramble.
By fusing creative volume, optimized discovery, precision personalization, and verified workflows, you will hit BFCM 2025 running and lead the pack.
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