Black Friday & Cyber Monday Checklist: Prepare Your POS + Online Store

Black Friday and Cyber Monday bring some of the year’s biggest shopping opportunities. Shoppers are hunting for deals, and retailers are rolling out promotions to attract new customers, bring back familiar faces, and make the most of the holiday shopping rush.

Did You Know?

Adobe’s 2026 holiday forecast projects that U.S. shoppers will spend $12.9 billion online on Black Friday and $15.1 billion on Cyber Monday.

For retailers selling both in stores and online, customers may browse on a website, shop in person, or place orders from their phones for pickup. Some will shop across both channels throughout the weekend.

That means your POS and online store need to be ready for more transactions, website traffic, orders, and promotional pricing. Inventory must stay accurate across channels, and employees need to know how to handle discounts and checkout before the rush begins.

This checklist covers what to prepare in the weeks before BFCM, what to test across your POS and online store, what to monitor during the sales weekend, and what to review afterward.

What Is BFCM?

BFCM stands for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

In ecommerce and retail, BFCM generally refers to the combined Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales period. Businesses often use this time to offer discounts and other promotions that inspire customers to shop during one of the undoubtedly busiest retail periods of the year.

Traditionally, Black Friday has been associated with in-store shopping, while Cyber Monday developed around online shopping. Today, customers use both channels. That makes it worth preparing for both in-store purchases and online orders.

For retailers with both sales channels, preparing for BFCM means looking at the entire shopping process rather than treating the POS and online store as separate operations.

How to Prepare Your Business for Black Friday

There are several ways to approach BFCM preparation, but starting early gives your team time to find problems before customers encounter them.

8–12 Weeks Before Black Friday

Start by looking back at last year’s holiday sales and deciding what you want to focus on this year.

• Review sales from the previous Black Friday and Cyber Monday period
• Identify products that sold particularly well
• Look at which promotions generated the most sales
• Review products that experienced stockouts
• Determine which products you plan to promote this year
• Review your POS capabilities and hardware
• Review your ecommerce infrastructure
• Look at inventory levels and upcoming orders
• Identify potential issues with fulfillment, shipping, or customer support

Previous-year data can help answer practical questions.

• Which products moved quickly?
• Did a particular promotion lead to more sales?
• Were there products that sold out earlier than expected?

Those answers can help shape this year’s plans.

4–8 Weeks Before Black Friday

Once you have a clearer idea of what you’ll sell and promote, it’s time to get things ready.

• Configure promotions and discounts
• Prepare website merchandising and featured products
• Review payment systems
• Plan employee schedules and coverage
• Establish shipping deadlines
• Review pickup and fulfillment procedures
• Test common POS workflows
• Prepare customer emails and other promotional communications
• Review return and exchange policies

This is also a good point to compare your online and in-store promotions. If the same product is being promoted through both channels, check that the pricing and terms are consistent.

Need ideas for your holiday emails? Read our guide to creating a holiday campaign in Klaviyo for tips on planning offers and reaching customers.

2–4 Weeks Before Black Friday

With the holiday weekend getting closer, it’s time to test your setup and catch any issues before shoppers arrive.

• Load and test discounts
• Verify product names, descriptions, prices, and variants
• Test online checkout
• Test inventory synchronization
• Confirm fulfillment procedures
• Train employees on promotions and POS workflows
• Prepare in-store signage
• Review promotion terms and restrictions
• Test pickup and delivery processes

Don’t just confirm that a promotion exists in the system. Run an actual transaction and see what happens.

For example, check whether the correct item receives the discount, whether another promotion can be applied at the same time, and whether inventory updates correctly after the sale.

Planning your holiday displays? Explore how digital signage and FTx Uplift can support holiday campaigns with seasonal promotions and product recommendations.

Black Friday Week

You’re in the home stretch! Now’s the time to double-check your preparations and make sure everything is still working as expected.

• Verify POS hardware and payment devices
• Confirm promotions are active and working correctly
• Review inventory for promoted products
• Confirm employee schedules
• Check website performance
• Review shipping and fulfillment schedules
• Make sure customer support has current promotion and delivery information
• Avoid unnecessary system changes unless they’re needed

It’s much easier to correct a problem before the first major wave of shoppers arrives than while employees are trying to process a long line of transactions.

During BFCM

Once sales begin, pay attention to the areas most likely to cause problems when volume increases.

Monitor:

• POS performance
• Payment errors
• Website performance
• Checkout completion
• Inventory levels
• Promotion usage
• Online and in-store sales
• Orders waiting for fulfillment
• Shipping deadlines
• Customer support requests

If something starts affecting customers, address it as soon as possible. A pricing error, payment problem, or inventory issue can affect a lot of orders when traffic is high.

Black Friday Checklist: Prepare Your POS System

Your POS will likely handle more transactions than it does on an average day. That makes the weeks before BFCM a good time to review both the equipment and the workflows your employees use.

1. Audit Your POS Hardware

Check the equipment employees will use during the holiday weekend.

Review:

• POS terminals and displays
• Card readers and payment terminals
• Barcode scanners
• Receipt printers
• Cash drawers
• Customer displays
• Handheld devices

Look for damaged equipment, connection problems, or hardware that may need to be replaced or serviced.

If you have backup equipment available, make sure employees know where it is and how to use it.

2. Test Your POS Before the Holiday Rush

Run test transactions before Black Friday.

Test common transactions such as:

• Cash purchases
• Card payments
• Discounts
• Returns and exchanges
• Gift cards
• Loyalty rewards
• Online orders connected to the POS
• Age or ID verification, where applicable

The employees using the system should also have an opportunity to practice these workflows. Knowing where to find a promotion or how to handle a return is much easier when employees have already done it before the store gets busy.

3. Prepare for High Transaction Volume

Consider what will happen if several customers need to check out at the same time.

Review your checkout setup, staffing, payment processing, and any tools that can help employees handle additional customers.

If your POS supports handheld devices, mobile checkout, or line-busting, decide whether those tools should be used during peak periods and make sure employees know how to use them.

4. Confirm Offline POS Capabilities

An internet connection is definitely not something you want to take for granted during a busy sales period.

If your POS supports offline transactions, review how those transactions work and what employees should do in the event the connection goes down.

Employees should know whether they can continue accepting payments, what types of transactions are supported offline, and what happens when the connection is restored.

5. Load and Test Black Friday Discounts

Enter your Black Friday promotions into the POS ahead of time.

Then test them.

Check:

• Which products qualify
• The discount amount
• Promotion start and end dates
• Minimum purchase requirements
• Customer eligibility
• The final transaction total

A promotion that looks correct in the setup screen can still behave differently during an actual transaction, so testing the customer experience matters.

6. Test Discount Stacking and Conflicts

Multiple promotions can create problems when they overlap.

For example, determine what happens when a customer tries to use a promotional code on an already discounted product. Check whether two discounts can be combined and whether your system prevents combinations that shouldn’t be allowed.

Make sure employees understand the rules, too. Customers may ask why a particular discount didn’t apply, and employees should be able to explain the promotion without having to figure it out at the register.

7. Prepare Age-Restricted Promotions

Retailers selling alcohol, tobacco, vape products, or other age-restricted merchandise may need to account for age and ID verification when planning holiday promotions.

Review how promotions apply to those products and make sure employees understand any requirements that still apply during a sale.

A holiday discount doesn’t change the age-verification process. Employees should know how to handle both without adding unnecessary delays to checkout.

Black Friday Checklist for Your Online Store

Your website can see a sharp increase in traffic during BFCM, including shoppers who may be visiting for the first time.

Before promotions begin, go through the online shopping experience as a customer would.

1. Audit Your Website Performance

Review how your website performs under normal conditions and consider what may happen when traffic increases.

Pay attention to:

• Page loading times
• Product pages
• Search
• Navigation
• Images
• Promotional landing pages
• Shopping cart performance
• Checkout

If you’re sending customers directly to a specific sale or product page through email or advertising, pay particular attention to those pages.

2. Test Your Ecommerce Store

Go through the entire shopping process.

Browse a product, add it to your cart, apply a promotion, enter shipping information, and complete a test order.

Check that:

• Products display correctly
• Prices are accurate
• Discounts apply correctly
• Shipping options work
• Pickup options work, if offered
• Payments process correctly
• Order confirmations are sent
• Inventory updates after the order

Test different payment methods and browsers where possible.

3. Optimize Mobile Shopping

Customers may be shopping from phones throughout the BFCM period, so check the mobile version of your store separately from the desktop version.

Make sure:

• Pages load properly
• Product information is easy to read
• Images display correctly
• Navigation works as expected
• Buttons are easy to tap
• Promo codes are easy to enter
• Checkout doesn’t create unnecessary steps

A page that looks fine on a desktop monitor may be difficult to use on a phone.

4. Audit Product Pages

Review the products you’re planning to promote.

Check product names, descriptions, images, prices, variants, availability, shipping information, and promotional details.

If a product is available for pickup at certain locations, confirm that information is accurate as well.

Customers should be able to understand what they’re buying, how much it costs, and how they’ll receive it without having to search for basic information.

5. Test Your Checkout

Checkout deserves its own test because problems here can prevent an otherwise successful promotion from turning into a completed sale.

Run test orders and check:

• Payment processing
• Discounts
• Taxes
• Shipping costs
• Pickup options
• Inventory updates
• Order confirmations
• Customer notifications

If your business uses ID verification for age-restricted online purchases, test that process as part of the checkout experience as well.

6. Prepare Promo Codes

If you’re using promo codes, test each one before the sale starts.

Confirm the code:

• Works during the correct dates
• Applies to the correct products
• Has the correct discount
• Follows any minimum purchase requirements
• Can’t be used when it shouldn’t be
• Works correctly with other promotions

Keep the terms of each promotion easy for customers to find. Clear information can reduce confusion and questions after the sale.

Black Friday Weekend Day-by-Day Game Plan

Each day of the BFCM period has its own priorities. A simple schedule can help your team know what to pay attention to without trying to solve everything at once.

Thanksgiving Day / Thursday

Use Thursday for final checks and any early shopping activity.

• Complete final POS and website checks
• Confirm staffing
• Review inventory for promoted products
• Verify promotions
• Send early-access communications, if applicable
• Watch early orders and website activity

Black Friday

Black Friday may bring the highest level of in-store activity of the weekend.

• Monitor POS performance
• Watch payment errors
• Keep an eye on inventory
• Have staff available for busy periods
• Restock popular products when needed
• Watch how promotions are performing
• Address checkout problems quickly

Small Business Saturday

After Black Friday, small businesses can keep holiday sales going by focusing on local shoppers.

• Highlight local shopping promotions
• Promote loyalty offers
• Monitor popular products
• Replenish inventory
• Watch both in-store and online sales
• Pay attention to customer questions and feedback

Sunday

Sunday can be a useful day to review inventory and prepare for Cyber Monday.

• Review inventory levels
• Move inventory between locations when appropriate
• Check outstanding orders
• Review shipping deadlines
• Remind customers about upcoming shipping cutoffs
• Review promotion performance
• Confirm that the online store is ready for Monday

Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday can bring another significant increase in online activity.

• Monitor website performance
• Watch checkout completion
• Monitor payment errors
• Track online inventory
• Review promo code activity
• Send last-chance communications where appropriate
• Monitor incoming orders and fulfillment

Tuesday After

Once the BFCM period ends, take some time to review what happened.

• Reconcile sales
• Review inventory
• Check outstanding orders
• Review returns and refunds
• Compare online and in-store sales
• Review promotion performance
• Document technical or operational problems
• Record lessons for the next holiday period

The issues that came up during BFCM can be useful when you’re planning the next major promotion.

BFCM Metrics to Monitor During the Sale

You don’t need to track every number. Check the ones that matter most to your store’s day-to-day activity.

How FTx POS & Ecommerce Can Support BFCM Preparation

When a business sells both in stores and online, having those operations connected can make BFCM easier to manage.

FTx Commerce connects online and in-store retail operations, helping businesses manage inventory, products, pricing, orders, customers, and sales across channels.

Keep In-Store and Online Inventory in Sync

When the same products are sold online and in stores, inventory needs to stay up to date across channels. Current stock information helps retailers see what’s available, monitor inventory across locations, and reduce the risk of selling products that are out of stock.

Manage Products, Pricing, Discounts, and Promotions

BFCM often brings special offers and temporary price changes. Managing product details, pricing, and discounts across sales channels helps retailers keep promotions consistent and make sure customers see the correct prices online and in stores.

Track BFCM Sales Performance

Reviewing sales data during BFCM helps retailers see which products and promotions are performing well. Looking at online and in-store sales together can also help you compare channel performance and understand where customers are shopping.

Support Age-Restricted Ecommerce

Retailers selling age-restricted products online need a way to verify that customers meet applicable age requirements. FTx Identity supports online ID verification, helping retailers add an age-verification step to the purchasing process.

Manage Multiple Store Locations

For retailers with multiple locations, keeping inventory information connected helps teams see where products are available and where stock may need to be moved. Coordinating inventory and fulfillment across locations can also help retailers manage online orders and offer customers convenient in-store pickup options.

Getting Ready for the Holiday Rush? Read This Next.

From returns and gift cards to preparing your team for busy shopping days, there’s more to plan for during the holiday season. Check out our guide to holiday returns and gift card fraud prevention for more tips to keep in mind.

Conclusion

Black Friday and Cyber Monday can bring a lot of activity to a retail business, but preparing for it doesn’t have to mean making last-minute changes.

Start with your previous sales data, review the products and promotions you plan to offer, test your POS and online checkout, check inventory, and make sure employees know how the holiday promotions will work.

Most importantly, look at your in-store and online operations together. Customers don’t necessarily think of them as separate channels, and your preparation shouldn’t either.

With the right checks in place before BFCM begins, your team can spend the weekend focused on customers, sales, and fulfilling orders instead of troubleshooting problems that could have been caught earlier.