By Nicolas Avila · October 10, 2026

Black Friday: the 30-day checklist, week by week

Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia

Black Friday 2026 falls on November 27. Thirty days earlier is October 28. Start in October’s last week, do one area weekly, and enter November with offers defined, inventory secured, website tested, and service prepared. Start November 20 and arrive with guessed discounts and a crashing website.

This suits one- or two-person stores and requires no new tools. It requires early decisions because each item depends on the previous: you cannot buy inventory without knowing the offer or test a website without knowing its contents.

Week 1 (by October 31): offers and margins

Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia

List your 20 bestsellers from the past three months. Record cost, price, margin, and inventory for each. Mark which can bear discounts. The calculation is in Black Friday pricing.

Decide the offer: products, discount or bundle, duration. Decide exclusions too, accepting “10% off everything” as the worst possible offer: it dilutes margins without attracting attention. Prefer a few genuinely discounted products and free shipping or gifts for the rest.

Record current actual prices. These are reference prices proving November discounts genuine.

Week 2 (by November 7): inventory and delivery

Order offer products early in the week with a buffer, if not already done; ideally order in October. Confirm arrival dates in writing. If suppliers cannot guarantee them, remove products from the main offer: advertising unavailable goods is the fastest path to complaints.

Check packaging: boxes, tape, protection, labels. Buy for estimated volume. Check carrier or Correios contracts: timing, pickups, volume limits. Define the cutoff date: the last order day still arriving before Christmas.

Write the store’s delivery promise in business days from payment approval, with two or three buffer days beyond carrier promises.

Week 3 (by November 14): website, payments, measurement

Test mobile shopping from product to payment using cards, Pix, and boletos. Record homepage and product-page loading time. Above three seconds, reduce images. See testing your website before peaks.

Create coupons, bundles, and promotional prices with scheduled start and end dates, still disabled. Check that the Meta pixel records purchases, not just visits. Prepare a hidden offer page. Prepare ad and post text and photos.

Check that tax invoices generate automatically from orders and labels print without retyping addresses.

Week 4 (by November 19): service and freeze

Write replies for five likely questions: timing, shipping, exchanges, failed coupons, missing orders. Save WhatsApp Business quick replies or automation. Define responders by time and after-hours procedures.

Notify existing buyers by email or message of the offer date and contents. Previous buyers are cheapest to bring back.

Freeze. The final week runs November 20, Brazil’s Black Consciousness Day holiday, through November 26. From November 20, change nothing except activating the offer: no themes, apps, or payment platforms. The final-week guide details what to leave alone.

What to do now

Mark these four weeks and tasks in your calendar. If your store does not exist or cannot support these tests, there is still time: E-Commerce live in one day, no commission, with Pix, cards, and boletos. See plans: avilaops.com/loja-virtual or contact us on WhatsApp: wa.me/5517997811471.

Frequently asked questions

When should Black Friday preparation begin?

Thirty days is the minimum for small stores with reliable suppliers. If suppliers take over two weeks, start 45 days ahead.

Must I participate all month?

No. Choose one day or weekend, notify beforehand, and concentrate the offer. A month of discounts exhausts customers and margins.

What if inventory runs out early?

Immediately remove the product from sale; do not allow out-of-stock purchases. Notify customers who ordered but will not receive it the same day, offering exchanges or refunds.