Last updated
27 Oct 2025
Orion Macapella
WhatsApp marketing delivers open rates of 98% and conversion rates up to 60% making it the most powerful channel for capturing sales during the biggest shopping event of the year, Black Friday.
While your competitors may be struggling with email open rates below 20%, you can reach customers instantly on the platform they check every few minutes. The intense competition among retailers during Black Friday means standing out is essential to win over consumers and boost online sales.
The opportunity is clear. Shoppers expect immediate responses, exclusive deals, and frictionless experiences. Retailers are increasingly leveraging WhatsApp to engage consumers during the most anticipated shopping events of the year, such as Black Friday.
Black Friday is not only one of the most anticipated shopping events but also a key part of the shopping season for consumers in multiple countries, including the UK, where WhatsApp is a dominant messaging channel.
Why automate for Black Friday
Black Friday 2025 will be more competitive than ever. Shoppers expect instant answers, exclusive deals, and seamless experiences. If you want to capture their attention, you must act fast and deliver value at every touchpoint.
Automation gives you the edge. You can reach more customers, respond instantly, and never miss a sales opportunity. Automation can help guarantee a significant increase in sales and customer engagement during Black Friday.
WhatsApp’s impact
WhatsApp has changed the way brands connect with customers. During Black Friday, it outperforms email and SMS by a wide margin. Customers open WhatsApp messages almost instantly, making it the perfect channel for time-sensitive offers.
As an app, WhatsApp is extremely popular among both retailers and consumers during Black Friday, making it a go-to platform for high-engagement sales and promotional campaigns.
Metric | SMS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Open Rate | 98% | 98% | 20% |
Click-through Rate | 15-50% | 10.7% | 1.9% |
Conversion Rate | 45-60% | 2-5% | 2-5% |
ROI (per $1 spent) | $90 | N/A | $36 |
A recent campaign by Braineffect achieved a 25% conversion rate using WhatsApp marketing for Black Friday. These numbers show that WhatsApp is the most effective way to drive sales and engagement during peak shopping events.
Click-through rates vary significantly: 15% is the baseline for WhatsApp broadcast messages, while WhatsApp broadcast campaigns with proper targeting can achieve 50%+ CTR.
WhatsApp’s conversion rate of 45-60% is approximately 10-20x higher than email and SMS (2-5%), making it exceptionally powerful for driving purchases.
With automated WhatsApp campaigns, ROI can reach as high as $130 per dollar spent.
Sources: AiSensy (2025), Wapikit (2024), Gallabox (2024), Cooby (2024)
Early planning and audience growth
You need to start your Black Friday WhatsApp marketing preparations early. This gives you time to plan, test, and refine your approach. By leveraging WhatsApp automation tools, such as templates and chatbots, you can save time during the busy Black Friday preparation period, streamlining your communication processes and campaign execution.
Begin by reviewing last year’s results. Look for what worked and where you missed out. Set clear goals for sales, average order value, and customer acquisition. Decide on your budget and confirm your inventory with suppliers. Design your campaign creatives and messaging now, so you are ready to launch before your competitors.
Build your list
A strong WhatsApp audience is one of your most valuable assets for Black Friday. Focus on growing your list with high-intent shoppers. Use opt-in forms on your website, checkout pages, and social media. Offer incentives like exclusive early access or special discounts to encourage sign-ups. Collecting customer contact information is crucial, as it enables you to reach out directly via WhatsApp and maintain open communication.
Create hype
Build excitement before Black Friday arrives. Tease your audience with sneak peeks, countdowns, and limited-time offers. Use WhatsApp broadcasts to send personalised messages that create urgency.
Creating a sense of urgency or exclusivity, such as limited stock alerts or VIP-only deals, can drive more engagement and boost sales during your campaign. Early access and VIP campaigns not only reward your best customers but also generate buzz that spreads quickly.
Implementing early access to deals and personalised discounts for loyal customers strengthens their connection to your brand. These strategies encourage repeat purchases and keep your audience engaged right up to the big day.
WhatsApp Marketing for Black Friday: Setup
API and Integration
You need a robust setup to unlock the full power of WhatsApp marketing for Black Friday. Start by connecting your WhatsApp Business API account to a secure server or cloud hosting. This step ensures your messages reach customers instantly, even during peak traffic. Create a business profile with clear details. Customers trust brands that look professional and transparent.
Cue makes this process seamless. You can connect your systems with just a few clicks, thanks to its pre-built integrations. The platform supports compliance and security, so you can focus on driving sales.
Infrastructure
Reliable infrastructure is essential for Black Friday success. Your system must handle high message volumes and deliver instant responses. Cue’s cloud-based platform scales automatically, so you never face downtime or delays. Automation ensures customers are not left waiting for answers or order confirmations, even during peak Black Friday traffic. You can automate drip campaigns, interactive offers, and flash sale alerts to keep customers engaged at every stage:
Capture attention with targeted broadcasts and rich media promotions.
Maintain interest using automated drip campaigns and interactive offers.
Drive conversions with instant order confirmations and flash sale alerts.
Your team stays productive, as Cue’s automation handles repetitive tasks and routes complex queries to human agents only when needed.
Entry points
Maximise your reach by creating multiple entry points for customers to join your WhatsApp channel. Offer opt-ins on your website, checkout pages, and social media. Early previews and exclusive deals encourage sign-ups and boost engagement.
Use targeted ads that click to WhatsApp to generate new leads and start conversations with potential buyers. Incorporate CTA buttons like ‘Shop now’ or ‘Sign up’ in your WhatsApp messages and ads to drive more sign-ups and engagement.
Automation with Cue
AI Agents for sales and support
You need to keep up with the surge in customer queries during Black Friday. AI Agents give you the power to automate customer journeys from the first hello to the final sale. These AI Agents use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to recognise what your customers want, so they can answer questions, process exchanges, and resolve issues instantly.
AI Agents can also help you sell more by guiding customers to the right offers, cross-selling relevant products, and facilitating purchases directly within the chat. You never have to worry about missed messages or long wait times. Your customers get immediate support, even when your team is offline.
AI Agents handle high volumes of queries, ensuring 24/7 availability.
They access order history to provide tailored solutions, such as processing returns or exchanges.
Your team can focus on complex cases, as chatbots resolve routine questions up to 80% faster.
You will see your reps handle more enquiries per hour, boosting productivity and keeping customers happy. During peak sales periods like Black Friday, this efficiency becomes your secret weapon.
Automated campaigns
Chatbots do more than answer simple questions. They drive sales with automated campaigns that convert. You can set up chatbots to send flash offers, recover abandoned carts, and deliver exclusive deals at the perfect moment.
Chatbots can also send targeted marketing messages to drive engagement and conversions during Black Friday, ensuring your campaigns reach the right audience at the right time. These campaigns create urgency and keep your audience engaged throughout the Black Friday rush.
Strategy Type | Benefits |
|---|---|
Limited-time promos | Create urgency, incentivise first-time purchases, re-engage dormant customers, reward loyalty |
Flash sales | 24–72 hour offers on specific products or categories |
Free shipping for X hours | Boosts conversions, especially with cart minimums |
Early access offers | Rewards loyalty members or subscribers with the first pick of deals |
Seasonal and holiday sales | Aligns campaigns with key retail moments like Black Friday |
Countdown timers | Visually drive urgency and prompt faster decisions |
Personalised conversations
Personalisation is the secret to standing out during Black Friday campaigns. Cue enables you to craft messages that use each customer’s name, location, and shopping habits. The platform pulls data from your CRM and e-commerce systems, so every broadcast feels like a one-to-one conversation. You can also send unique coupon codes to customers as part of your Black Friday campaign, encouraging them to redeem discounts or special offers at checkout.
Dynamic templates
Dynamic templates can take your Black Friday marketing to the next level. These templates adapt based on each customer’s responses, creating a personalised chat flow that feels natural and engaging. You can retarget customers who clicked but did not buy, or send reminders to those who left items in their basket. You can also use dynamic templates to promote exclusive discounts on selected items, highlighting curated deals available only during Black Friday.
Campaign execution and optimisation
Launch and monitor
You want your Black Friday campaign to launch smoothly and deliver results from the start. Begin with a clear plan. Set goals for subscriber growth, sales, and engagement. Use event-specific opt-in flows to capture high-intent shoppers before the rush begins.
When Black Friday arrives, start early with exclusive offers for your most loyal customers. Prepare your campaign details in advance, so you can act quickly and avoid last-minute errors. Craft a compelling Black Friday sales announcement to launch your WhatsApp campaign and create a sense of urgency around your special offers.
Monitor your campaign in real time. Track open rates, click-throughs, and conversions as soon as your messages go out. Watch for spikes in engagement and respond to customer queries instantly.
Automation with Cue ensures you never miss a message, even during peak hours. After the event, use automated feedback requests to gather insights and promote your loyalty programme. This keeps your audience engaged and ready for your next campaign.
A/B testing
A/B testing gives you a powerful way to improve your Black Friday WhatsApp campaigns. Start by selecting a message template and deciding which element you want to test. Define your success metrics, such as conversion rate or click-through rate.
Create two or more variations and split your audience evenly to ensure fair results. For example, test different Black Friday sale messages to determine which version drives the best results.
Send each version to a large, but similar group. Make sure the delivery is equal across all variations. Once the campaign runs, analyse the results. Look for the template that drives the highest engagement and sales. Use these insights to refine your future campaigns and maximise your return on investment.
Step | Action |
|---|---|
Select Template | Choose the message and detail to test |
Define Metrics | Set goals like conversions or clicks |
Split Audience | Divide your list into similar groups |
Deliver Messages | Send each version equally |
Analyse Results | Identify the top-performing template |
Analytics
Tracking the right metrics is crucial for Black Friday WhatsApp success. You need to know what works and what needs improvement. Cue gives you a clear view of your campaign performance. Monitor delivery, open rates, and response rates. Use analytics to identify which Black Friday deals generate the most engagement and sales, so you can focus on the offers that drive the best results.
You can also segment your audience based on behaviour and automate follow-ups for different groups. This level of detail helps you optimise every campaign and drive better results. Cue’s analytics make it easy to spot trends, identify your best offers, and keep your team focused on high-value tasks.
Results and roadmap
Key metrics
You need to track the right metrics to measure your Black Friday campaign success. These indicators show how well your messages perform and where you can improve. The table below highlights the essential KPIs for WhatsApp marketing:
KPI | Description |
|---|---|
Avg resolution time | Measures the time it takes to resolve a customer issue. |
Click-through rate (CTR) | Percentage of recipients who clicked on a link. |
Open rate | Percentage of messages opened by recipients. |
Unsubscribe rate | Percentage of recipients who opted out. |
Action plan
You want a clear roadmap to maximise your Black Friday WhatsApp results. Follow this phased action plan:
Preparation (September–October):
Review last year’s performance.
Set clear goals for sales and engagement.
Build and segment your WhatsApp list.
Integrate Cue with your e-commerce and CRM systems.
Campaign build (Early November):
Design creatives and message templates.
Set up AI Agents for sales and support.
Schedule broadcasts for early access and VIP offers.
Execution (Black Friday Week):
Launch targeted broadcasts and chatbot campaigns.
Monitor KPIs in real time using Cue’s dashboard.
Respond instantly to customer queries and feedback.
Optimisation (Post-Event):
Analyse campaign results.
Gather customer feedback.
Refine your strategy for future events.
Get a free demo with Cue
You want your Black Friday WhatsApp campaigns to deliver real results. Cue gives you the tools to make that happen. When you book a free demo, you see exactly how broadcasts, chatbots and AI Agents work together to boost your sales and streamline your customer service. Take control of your Black Friday WhatsApp strategy and book your free demo with Cue today.
Frequently asked questions
What makes WhatsApp marketing so effective for Black Friday?
You reach customers instantly on a channel they trust. WhatsApp messages get opened and read quickly. You cut through inbox clutter and drive immediate action. This approach boosts your sales and keeps your brand top of mind during Black Friday.
How do Cue Chatbots improve agent productivity?
Cue handles repetitive questions and simple requests automatically. Your reps focus on complex issues and high-value customers. This approach reduces burnout, speeds up response times, and increases overall productivity.
What results can I expect from Black Friday WhatsApp automation?
You could potentially see higher open rates, faster response times, and more sales. Brands using Cue report increased customer satisfaction and reduced manual workload. You gain a competitive edge and maximise your Black Friday revenue.
Do I need technical skills to use Cue for Black Friday WhatsApp marketing?
No, you do not. Cue’s platform is user-friendly. You set up campaigns, automate responses, and monitor results without coding. You get support and guidance every step of the way.
