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BFCM / Q4

Q4 Fashion Brand Preparation Checklist

BFCM 2026 is November 27-30. The brands that win Q4 started preparing in September. This checklist covers everything to complete before peak traffic arrives — in the order that matters.

40 items · Free to use · Updated September 2026

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Inventory (Complete by October 1)
Q4 inventory ordered and confirmed with supplier
Safety stock calculated: expected daily sales × lead time + buffer
Best-sellers from Q3 identified and prioritized for reorder
Sizes with highest sell-through restocked first
Slow-movers from Q3 identified for end-of-season clearance after BFCM
Site Performance (Complete by October 15)
Speed audit completed (see Speed Audit Checklist)
LCP under 2.5 seconds on mobile — confirmed in PageSpeed Insights
All new Q4 product photography uploaded and compressed
New collection pages for Q4 gifts and occasion wear live and indexed
404 errors resolved
Checkout tested end-to-end on mobile with real payment
Email (Complete by October 15)
All 8 email flows live (see Email Marketing Checklist)
BFCM-specific campaign calendar built
↳teaser email 1 week before, early access 24 hours before, launch day, day 3 reminder, final hours — minimum 5 campaign sends
SMS list enabled if not already (higher open rates during BFCM)
Abandoned cart email confirmed working and tested with real email address
Unsubscribe rate from last campaign reviewed — above 0.5% is a warning sign
Paid Campaigns (Complete by November 1)
Pixel installed and firing correctly on all key pages
Retargeting audiences built: PDPs viewed, cart abandoned, purchasers
Product catalog feed uploaded and validated in Meta Commerce Manager
BFCM campaign creative ready — static and video
Google Shopping feed up to date with current prices and availability
Campaign budgets set — do not increase budgets during BFCM without confirming conversion rate is stable
Promotion and Offer Structure (Decide by November 1)
Discount structure decided — percentage off, amount off, or free shipping
Free shipping threshold set (and communicated before BFCM)
Early access offer for email subscribers planned
Discount codes created and tested in Shopify admin
Promo landing page or collection page live for BFCM offers
AI Readiness (Complete before BFCM)
AI styling assistant live and tested with Q4 catalog
Proactive engagement configured for BFCM traffic patterns
↳during BFCM, hesitation signals fire more frequently — ensure proactive engagement is active on all high-traffic product pages
New Q4 products tagged with occasion and style metadata for AI readability
Widget Studio updated with Q4 messaging if applicable
BFCM Week
Inventory levels monitored daily — top sellers may need emergency reorders
Support response times monitored — volume spikes during BFCM
Email sends reviewed after each campaign for deliverability issues
Conversion rate checked hourly on BFCM day — any major drop is a signal
Paid campaign spend paced against budget — do not run out by Cyber Monday
Post-BFCM
Holdout lift report reviewed (if AI styling tool is live)
Return rate from BFCM purchases monitored — flag products with high returns
BFCM customer segment created for retention flows
Clearance or end-of-season markdown plan executed for remaining Q3 stock

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