Black Friday and Cyber Monday have grown into the biggest sales opportunities for software companies worldwide. If you run a WordPress business or any software company, understanding BFCM trends can help you tap into billions of dollars in potential sales.
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Let’s explore how BFCM became essential for the software industry, backed by real statistics and actionable insights.
How Black Friday and Cyber Monday Started
Black Friday began in the 1960s as the day after Thanksgiving when American retailers offered massive discounts to kickstart holiday shopping. The name comes from when retailers moved from being “in the red” (loss) to “in the black” (profit).
Cyber Monday appeared much later in 2005. The National Retail Federation created it to encourage online shopping. Back then, people had faster internet at work than at home, so they’d shop online the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Today, the line between these two days has blurred. Software companies now run deals from early November through December, with BFCM weekend serving as the peak sales period.
2024 BFCM Statistics You Need to Know
The 2024 Black Friday Cyber Monday season broke records across the board. Here’s what the numbers show:
Overall Sales Performance
US consumers spent $10.8 billion online on Black Friday 2024, up 10.2% from 2023. Cyber Monday pushed higher with $13.3 billion in online sales, a 7.3% increase from the previous year.
Cyber Week (Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday) generated $41.1 billion in US online sales, an 8.2% year-over-year jump. Globally, shoppers spent $314.9 billion during Cyber Week, according to Salesforce data.
For the full 2024 holiday season (November 1 to December 31), online spending reached a record $241 billion, up 8.7% from 2023.
Mobile Shopping Takes Over
Mobile devices drove 57% of all online sales on Cyber Monday 2024. Worldwide during Cyber Week, mobile accounted for 70% of all online spending.
This trend keeps growing. Shoppers prefer browsing and buying from their phones, which matters a lot for WordPress developers and software companies building mobile-responsive solutions.
Buy Now Pay Later Growth
BNPL services drove nearly $1 billion in sales during 2024 BFCM, with $991.20 million spent on Cyber Monday alone. This was a 5.5% increase from 2023, with 75.2% of transactions happening on mobile devices.
For WordPress store owners using WooCommerce, offering BNPL options became critical. Stores with BNPL through platforms like Affirm reported over 60% higher average order values.
Consumer Shopping Behavior
About 197 million shoppers participated during the Cyber Five period (Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday) in 2024. Online shopping saw 124.3 million shoppers, while in-store shopping rebounded with 126 million people visiting physical stores.
The average consumer spent $321 during Cyber Five. Discount hunting became more strategic, with 75% of consumers planning to shop during at least one promotional event.
Why Software Companies Love BFCM
Software companies, especially SaaS businesses and WordPress plugin developers, embrace BFCM for several strategic reasons:
Getting New Customers at Scale
Black Friday gives you a perfect chance to attract new customers who are actively seeking deals. People shift into deal-seeking mode during this period, making them more likely to try new products.
Once users sign up, you unlock new revenue streams with opportunities for upsells, renewals, and long-term subscriptions. Data shows that customers acquired during BFCM often have higher lifetime values than those acquired during regular periods.
Major Revenue Boost
Software companies running BFCM promotions see dramatically higher sales. Companies offering Black Friday discounts reported about 7 times the number of orders compared to regular periods, leading to roughly 6 times their typical revenue.
Since software companies typically don’t participate in Christmas or January sales, BFCM weekend represents the primary opportunity to generate a substantial spike in revenue and new customer acquisition.
Standing Out from Competitors
With thousands of software products available, BFCM creates a level playing field. Even smaller WordPress plugin developers can compete with established players. The marketing noise means everyone’s promoting deals, making it an expected shopping event that customers actively seek out.
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Building Brand Awareness
Beyond immediate sales, BFCM campaigns generate buzz around brands. Strategic promotions increase visibility, with many companies seeing their organic traffic and social mentions spike during this period.
For WordPress businesses, this visibility leads to increased plugin downloads, theme sales, and long-term customer relationships that extend well beyond the holiday season.
WordPress and BFCM: A Perfect Match
The WordPress community has fully embraced Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a major sales event. Here’s how it works:
Planning Makes the Difference
According to WooCommerce’s 2024 BFCM Trends Report, 81% of stores plan ahead for Black Friday Cyber Monday promotions. Among stores generating over $1 million per year in revenue, 56% plan at least a month ahead, with another 28% planning throughout the month leading up to the event.
This planning covers inventory and operations, marketing strategies, payment options, and site performance optimization.
WordPress BFCM Deals and Discounts
WordPress themes, plugins, page builders, and hosting services typically offer discounts ranging from 20% to 70% during BFCM. Popular products like Elementor, WooCommerce extensions, Astra themes, and various WordPress plugins participate year after year.
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In 2024, deals started as early as mid-November, with many companies offering “Early Bird” specials at 40-55% off. The actual Black Friday weekend featured even deeper discounts, with some lifetime deals appearing that weren’t available at any other time.
Payment Options Create Opportunities
Only 11% of WordPress stores offered BNPL options during 2023 BFCM, and just 22% offered express checkout. This represents a massive opportunity, as BNPL usage spiked 42.5% year-over-year on Cyber Monday.
WooCommerce store owners who added these payment features saw significantly higher conversion rates and average order values during the 2024 season.
Site Performance Matters
BFCM traffic can overwhelm unprepared websites. WordPress businesses must optimize their hosting, implement caching, and ensure their sites can handle sudden traffic spikes. Many companies reported that site performance issues during peak hours directly hurt their sales numbers.
How WordPress Customers Win During BFCM
For WordPress users, Black Friday Cyber Monday presents unique opportunities:
Building Complete Tech Stacks
Website owners can get an entire year’s worth of premium tools for a fraction of the regular cost. Instead of paying monthly subscriptions, smart buyers lock in annual plans at 30-70% discounts.
This includes essential tools like SEO plugins (Rank Math, Yoast), page builders (Elementor, Divi), form builders (Gravity Forms, WPForms), and security solutions (Wordfence, Sucuri).
Lifetime Deals
Some WordPress companies offer lifetime deals during BFCM. While less common than annual discounts, these one-time payment options provide long-term value for tools you’ll use for years.
Premium Feature Access
BFCM allows budget-conscious users to access premium features they might otherwise skip. Advanced functionality in themes, plugins, and services becomes affordable, helping small businesses compete with larger competitors.
Education and Learning
Many WordPress learning platforms, course creators, and training sites offer discounted access during BFCM. This combination of tools and knowledge helps users maximize their WordPress investments.
The Strategy Behind Software Discounts
Software companies don’t randomly pick discount percentages. Real strategy drives these decisions:
Discount Ranges That Work
Most software companies offer 20-50% discounts during BFCM, with some going as high as 70-80% for annual plans. The sweet spot for many SaaS businesses is around 30-40% off, which attracts customers without devaluing the product.
Annual vs Monthly Plans
BFCM deals almost always favor annual commitments. Companies want recurring revenue and the stability of year-long subscriptions, so they incentivize annual billing with much deeper discounts than monthly options.
Tiered Discount Approaches
Many software companies use tiered strategies: offering 25% off for monthly plans but 50% off for annual subscriptions. Some provide upgrade discounts exclusively for existing customers to reward loyalty.
Early Bird and Extended Sales
To capture more revenue and reduce competition during the actual BFCM weekend, companies increasingly launch “early bird” sales in mid-November and extend promotions through early December. This spreads out traffic and gives customers more time to decide.
Customer Behavior and Expectations
Understanding how customers approach BFCM helps software companies plan better strategies:
Deal Hunting is Expected
About 87% of people participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping events. Consumers now expect software companies to offer deals, and many deliberately wait for BFCM to make purchases they’ve been considering all year.
This creates a challenge: companies that don’t participate risk losing customers to competitors, while those who offer deals train customers to wait for discounts.
Price Sensitivity
With inflation concerns, 53% of consumers worried about overspending during the 2023 season. Yet the average planned holiday spending increased to $1,778 in 2024, up 8% from the previous year.
For WordPress businesses, this means customers are willing to spend but want to feel they’re getting exceptional value. Clear communication about savings and feature benefits becomes critical.
Research and Comparison
Modern consumers don’t impulse buy software as much as physical products. They research, compare options, read reviews, and often create shortlists before BFCM arrives.
WordPress buyers particularly scrutinize compatibility, support quality, update frequency, and long-term viability before committing to annual subscriptions.
AI and Technology Trends in BFCM
The 2024 season saw significant technology integration:
AI-Powered Shopping
AI influenced about $60 billion in global online sales during Cyber Week. Shoppers used AI chatbots for product recommendations, price comparisons, and customer support.
AI-driven traffic saw a 19-fold increase year-over-year on Cyber Monday, with smart assistants helping consumers hunt for specific deals and features.
Social Media and Influencer Impact
Social media influencers drove 20.3% of revenue on Cyber Monday 2024, up 6.8% year-over-year. Influencers converted shoppers 6 times more effectively than social media overall.
For WordPress businesses, this highlights the importance of influencer partnerships, affiliate programs, and social proof in marketing strategies.
Personalization Wins
Successful software companies used personalization extensively, sending targeted email campaigns based on user behavior, abandoned carts, and previous interactions. Generic blast emails saw declining effectiveness compared to segmented, personalized approaches.
Global BFCM Reach
While BFCM started in the United States, it’s now a worldwide phenomenon:
Global spending during 2024 Cyber Week reached $314.9 billion, up 6% from 2023. Markets in Europe, Asia, and Latin America increasingly participate, though discount levels and shopping behaviors vary by region.
WordPress, powering over 40% of all websites, benefits from this international reach. Plugin and theme developers serving international markets must consider time zones, currencies, and regional preferences in their BFCM strategies.
Challenges for Software Companies
BFCM isn’t without its challenges:
Profit Margin Impact
Deep discounts cut into profit margins significantly. Companies must calculate whether the volume increase and customer acquisition costs justify the reduced per-sale revenue.
Many software businesses view BFCM as a customer acquisition channel rather than a profit maximization event. The goal is gaining customers who’ll renew at full price and upgrade to higher tiers over time.
Support Load
Traffic and sales spikes create enormous support loads. WordPress companies must staff up customer service teams, prepare extensive FAQs, and implement chatbots to handle the surge in questions.
Poor support during BFCM can damage long-term reputation, offsetting the benefits of new customer acquisition.
Technical Infrastructure
Servers must handle 10x or more normal traffic. Payment processing systems need to scale. Download servers and license activation systems must work flawlessly under pressure.
WordPress businesses using services like WooCommerce must ensure their hosting can handle the load, often upgrading temporarily just for BFCM weekend.
Training Customer Expectations
Heavy discounting can train customers to only buy during sales events. Some software companies worry about devaluing their products or creating expectations of perpetual discounts.
The solution often involves clearly communicating that BFCM pricing is exceptional and limited, while maintaining value perception through feature improvements and quality support.
Future BFCM Trends
Based on current data, here’s what we expect for future Black Friday Cyber Monday events:
Longer Sales Periods
The trend toward extended sales will continue. Expect “Black November” rather than Black Friday, with deals running from early November through the first week of December.
More Mobile Optimization
Mobile will drive an increasingly large share of sales. WordPress businesses must ensure their checkout processes, plugin demos, and documentation work flawlessly on smartphones and tablets.
Subscription Flexibility
Consumers increasingly want flexibility. Expect more options like “pause subscription” features, easy plan switching, and pro-rated upgrades even during BFCM sales.
Sustainability Focus
Some consumers express fatigue with excessive consumption and seek more sustainable options. Software companies may begin highlighting their environmental practices or offering “green” alternatives.
Deeper AI Integration
AI will play an even larger role in personalizing offers, predicting customer behavior, and automating customer support during high-volume periods.
Maximizing BFCM Success for WordPress Businesses
Here are practical strategies for WordPress companies:
Start Planning Early
Begin BFCM preparation at least two months in advance. Plan your offers, create marketing materials, set up automation, test your infrastructure, and brief your support team.
Segment Your Audience
Different customers need different approaches. New prospects might need educational content about features, while existing customers might respond better to upgrade offers or complementary product bundles.
Create Real Urgency
Time-limited offers create genuine urgency. Use countdown timers, limited quantities, or special bonuses that expire. Avoid fake scarcity tactics that damage trust.
Optimize for Speed
Your website speed directly impacts conversions. Optimize images, implement caching, use a CDN, and consider temporarily upgrading hosting during BFCM weekend.
Provide Exceptional Support
Outstanding support during BFCM turns one-time buyers into long-term customers. Respond quickly, solve problems efficiently, and go above and beyond to create positive experiences.
Follow Up Strategically
The sale doesn’t end when the purchase completes. Email customers with onboarding resources, tips for getting started, and information about community forums or training materials.
Final Thoughts
Black Friday Cyber Monday has become a crucial sales period for software companies, particularly those in the WordPress ecosystem. The 2024 season showed that consumers are willing to spend record amounts when they perceive genuine value.
For WordPress businesses, BFCM represents an opportunity to acquire customers, boost annual revenue, and build long-term relationships. Success requires careful planning, strategic discounting, technical preparation, and excellent customer support.
As we look toward future BFCM seasons, the fundamentals remain constant: provide real value, communicate clearly, ensure technical reliability, and support customers exceptionally well. Do these things consistently, and Black Friday Cyber Monday can become a cornerstone of your annual growth strategy.
Whether you’re selling WordPress themes, plugins, hosting, services, or courses, BFCM offers a proven pathway to reaching customers who are actively looking for solutions. The statistics show that these shopping events continue growing, and software companies that participate strategically will reap the rewards for years to come.
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