Send cadence and peak week plan
Last updated: October 23, 2026
How much is too much?
Peak week is the one time of year subscribers expect to hear from you more often. But every extra text is also a chance to opt out. The goal is to send enough to catch shoppers at each stage of the sale, and no more.
Weekly cadence leading up to BFCM
Weeks | Campaigns per week | Focus |
|---|---|---|
October | 1 | Build your baseline and keep volume steady |
First two weeks of November | 2 | Regular campaigns, first BFCM teaser |
Week of November 16 | 2 | VIP early access announcement, sale teaser |
Week of November 23 | 6 to 9 | Peak week begins, see daily plan below |
Week of November 30 | 2 to 3 | Cyber Monday, last chance, thank you |
December | 2 to 3 | Gift guides, shipping cutoffs, last-minute deals |
Flows don't count toward these numbers. They fire based on what each shopper does, not on your calendar.
Daily plan for peak week
Day | Sends | What to send | Who gets it |
|---|---|---|---|
Mon, Nov 23 | 0 to 1 | Early access heads-up | VIPs |
Tue, Nov 24 | 1 | Early access is live | VIPs |
Wed, Nov 25 | 1 | Sale preview, what's coming Friday | Engaged subscribers |
Thu, Nov 26 | 1 | Thanksgiving thank-you with early access link | Full list |
Fri, Nov 27 | 2 to 3 | Morning launch, afternoon reminder, evening push | Full list, then non-buyers |
Sat, Nov 28 | 0 to 1 | Small Business Saturday or best sellers | Engaged non-buyers |
Sun, Nov 29 | 1 | Sale extended or Black Friday last chance | Engaged non-buyers |
Mon, Nov 30 | 2 | Cyber Monday launch, final hours | Full list, then last-chance clickers |
Tue, Dec 1 | 0 to 1 | Giving Tuesday or thank you | Engaged subscribers |
Suggested send times
These times assume you're sending in each recipient's local time, which you can turn on when scheduling. All sends must fall within allowed sending hours (8 AM to 9 PM), outside quiet hours.
Launch sends: 9 to 11 AM
Midday reminders: 12 to 2 PM
Evening pushes and last chance: 6 to 8 PM
Adjust by segment
Not everyone should get every send.
VIPs can handle the most texts. They're the least likely to opt out and the most likely to buy.
Engaged subscribers get the main sends: launch, reminders, and last chance.
Less engaged subscribers should get one or two sends at most, usually the Black Friday and Cyber Monday launches.
Recent buyers should be removed from sale reminders once they've purchased.
Make every send different
If you're sending three texts on Black Friday, each one needs a new reason to open it: the sale is live, a best seller is almost gone, the sale ends tonight. Repeating the same message three times is what drives opt-outs.
Watch your opt-outs
Check opt-out rates after each send. Peak week will run higher than normal, which is expected. If one send is noticeably higher than the others, cut back for that segment for the rest of the week.