This brand outperformed BFCM... in August.

Hey, it’s Arik.

I wanted to show you something that might shift the way you think about email revenue, especially if you’ve been treating Black Friday as your one big shot each year.

This one’s about one of our long-standing email clients in the beauty space, and how we’ve been able to help them outperform their BFCM 2024 results in a completely regular, non-promotional 90-day window.

Not only does that say a lot about the power of retention marketing, but it also proves that BFCM shouldn’t be your one big swing of the year.


Setting the stage
This brand came to us just before Black Friday 2024. They had pretty good organic reach, but email was under-leveraged. Their flows were minimal, their campaign strategy wasn’t consistent, and list segmentation was pretty basic.

So, we started by rebuilding the foundations to boost their sales and improve customer retention: welcome flow, abandonments, post-purchase journeys, and added custom flows like fulfillment delays and replenishment reminders.

Then we layered in a structured campaign strategy with educational content, product storytelling, and timely promos to support their calendar.

By November and December, their numbers were already climbing, and we finished Q4 strong:

• $325,536.01 in attributed revenue from email
• 210% increase vs. the previous period
• 50.38% open rate across campaigns
• $255K from campaigns, $70K from flows
• 3.3M campaign recipients

That kind of lift, during the biggest sale season of the year, would be enough for most people to say “we crushed it” and move on.

But here’s where things get interesting.


Let’s talk about June to August 2025
Fast forward to this summer: we just wrapped up a 90-day period from June through August, and we outperformed Q4 2024.

In the middle of the year. With no major promos, just great flows, well-timed campaigns, and consistent momentum.

$382K in attributed email revenue, with flows and campaigns contributing almost evenly. That’s $57K more in revenue than BFCM, and it demonstrates the value of a truly optimized hybrid system.

These numbers aren’t from running one aggressive discount or doing a bunch of giveaways. They’re the result of a system that was built to grow, not just spike during sales season.


So how did we do it?
It came down to the systems we built and the structure we followed.

I always say email shouldn’t just be a channel, it should be a flywheel.

Here’s how we built that:

1. Rebuilding flows to match intent and behavior
Over the last 9 months, we’ve tweaked messaging, optimized send times, added split logic, and created new flows based on real customer behaviors. We added a replenishment series, integrated review requests, and reworked key sequences like cart abandonment and post-purchase.

2. Campaigns that actually build connection
Most brands either over-send or under-send. We found the balance of 2 to 3 sends per week with a rotation of educational, product-focused, and community-driven content. Not everything was about selling. Some emails were just helpful, or inspiring, or insightful, which is why the open rate climbed to over 64%.

And when we did promote something, we made sure the timing and messaging matched up with what was happening on Meta and Google. That alignment kept the entire customer journey feeling consistent.

3. Structured segmentation
We built tighter audience buckets based on behavior, purchase history, and engagement recency. That improved deliverability and conversion across the board.

The Bigger Picture: Don’t Treat BFCM Like a Finish Line
It’s tempting to treat Black Friday like the goal. To build the whole year around one big push and hope it carries you through a sluggish year.

But BFCM is not the benchmark, it’s not the peak, it’s just one moment.

If you only see spikes during BFCM, that’s a sign you’re not doing enough the rest of the year.

With a strong enough email system (testing, optimizing, and evolving your strategy month to month), you’ll outperform your own records without even needing to run a promotion.

This brand’s success came from playing the long game, and that’s how they turned email into a revenue channel that compounds.

What this means for you

You should still plan for BFCM, but don’t plan for it in isolation. Your biggest opportunity is building a retention engine that carries your momentum forward.

Here’s what that looks like:
• Audit and update your core flows.
• Map out your campaign themes 4–6 weeks ahead.
• Start using paid media insights to inform email strategy and vice versa.
• Don’t stop testing: subject lines, layouts, send times, calls to action.
• Don’t over-rely on promo to drive revenue. Focus on value and trust.

And above all: keep going when the calendar doesn’t have a sale marked.

See you next week,
Arik