Quick answer: Black Friday is Friday, November 27, 2026 and Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30. If you are reading this in early November, you still have about three weeks. Focus on the things that lose sales if they break:
· A fast, stable store on mobile
· Discounts that apply correctly and protect your margin
· A checkout and payment flow you have tested end to end
· Enough inventory, and clear shipping dates
· A code freeze one week before the sale
This checklist is built around a countdown, so you can start where you are today.
Key dates for 2026
· Thursday, Nov 26: Thanksgiving (US)
· Friday, Nov 27: Black Friday
· Saturday, Nov 28: Small Business Saturday
· Monday, Nov 30: Cyber Monday
· Dec 1 onward: Cyber Week leftovers and last-chance offers
Your 3-week countdown
· This week (by Nov 8): audit, fix problems, decide offers
· Next week (Nov 9 to 15): build, test, schedule
· Week of Nov 16 to 22: final testing, then code freeze
· Nov 23 to 26: soft launch to your list, monitor
· Nov 27 to 30: sell, watch, fix only emergencies
· After Dec 1: thank-you emails, returns, review results
Part 1: Audit your store this week
1. Check your speed on mobile
Most shoppers browse on phones, and slow pages lose sales.
· Run your homepage, top collection and best-selling product through Google PageSpeed Insights.
· Compress large images and remove unused apps.
· Look at your biggest images first. See our guide: Shopify product images not showing? 9 fixes.
· If your score is poor and you are short on time, our team can help with speed.
2. Clean up apps
· List every installed app.
· Remove apps you no longer use. Each one can add code to your pages.
· Note which apps touch checkout, discounts or product pages. These need testing in Part 3.
3. Fix broken basics
· Click every link in your menu and homepage.
· Check that product images load on collection and product pages.
· Confirm your policies (shipping, returns, privacy) are visible and current.
4. Review last year's results
· Which products sold best? Which sold out too early?
· Which offers brought profitable orders, not just orders?
· Which problems did customers write to you about?
Part 2: Plan your offers next week
5. Decide your offer and your margin
· Work out your real margin after the discount, shipping and ad costs.
· Pick a simple offer shoppers understand in one line.
· Choose between sitewide discounts, bundles, free shipping thresholds or gifts with purchase. A gift can protect your margin better than a big percentage off.
6. Set up discounts in your admin
· Go to Discounts in your Shopify admin and create each code or automatic discount.
· Set start and end dates and times, including your time zone.
· Check the combinations settings so offers stack only when you want them to.
· Set usage limits where needed.
7. Check anything that used Shopify Scripts
· Shopify Scripts stopped running on June 30, 2026.
· If an old discount, shipping or payment rule depended on a Script, it may no longer work.
· Test every rule in a real cart. If something is missing, a developer can rebuild it with Shopify Functions or a public app.
Source: Shopify developer changelog: Shopify Scripts will be deprecated on June 30, 2026
8. Build your sale landing page
· Create one page or collection for the sale.
· Show the offer, the end date and the main products above the fold.
· Add an email or SMS sign-up for early access.
9. Plan your inventory
· Check stock for your top sellers. Reorder now if you can.
· Decide what to do when items sell out: hide, show "sold out" or offer a waitlist.
· Avoid discounting products you cannot restock.
Part 3: Test everything before the freeze
10. Place test orders
Do this on your real store, not just in the preview.
· Test as a guest and as a logged-in customer.
· Test on an iPhone and an Android phone.
· Apply every discount code and automatic discount.
· Test your main payment methods and your shipping options.
· If you use Shopify Payments test mode, turn it off again afterward. Check your payment settings and confirm real payments are on.
11. Check your emails and notifications
· Order confirmation, shipping confirmation and abandoned checkout emails should all fire.
· Read each one on your phone.
· Update wording that mentions old offers.
12. Set your shipping promises
· Check your carriers' holiday cutoff dates and put them on your site.
· Update your shipping rates and free shipping threshold.
· State delivery estimates clearly on product pages and at checkout.
13. Prepare customer support
· Write answers for the top questions: shipping times, returns, discount problems.
· Add them to an FAQ page.
· Decide who answers messages during the weekend.
Part 4: Code freeze (around Nov 20)
14. Stop changing the store a week before
· Duplicate your live theme as a backup first.
· After the freeze, change only offers and content. Avoid new apps and code edits.
· Most outages during big sales come from last-minute changes.
15. Set up monitoring
· Check your sales and traffic in Shopify analytics during the weekend.
· Keep a short list of who to call if checkout breaks.
Part 5: Launch and run the weekend
16. Soft launch
· Email and text your list early with a preview or early access.
· Spread the load before traffic peaks on Friday.
17. Watch these during the sale
· Checkout completion: are orders going through?
· Discounts: are codes applying correctly?
· Inventory: are best sellers running out?
· Support inbox: are customers reporting the same problem?
18. Update the offer for Cyber Monday
· Change the banner and landing page on Monday morning.
· Highlight what is still in stock.
· Send a last-chance message at the end of the day.
Part 6: After the sale
· Send a thank-you email with order details.
· Run a win-back campaign for people who browsed but did not buy.
· Review results: revenue, discount cost, top products, return rate.
· Write down what went wrong so next year starts easier.
When to get a developer
Book help if:
· Your store is slow and you cannot find why.
· A discount, shipping rule or payment rule that once worked is now missing.
· You need a custom landing page or sale banner fast.
· Checkout fails or behaves oddly on mobile.
Ecomheroes has been fixing Shopify stores since 2018. You can book a fixed-price Shopify task from $59, ask about theme customization or get a speed and SEO check. Please send your request early. Developers get busy as Black Friday gets closer.
FAQ
When is Black Friday 2026?
Friday, November 27, 2026. Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30.
How early should I start preparing my Shopify store?
Planning ideally starts 6 to 8 weeks ahead. If you are late, work through this list in order: speed, discounts, test orders, then marketing.
What should I test before Black Friday?
Test the full path: a product page, add to cart, discount, shipping, payment and confirmation email. Do it on mobile.
Should I install new apps before the sale?
Only if you have time to test them. Avoid adding apps in the last week.
What happened to Shopify Scripts?
Shopify Scripts stopped running on June 30, 2026. Rules that relied on them must be rebuilt with Shopify Functions or an app.
Conclusion
You do not need a perfect store by November 27. You need a fast, tested one with clear offers. Work through the countdown, freeze your code on time and watch the numbers during the weekend. If you want a second pair of eyes, contact Ecomheroes.