The short version
BFCM VIP early access works best as a short window, a day or two before the public sale, for your best customers and the people who asked to be let in. Give them the best deal they'll see all season, and make sure nothing later in the sale beats it.
Early access can bring in new revenue or simply move Black Friday's orders a few days earlier. A small group of VIPs you leave out on purpose, called a holdout, tells you which one happened.
Qure Skincare opened a two-day VIP early access sale on 30 and 31 October, right before its month-long Black Friday sale opened on 1 November. Those two days brought in more than half of Qure's October email campaign revenue.
But how much of that revenue would have come in on Black Friday anyway?
At Chronos, we're a Klaviyo Master Elite Partner that has worked with 500+ DTC brands. We've found that for 8 to 9 figure brands, the most impactful move is to start building the VIP list in October, so the pre-sale has an audience by mid-November. Three decisions shape how well it pays: how long the window runs, how deep the offer goes, and who gets in.
The same logic works for launches and restocks.
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Does VIP early access add revenue, or move Black Friday's revenue earlier?
It can do either, and the email report on its own won't tell you which.
What the wins look like
One brand we work with sent a VIP sign-up email in late October last year, and that single email made about 38% more than its best campaign of the previous BFCM, and more than double what its usual campaigns make.
For a pet brand on our books, the pre-sale email and the Black Friday reminder became its two best single emails since the previous BFCM.
Where it falls flat
We've also seen a first VIP email go to about 12,000 people and make roughly what the public opening email made. From what we've seen across past BFCMs, early access is best at building demand before the sale, and the new revenue it adds on its own is usually modest.
Two sales back to back before Black Friday mean the main sale opens to customers who just bought, and sales slump. Use October to build the list, and run one sale before BFCM.
How long should BFCM VIP early access last?
We usually open it at least a day before the public sale and keep the window to a day or two. Qure's ran for two days.
The longer it runs, the more of its orders would have come in on Friday at the same price, and any code has longer to leak.
| Window | Where it fits | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | A small, highly engaged list, where urgency does the work | VIPs who miss the first text or email can miss the window |
| 48 hours | Most 8 to 9 figure brands, with time for email and SMS to reach everyone | Some Friday orders arrive early, so measure the whole week |
| A week or more | Only when early access has its own product or offer, such as a limited drop | It becomes a second sale, and the public launch lands on customers who just bought |
In the BFCM calendar we're running this year, the VIP window sits somewhere between 16 and 25 November, ahead of the core sale from 26 to 30 November.
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How deep should the VIP offer go?
Give VIPs the strongest offer they'll get from you all season. That can be the public discount plus first pick and a gift, or a deeper code, as long as no later offer beats it.
How you structure it matters too. In one of our Prime Day split tests for a high-end jewelry brand, a tiered 10/15/20% offer beat a flat 15% off by 12% in revenue per recipient.
Protect the VIP price through Cyber Monday
A VIP who buys on the 24th at 20% off and then gets a 30% off email on Cyber Monday learns to wait next year, and that's the customer you most want to keep.
The pet brand above capped its BFCM discount at 20%, and that was the sale behind those two emails. A lower cap is easier to hold for the whole week.
Frequent buyers need perks more than bigger codes
For customers who buy several times a year, a bigger code mostly pays them to do what they'd do anyway. First pick, free shipping or a gift often matters more to them and costs you less margin. Our BFCM offer rules cover the rest of the sale.
Who should get into early access?
Customers who have bought from you at least twice, plus people who asked to be let in, through an October sign-up or your SMS list.
Ella Bella opened its pre-sale to exactly that mix: everyone who signed up, plus customers with two or more orders.
SMS subscribers make a natural VIP group, since they chose your most direct channel. In BFCM 2024, Olivia Jewelry treated its SMS subscribers as VIPs, with early access and special deals, and its SMS revenue grew 10x across November and December compared with the same months in 2023 (see the Olivia Jewelry case study).
| Group | Why they get in | What to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Customers with 2+ orders or high lifetime spend | A reward for your most valuable customers | Many would buy anyway, so lead with access and perks before a deeper code |
| October VIP sign-ups | Demand you capture before Black Friday ad prices rise | Many have never bought, so they need a clear reason to make a first order |
| SMS subscribers | Your fastest channel, and a signal of intent | Consent, quiet hours and how many texts they get across the week |
| Customers who only buy with a code | They usually wait for the public sale | Their orders are the most likely to move from Friday, so keep them out of early access |
Who gets into VIP early access, and the call each group needs from you.
Start the sign-up list early
Give the sign-up list as long as you can. We started building Qure's VIP list on 23 October, a week before its pre-sale opened, with a VIP sign-up pop-up, a thank-you flow, and invitations by email and SMS.
Which VIPs should hear first, and on which channel?
Your most direct channel goes first. Our team sends push first where a brand has it, then SMS to VIPs, then email.
Ideally, push subscribers get an offer of their own, such as an app-only price or a product that lands in the app first. Email then carries the full story to VIPs who haven't bought yet.
What do VIP early access emails look like?
They run from the sign-up ask to the last hours of the pre-sale. Here are five from brands we work with, in send order.
Building the list · last call to join
AminoCo
- The VIP list itself is the product being sold.
- "Before doors close" adds a deadline to a free sign-up.
- Signed by the co-founder. Case study →
VIP community invite · pre-sale
Feminera
- Lists three VIP perks in a simple card.
- Free shipping over a threshold lifts the basket.
- Bestsellers below the fold for people ready to buy.
VIP welcome flow
Dreamo
- A dollar offer with a minimum spend protects margin.
- The code sits in the hero and again in the body.
- A 7-day window keeps it urgent.
VIP early access · opening
Qure
- The headline says what's happening and who it's for.
- One button above the fold, with the saving in the button text.
- Exclusive bundles give VIPs a reason to buy early.
VIP early access · last hours
Qure
- A countdown timer above the logo.
- The deadline is the headline.
- Low stock and gifting give two more reasons to act.
Click any email to open it at full size.
Want a second pair of eyes on your early access plan before it locks? Every Q4 our email and SMS retention team plans VIP lists, offers and send order with 8 to 9 figure brands.
Book a Free Strategy SessionWhat should your team have ready by 31 October?
Six yes-or-no checks you can run in one meeting with your team.
- The VIP segment is built in Klaviyo and sized. Your team can tell you who's in it and what they spent last BFCM.
- The sign-up pop-up and thank-you flow are live by mid-October. October traffic turns into the VIP list while ads are still cheaper.
- The offer can't be passed around. Unique single-use codes, or access tied to each VIP's customer account, keep the pre-sale private.
- Bestsellers have stock set aside. A cap or a reserve on those products means Friday's paid traffic doesn't land on sold-out pages.
- Early buyers get a thank-you on launch day. VIPs who already bought come off the "we're live" email and its reminders.
- The holdout is set before anything sends. A random 10% or so of VIPs sit out the pre-sale, so you can measure what it added.
How will you know early access made new money?
Hold back a random slice of your VIPs, around 10%, and compare revenue per person across the whole of BFCM week, early access included. The held-back group still gets every public sale email.
If the VIPs who got early access spent more per head over the week than the ones held back, the gap is what the pre-sale added. If the gap is close to zero, the revenue arrived a few days earlier than it would have.
Why the campaign report can't answer this
Compare total store revenue per person, since the campaign report credits every pre-sale order to the VIP email. On a VIP list of a few thousand, one large order can swing the result, so treat one year's result as a hint and keep testing.
Key takeaways
- Open the VIP window at least a day before the public sale, and keep the window to a day or two.
- Give VIPs your strongest offer of the season, and make sure no later email beats it.
- Build the list in October from repeat customers, sign-ups and SMS subscribers.
- Protect the offer with single-use codes and set stock aside on bestsellers.
- Measure with a VIP holdout across the whole week to see what early access added.
Plan BFCM early access with Chronos
Every October we help brands decide who gets first access, what they're offered and how to read the result. Chronos Agency is an email, SMS and push retention agency and Klaviyo Master Elite Partner for 8 to 9 figure DTC brands.
Frequently asked questions
Does VIP early access hurt Black Friday sales?
It can move some Black Friday orders earlier. Keep the window short, run one pre-sale before BFCM, and hold back a random group of VIPs to measure the lift across the whole week.
Should VIPs get a bigger discount than the public?
VIPs should get the strongest offer they'll see from you all season: a deeper code, or the public discount plus first pick and a gift. Nothing later in the sale should offer a lower price.
What happens if the discount goes deeper on Cyber Monday?
VIPs who bought early at a smaller discount see a better deal days later, and many learn to wait next year. Set the VIP offer at a level you can hold through Cyber Monday, or give early buyers a matching perk if the price drops.
Should subscribers who have never bought get early access?
Yes, if they signed up for it. A VIP sign-up list captures demand before Black Friday ad costs rise, and these subscribers need a clear first-order reason, such as a first-order discount or a gift with purchase.
When should you start collecting early access sign-ups?
Start in October. A sign-up pop-up, a thank-you flow and invitations by email and SMS need a few weeks to build a list before the VIP window opens in mid to late November.
How do you stop early access codes leaking?
Use unique single-use codes, or send VIPs a link that only works for them. A single shared code can end up on coupon sites and turn the VIP window into an early public sale.
How do you measure whether early access made new revenue?
Hold back a random 10% or so of your VIPs from early access, then compare revenue per person between the two groups across all of BFCM week. The difference is what early access added.
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Book a Free Strategy SessionRelated reading
For the full BFCM plan, see our BFCM marketing strategy guide.
