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BFCM 2026 · Free playbook

The traffic is coming. Is your checkout BFCM ready?

Twelve plays to lift checkout conversion and AOV before the November traffic arrives, published in full below. Read them, ship each one in your checkout, or take the PDF with you.

Read the playbookGet the PDF by email

Trusted by 650+ Shopify Plus brands

ThermomixThe Body ShopThe Collagen CoWho Gives A CrapMuscle NationScanlan TheodoreDecjubaShowpo
7.6%

of orders at The Body Shop include an upsell at checkout.

$71

lift in AOV on upsell orders at Kookaï.

4.81%

increase in checkout conversion at Muscle Nation since install.

What's inside

The game plan: four parts, twelve plays.

Every customer passes through checkout, and it's usually the least optimised page in the store. Each play is small enough to ship this week and measure by next. Jump to a part, or read top to bottom.

01AOV

Upsells

The fastest way to raise AOV on traffic you've already paid for. The recommendation has to make sense for the customer in front of it, or it's noise.

  • Free shipping upsell
  • Product upsells
  • Checkbox upsell
Read part 01
02Conversion

Content

Your BFCM campaign shouldn't stop at the cart. Banners carry the offer into checkout, and trust badges answer the questions that stall a first-time buyer.

  • Campaign visuals
  • Banners
  • Trust badges
Read part 02
03Support time

Operations

The last moment to set expectations before the order exists. A delivery date or final sale note answered here is a ticket your support team never opens in December.

  • Final sale highlights
  • T&Cs checkbox
  • Shipping call outs
Read part 03
04Data

Test, analyse and optimise

Don't find out what works during the biggest weekend of the year. Test in September and lock in the winners by October. By the time traffic peaks, the argument is settled.

  • A/B testing: which experience wins
  • Segmentation: who it works for
  • Analytics: why it is working
Read part 04
Part 01AOV

Upsells

Upsells are the quickest way to increase AOV from the traffic you've already done the hard work to acquire. The key isn't simply having an upsell, it's making sure the recommendation makes sense for the customer. The rule the whole part hangs on: show a free shipping upsell until the customer qualifies, then switch to a product upsell. No threshold? Keep a product upsell always on.

Play 1 / 3

Free shipping upsell

Free shipping is one of the strongest purchase incentives in commerce. Tell customers exactly how much they need to spend, how close they are to qualifying, and recommend the products that get them over the line.

Why it works
  • Increases average order value
  • Customers add an item instead of paying for delivery
  • Gives shoppers a clear reason to add one more thing
“We've seen up to 7.6% of orders include an upsell at checkout, while also bringing campaign messages and cross-sell opportunities into the experience.”
Sophie ManwarringEcommerce Manager, The Body Shop
Set up a free shipping upsell
Play 2 / 3

Product upsells

Once a customer clears the threshold, or you don't offer one, checkout should always include a product upsell. You can't increase AOV if customers never get the chance to add to their order.

The quickest start is a list upsell powered by Shopify AI recommendations: live in about five minutes and collecting performance data from the first order. For specialty, premium, or luxury brands, curate by hand. Carefully selected products almost always outperform broad recommendations because they're more relevant to your customers.

Think about
  • Placement within checkout
  • Format: carousel, list, or checkbox
  • Relevance to the customer and cart value
Configure product upsells
Play 3 / 3

Checkbox upsell

For simple additions, a checkbox is often the highest-converting format. One tick, no browsing, no leaving the flow. Ideal for shipping insurance, extended warranties, gift wrapping, return satchels, and care products.

“Implementation was easy, and results came fast. We went from install to our first live upsell in under 90 minutes.”
Emelie KihlströmE-commerce & CRM Specialist, Mantle
Add a checkbox upsell
Configure upsellsExplore post-purchase upsells
Part 02Conversion

Content that drives conversion

BFCM is a frenzy. Customers arrive with intent and urgency, then checkout often feels disconnected from the campaign that got them there. Checkout content should reinforce the offer, answer last-minute questions, and give customers the confidence to complete the purchase. Hesitation at checkout turns into abandonment.

Play 1 / 3

Campaign visuals

BFCM is likely your biggest promotion of the year. Don't let the campaign messaging or urgency disappear once customers reach checkout.

Running a sitewide sale? Carry your BFCM creative from the storefront into checkout with an image banner. Running selected offers? Segment the experience by what the customer is buying and continue the relevant story, whether that's the sale, new arrivals, or full price.

“With a $54 increase in AOV on upsell orders and 300+ additional products upsold at checkout, we're already seeing the impact.”
Kel HannonDigital and Online Trading Manager, PE Nation
Add campaign banners
Play 2 / 3

Banners

Banners carry the campaign details that matter: shipping timeframes and cut-off dates, returns policies, final sale conditions, multiple shipments, taxes and duties, dispatch delays.

The rule is relevance. Don't show taxes and duties messaging to local customers, final sale notices on full-price carts, or split-shipment warnings on orders they don't affect. Getting these communications right upfront reduces friction at checkout and saves hours of support later.

Why it works
  • Answers questions before they become objections
  • Sets expectations on shipping, returns, and fulfilment
  • Cuts avoidable customer service enquiries
Set up banners
Play 3 / 3

Trust badges

What can you tell a customer that gives them the reassurance and confidence to convert? A new customer wonders about returns and delivery. A returning customer already knows your processes and needs a reminder of why they love the brand. Answer the questions that matter for each customer, and segment accordingly.

How to segment
  • New customers: easy returns, shipping thresholds, money-back guarantees, reviews
  • Returning customers: loyalty, USPs, community, certifications, product quality
  • International customers: local shipping, taxes, duties, returns, warehouse location
Configure trust badges
Configure contentExplore segmentation
Part 03Support time

Operations

Checkout is the last chance to set expectations before an order exists. Think about what customers ask after purchase, delivery times, returns, final sale conditions, and answer those questions upfront. Not more information for the sake of it: the right information at the right moment, so your team has fewer issues to solve after purchase.

Play 1 / 3

Final sale highlights

If an item is final sale, say so on the line item. A clear highlight helps customers understand what final sale means and removes a consistent post-purchase pain point for your team.

The same placement also works for urgency: Limited edition, Selling fast, Almost gone.

Add line-item highlights
Play 2 / 3

T&Cs checkbox

Use it intentionally: a terms checkbox will cost some conversion. When customer acknowledgement genuinely protects the business, it's worth the trade-off. Keep the experience as simple as possible, and if it's not needed, don't use it.

Add a T&Cs checkbox
Play 3 / 3

Shipping call outs

If you're expecting delays, say so. BFCM customers know it's your busiest time of year, and a clear message at checkout beats a where-is-my-order email three days later. Set expectations upfront and save your team the avoidable follow-ups.

Set up shipping call outs
Configure operations contentExplore checkout branding
Part 04Data

Test, analyse and optimise

Don't wait for the BFCM traffic to find out what works. Test months before with A/B testing, iterate on the learnings, and have the winners locked in before peak. No more guessing or working off hunches.

Play 1 / 3

A/B testing

Which experience wins? Test upsells, recommendations, messaging, trust badges, and whole checkout experiences before peak demand, so the argument is settled by November.

Run an A/B test
Play 2 / 3

Segmentation

Who does it work for? Understand what converts different customer segments, new versus returning, local versus international, and show each segment the experience that wins for them.

Configure segmentation
Play 3 / 3

Analytics

Why is it working? Turn checkout data into actionable insights at the customer segment level, and use them to improve performance in time for BFCM and beyond.

Open checkout analytics
Run an A/B testExplore checkout analytics
The MVP checkout checklist

Five things live before the traffic arrives.

The playbook closes with the minimum viable checkout for BFCM. If nothing else ships this quarter, ship these five.

  1. Upsell toward the free shipping threshold, if you offer one

    View upsells

  2. Product upsell for carts already over the threshold

    View upsells

  3. Trust badges for new customers, specific to location or market

    View trust badges

  4. Trust badges for returning customers, specific to location or market

    View trust badges

  5. Image banner carrying the BFCM sale or relevant offer, shown when the sale is in the cart

    View banners
Ship all five with Checkout Components
Proof

The Collagen Co measured 323× ROI in under 11 weeks.

KookaïKookaï
$71 AOV lift on upsell orders
“Checkout Components has enabled us to extend our brand moments into checkout and deliver a $71 lift in AOV on upsell orders.”
Sera VolauEcommerce Manager, Kookaï
Read the case study
The Collagen CoThe Collagen Co
323× ROI in under 11 weeks
“What's powerful is how quickly we saw results, with 323x ROI in under 11 weeks.”
Nicole MitrovHead of Digital, The Collagen Co
Read the case study
BoodyBoody
30%+ gift attachment rate
“We recently used Checkout Components to offer a free gift with purchase at checkout and saw a 30%+ attachment rate.”
Suhani JainDigital Marketing Manager, Boody
Read the case study
Read the case studies
What's next

You've done the work to get them to checkout. Now convert more of them.

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  • No lock-in, month by month
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Questions

Before you go.

What's inside?

Four parts: upsells, content, operations, and testing. Each play comes with the setup and the results merchants have measured, and the full playbook is published on this page. The PDF is the same twelve plays formatted to read anywhere and share with your team. The last page is the MVP checkout checklist, five things to have live before peak.

Who is it written for?

Ecommerce managers and founders running checkout on Shopify Plus. The plays assume meaningful traffic and a team that watches conversion and AOV. 650+ Shopify Plus brands run their checkout on Checkout Components.

Do the plays require Checkout Components?

No. Every play is a checkout change you can make however you build. Where a play maps to a component, the playbook shows the setup and Checkout Components runs it without code. The trial is 14 days, pricing is flat, and we take no commission on your sales.

When should I start?

Now. The plays are small on purpose, and the book's closing advice is to A/B test months before peak so the winners are locked in by November. Mantle went from install to a live upsell in 90 minutes, so the setup is not the bottleneck.