Shopify Black Friday Checklist 2026: 25 Things to Do Before November 27

Black Friday falls on November 27, 2026 and Cyber Monday on November 30. That gives you about a month. This year’s prep looks a little different from previous years, because October brought app security incidents, an API version change, new shipping tools and a big push toward AI shopping agents.

We have turned all of that into one checklist. Work through it in order. If you only have time for one section, do security and checkout first.

Security (do this week)

1. Audit every installed app. October saw Hulk Product Options, Selleasy, Swym Wishlist Plus and Boost AI Search & Filter involved in incidents, and hundreds of apps were delisted for review. Remove anything you do not use. Our app security guide walks through it.
2. Review app embeds under Online Store, Themes, Customize, App embeds. Switch off anything unexpected.
3. Check app settings for custom code fields you did not fill in.
4. Enforce two factor authentication for every staff account and every app dashboard.
5. Test checkout in private windows several times, in Chrome and Safari, on desktop and mobile, and make sure you stay on your domain or Shopify’s checkout throughout.

Apps and integrations

6. Confirm custom apps use API version 2026-10. The 2025-10 version stopped being accessible on October 16. See our API 2026-10 guide.
7. Check inventory sync between Shopify, your warehouse and Google Merchant Center. Oversells hurt most during sales.
8. Plan fallbacks for apps that run your cart, upsells or tracking. Know what you would switch to if one is disabled.
9. Note upcoming deadlines. Public apps on non expiring offline tokens will get errors from January 1, 2027, and script tags stop being injected from March 1, 2027. Not urgent for BFCM, but ask your developers.

Checkout and payments

10. Enable Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. Wallets are faster, and in October’s incidents wallet shoppers were mostly protected.
11. Test every discount: automatic discounts, codes, free shipping thresholds, bundles and gift cards. Shopify Rollouts can now schedule and test discounts on Basic and above.
12. Use Sidekick in the checkout editor (added October 13) to tidy checkout content, but test every change.
13. Review automated policies. Shopify can now write return, shipping, terms and contact policies. Read them carefully. You are still responsible for their accuracy.

Shipping

14. Check carrier rates appear at checkout in every zone. The 2026-10 API changed how carrier services are added to shipping profiles.
15. Set up batch fulfillment for up to 250 orders if you ship from your own location.
16. Try a Shopify Flow rule that buys labels automatically for simple domestic orders.
17. Publish Christmas cut off dates on product pages and in the cart.
18. US stores: check the return shipping tax change from October 23 if you use Shopify Tax. UK stores: switch on Royal Mail pickup points. More in our shipping updates post.

AI shopping readiness

19. Clean up product data. AI agents read titles, descriptions, variants and prices literally. Fill gaps and fix vague names.
20. Check catalog mapping settings. Since October 9, compare-at prices are shared with AI agents through Shopify Catalog. Make sure they are honest and current, or switch them off.
21. Track AI referrals in Shopify Analytics and Google Analytics so you can see what AI brings in. Shopify says 65 percent of shoppers plan to use AI for at least one shopping task this season. Our AI shopping agents guide has more.

Speed and site quality

22. Run speed tests on home, collection and product pages. Remove apps that add scripts but do not earn their keep.
23. Compress hero images and avoid autoplay videos above the fold on mobile.
24. Check your best sellers on mobile: size guides, reviews, delivery info and returns should all be visible without hunting.

The day itself

25. Freeze changes from around November 20 to December 2, and write a one page plan: who is on call, how to pause an app, how to contact Shopify Support and how to tell customers about delays.

Marketing that still works

A checklist keeps the store running. These keep it selling:

• Warm up your email list now with useful content, so your Black Friday email is not the first thing they get from you in months.
• Write emails for AI summaries. Put the offer and deadline in the first two lines. Gmail’s new AI Inbox and summaries reward clear, early asks.
• Offer something besides a discount. Free gift wrap, extended returns or a bonus item protect your margin better than 40 percent off.
• Build a simple landing page for the sale with your best offers, delivery dates and returns policy in one place.
• Retarget carefully. Ad costs spike in late November. Start campaigns earlier and lean on email and SMS during the peak.

What this means in the US, UK and Australia

United States: Thanksgiving week is the main event. Many shoppers start on Thursday evening, so schedule launches for then. Watch the return shipping tax change and make sure sales tax is right in every state you have nexus.

United Kingdom: UK retailers increasingly run sales across most of November. Royal Mail pickup points and clear delivery cut offs are big trust builders. Make sure prices on sale pages are genuine reductions, since UK consumer law and CMA guidance are strict about misleading reference prices.

Australia: Black Friday has become huge in Australia, followed by Cyber Monday, then Christmas and Boxing Day. Show GST inclusive prices clearly and be honest about delivery times to regional areas. The ACCC also takes a dim view of fake “was” prices, so keep compare-at prices honest. That matters twice this year, since AI agents now see them too.

A four week timeline

If the list above feels like a lot, spread it across the weeks you have left:

Week 1 (October 26 to November 1)

Security and apps. Audit apps and embeds, turn on 2FA, test checkout, confirm API versions and inventory sync. These are the items that can cause real damage, so they come first.

Week 2 (November 2 to 8)

Checkout and shipping. Test discounts, wallets and policies. Check carrier rates, set up batch fulfillment and Flow labels, and publish cut off dates.

Week 3 (November 9 to 15)

Product data and speed. Clean up titles, descriptions and variants for AI shopping. Compress images, remove slow apps and test your best sellers on mobile.

Week 4 (November 16 to 22)

Marketing and the plan. Build the sale landing page, schedule emails, set up ads and write your on call plan. Start the change freeze at the end of the week.

Then rest a little before the big week. A tired team makes more mistakes than a slow app.

After the sale

Once Cyber Monday is over, set aside an hour to review what happened. Which products sold out? Where did shoppers drop off? Which emails and channels brought the most revenue, and how much came from AI referrals? Write it down while it is fresh. It turns next year’s prep from guesswork into a plan, and it shows you which of this year’s new features actually earned their place.

Sources

• Shopify Changelog
• Netalico: Shopify app security incidents

Need a hand with this on your own site? See our Shopify development services.

Frequently asked questions

When is Black Friday 2026?

Friday, November 27, 2026. Cyber Monday is November 30.

When should I stop making changes to my Shopify store?

Aim for a change freeze from about November 20 to December 2, except for urgent security fixes.

Do I need to worry about the October Shopify app incidents?

Yes, enough to audit your apps and test checkout. Shopify added redirect protection on October 20 and 23, but it does not replace your own checks.

Can Web Brick Studio get my store ready for BFCM?

Yes. We run a full pre BFCM audit, fix speed and checkout issues, clean up apps and stay on call during the sale. Contact us.