⏱ 5-minute read
Every year, the race starts earlier.
Inboxes flood, discounts deepen, and even the best teams find themselves reacting as the pressure to “beat last year” takes over, and strategy gets replaced with speed.
BFCM feels like the make-or-break moment and it’s also where many brands trade long-term value for short-term wins unfortunately.
The question operators should be asking isn’t “How do we sell more?”. Rather “How do we use BFCM to build a stronger, more profitable customer base for 2026?”
Let’s look at one of the best examples in retail history - How one brand flipped the script thinking long term and used customer data to make sale elevate brand value, full price, loyalty, and drive record profit.
Nordstrom: A Masterclass in Customer Segmentation
Nordstrom didn’t just run a sale—they redefined what a sale could mean and they turned sale into a reward for loyalty, not a race to the bottom.
Instead of offering discounts to everyone, Nordstrom made access earned.
Customers who spent $700+ before the sale were invited to the Anniversary Sale, an exclusive event that flipped discount psychology on its head.
Why it works:
Sale as a Premium Reward: Discounts became a status symbol — something you earned, not something handed out.
Pre-Sale Revenue Lift: FOMO kicked in early. Customers increased full-price spending by 18% to qualify.
Post-Sale Retention: Mid-tier buyers were motivated to maintain their “status,” increasing annual purchase frequency.
Built-in Segmentation: The $700 threshold created a natural sorting mechanism — instantly revealing who to nudge to qualify throughout the year.
This was an economic feedback loop. A system that rewarded loyalty, increased full-price sales, and built long-term profitability through segmentation and behavior.
But here’s the reality — most brands don’t have Nordstrom’s data science team or 20 years of customer history at their finger tips. So what now?
Unlock: How to Win Like Nordstrom
The good news: You don’t need that to behave that way. That’s exactly what RetentionX is for, enterprise-level segmentation power, made simple and actionable for every team.
RetentionX gives every brand enterprise-grade segmentation power — simplified, automated, and actionable in days, not months.
RX turns the kind of behavioral insights that built Nordstrom’s loyalty engine into an everyday advantage. Identify your most valuable customers, design smarter promotions, and grow LTV — all without a data team.
RFM Segmentation will quickly identify a businesses core customer segments based on purchasing behavior.
Changes You Can Make Today
Let’s be honest, there is not enough time to re-invent the wheel now. You only have about 1.5 months until BFCM.
Here’s how forward-thinking leaders are using RetentionX to turn data into smarter strategy before this BFCM even begins.
Tip 1: VIP Mindset: Protect Margin & Elevate Loyalty.
True VIP treatment starts with insight — not just perks.
VIP identification & Tracking
Your best customers don’t need a deeper discount to buy again—they need to feel seen. Use RX’s RFM Segmentation Model to identify your top 10–15% of customers by recency, frequency, and value. Then, design perks for this special group that protect margin while amplifying their loyalty:
Extended Returns: Message VIPs before the sale that they have an extended return or exchange window as a thank you for being a top customer.
Reward Loyalty & Create Repeats: Don’t think one and done for this group of VIP’s. What about offering them 10% of their holiday purchase value credit to use anytime in 2026.
Shipping Upgrades: Surprise top-tier customers with express shipping codes they feel extra special during a discount period.
These small, thoughtful moves transform discounting into a signal of value — and RX makes it effortless to spot who deserves it.
🎯 Pro Tip: Create a “Do Not Discount” segment in RX and exclude it from your mass BFCM promos.
Tip 2: Use Data to Drive Quality. Not Just Quantity.
Most brands still guess which products create loyalty. RX makes it instantly visible.
Use RX Product LTV Reports & Repeat Rate Insights to double down on the SKUs that turn first-time buyers into repeat customers and actually grow LTV— and avoid the ones that don’t. There is still time.
Bundle Intelligently: Pair high-LTV products with entry level items.
Highlight Repeat Purchase Drivers: Feature products with strong second-order rates across your campaign and marketing.
Exclude Value Diluters: Avoid discounting or featuring SKUs that attract low-quality customers or have high rates of one-time buyers. FWIW - Think about excluding them all together.
🎯 Pro Tip: RX’s “Next Best Offer” engine can automate personalized recommendations that boost LTV post-sale.
Ex. Product LTV’s
Tip 3: BFCM Starts 2026, it’s Not An End To 2025
The biggest opportunity of the year begins after the sale. Don’t sleep on the post sale moment. Once BFCM ends, use RX to:
Create a “BFCM 2025 Cohort” in a few clicks and track retention of this cohort across 30/60/90 days.
Identify which products and categories are driving that cohorts repeat purchases and amplify them to the rest of the cohort
Nurture them specifically with personalized post-purchase automations, re-targeting, and educate, cross-sell, and reward them to maximize this cohort.
These customers are more than your holiday buyers. They represent a potential 2026 growth engine. Getting started now will set you up for 2026.
Final Thoughts
The brands winning 2026 won’t be the ones offering the biggest discounts — they’ll be the ones turning this year’s chaos into next year’s clarity.
That’s exactly what RetentionX does. In less than 48 hours, you’ll see your business the way Nordstrom saw its customers — with precision, profitability, and control.
👉 Book your free strategy session and let our team show you what your next 12 months of growth could look like.
