BFCM 2024 Recap: Unpacking the Secret Sauce for Successful Peak Season Omnichannel Selling
)

Introduction
Despite the remote likelihood of a recession, the North American economy has a mixed outlook this year. There's a sense of relief as inflation slows, but businesses and consumers remain fatigued from previous high inflation and borrowing costs.
However, when looking back at the 2024 Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Shopify reported a record-high $11.5 billion in sales over the BFCM weekend, marking a 24% increase compared to 2023. At the same time, TikTok Shop also reported hitting $100 million in sales on Black Friday, with a 165% increase in shoppers during this year's BFCM weekend. It seems that record-breaking sales were not really impacted by the economic uncertainty.
This year, AfterShip has introduced a live dashboard that helps businesses delve into BFCM performance and emerging trends across various sales channels, industries, product categories, and product tags in North America. With real-time insights, businesses can swiftly refine and optimize their BFCM strategies to stay ahead in the competitive market.
By analyzing the data post-BFCM, we find some interesting insights. Here are the highlights:
- Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC) experienced the highest growth in order volume during BFCM.
- The top-performing industry on Shopify is Fashion & Accessories, with peak sales occurring precisely on Black Friday (November 29, 2024).
- The top-performing industry on TikTok Shop is Autos & Vehicles, with peak sales also occurring precisely on Black Friday (November 29, 2024).
- The top-performing product bundle is leis and necklaces in the Clothing Accessories category.
- The top-performing tag is “stainless steel,” used by multiple product categories such as Kitchen & Dining, Jewelry, and Pet Supplies.
Methodology
In this recap report, we examined 90,000+ retailers in North America using AfterShip products on platforms such as Shopify, TikTok Shop, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, and more. We considered the period between November 25, 2024, and December 6, 2024 (the week of and the week after Black Friday), as the BFCM peak season. The order volume growth rate, compared to regular times, was used to determine the performance data. The average order volume between October 21 and November 1, 2024 (the week of and the week after the last Friday of the month), served as the baseline for growth rate calculation and is considered as regular times.
Insights
- During this BFCM, Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC) experienced the highest order volume growth during the peak season compared to regular times, with BigCommerce following in second place.
- The most significant growth for major platforms occurred on Black Friday (November 29, 2024), while BigCommerce saw its peak on Cyber Monday (December 2, 2024).
- Overall, the Sports & Fitness and Fashion & Accessories industries experienced remarkable growth this BFCM, with increases of over 28x and 11x compared to regular times, respectively. All top 5 industries recorded their highest growth on Black Friday (November 29, 2024).
- On Shopify, the Fashion & Accessories industry saw the highest increase compared to regular times during this peak season. All top 5 industries recorded their highest growth on Black Friday (November 29, 2024).
- On TikTok Shop, the Autos & Vehicles industry experienced the highest increase during this peak season compared to regular times. However, the peak dates for the top 5 industries varied, with the top 3 peaking on Black Friday (November 29, 2024), the 4th on Cyber Monday (December 2, 2024), and the 5th a week later (December 6, 2024).
- On Shopify, smoking accessories emerged as the most popular product category this year, followed by train cases and bags.
- Meanwhile, on TikTok Shop, shoppers focused more on building materials and home decorations this peak season.
- Among Shopify's top-selling product categories, bags—including garment, laptop, and messenger bags—experienced the highest order volume growth on Black Friday (November 29, 2024) and Cyber Monday (December 2, 2024), while the 4th and 5th peaked a week later (December 6, 2024).
- Similarly, on TikTok Shop, the top 3 hot-selling product categories experienced their highest order volume growth* on Black Friday (November 29, 2024), and the 4th and 5th peaked a week later (December 5 and December 6, 2024).
- Top-selling product bundles this peak season included leis and necklaces, fish oils and nutrition gels, sweatpants and tank tops, and jeans and sweatpants.
*The growth rate indicated in the table is calculated using the average order volume during the peak season (November 25, 2024, to December 6, 2024) compared to regular times (October 21, 2024, to November 1, 2024).
- The best-performing product tag was “stainless steel,” a material used across various product categories in different industries. Tags such as “sealed plate” for kitchen items and those related to jewelry materials followed, indicating shoppers' interest in purchasing for the upcoming holiday season.
Formulate your 2025 omnichannel selling strategy with AfterShip
AfterShip is one of the most trusted solutions for eCommerce and omnichannel commerce. With a full suite of software including personalized product recommendations, proactive shipment tracking, AI-predictive delivery estimates, exchange-first returns, and warranty management—AfterShip helps brands spark loyalty and engagement.
With 20,000+ customers, AfterShip is used by iconic brands, including SAMSUNG, TOMS, Kylie Cosmetics, Gymshark, DIME Beauty, and Harry’s. Recognized as a Retail Technology Power Player by Business Insider, AfterShip integrates with 1,000+ carriers worldwide and empowers top retailers and Fortune 500 companies to drive additional revenue, reduce operational costs, and improve CX.
Updated:
December 20, 2024
Don't forget to share this report!
Connect with AfterShip experts to learn how we can leverage data insights to grow your business.
Harness the power of AfterShip’s solutions
Connect with AfterShip experts to learn how we can leverage data insights to grow your business.
)
