The FTC’s own pricing guide uses a pen raised from $7.50 to $10 for a few days, then advertised as were $10, Now Only $7.50. It calls that bargain false.
That example sits in the Federal Trade Commission’s Guides Against Deceptive Pricing, and it describes a mistake many Black Friday sales still make.
Most lists of Black Friday marketing mistakes cover late planning and slow websites. This one covers those too, plus the pricing, review, and email mistakes that create legal risk.
Each mistake below comes with the fix and how serious it is.
What Are the Biggest Black Friday Marketing Mistakes?
The biggest Black Friday marketing mistakes are inflated former prices, fake countdown timers, fake or bought reviews, emails that break CAN-SPAM rules, starting too late, slow mobile pages, too many confusing offers, and no tracking. The legal mistakes can bring FTC action, while the others cost sales during the busiest shopping week of the year.
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Black Friday Mistakes at a Glance
| Mistake | Type | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Inflated former prices | Pricing and legal | High: deceptive pricing |
| 2. Tiny reductions sold as big sales | Pricing and legal | Medium: misleading |
| 3. Fake countdown timers | Pricing and legal | High: FTC dark pattern |
| 4. Fake or bought reviews | Legal | High: FTC rule violation |
| 5. Emails that break CAN-SPAM | Legal | High: penalty per email |
| 6. Hidden fees at checkout | Pricing | Medium: abandoned carts |
| 7. Starting too late | Planning | Medium: lost early buyers |
| 8. Discounts with no margin floor | Planning | High: unprofitable orders |
| 9. Slow or broken mobile pages | Website | High: lost sales |
| 10. Too many confusing offers | Offer | Medium: lower conversion |
| 11. No tracking by channel | Measurement | Medium: wasted budget next year |
| 12. No plan after Cyber Monday | Post-sale | Medium: lost repeat buyers |
Pricing and Legal Mistakes
These mistakes do more than lose sales. They can draw complaints or FTC attention. This is general information, not legal advice; check your own offers with a qualified lawyer.
1. Advertising an Inflated Former Price
The FTC guide on former price comparisons, 16 CFR 233.1, sets the test for a real regular price.
The price must have been offered to the public on a regular basis for a reasonably substantial period of time.
Raising a price for a few days so the Black Friday discount looks bigger is exactly what the guide calls a fictitious former price.
The fix: compare only against a price you charged openly and regularly before the sale. Keep records of when each regular price was in effect.
2. Calling a Tiny Reduction a Big Sale
The same FTC guide says that when an ad only says Sale, the reduction should not be so small it is meaningless.
Its own example is an item called Reduced to $9.99 when the former price was $10.
The fix: if the saving is small, say the exact amount, or skip the sale label for that item.
3. Using Fake Countdown Timers
A timer that resets on every page visit is not a deadline.
The FTC report Bringing Dark Patterns to Light lists countdown timers for offers that are not actually time-limited as a dark pattern.
The fix: use timers only for real end times, and end the offer when the timer ends.
Real deadlines work on their own, because Black Friday urgency comes from the shopper’s fear of missing a true end date.
4. Posting Fake or Bought Reviews
The FTC’s final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials, announced in August 2024, lets the agency seek civil penalties against knowing violators.
It prohibits fake reviews, including AI-generated ones, and paying for reviews that must express a positive or negative sentiment.
The fix: ask real buyers for honest reviews, and never tie a discount or gift to a positive rating.
5. Sending Emails That Break CAN-SPAM
Black Friday means more emails to more people. The FTC’s CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide for business lists penalties of up to $53,088 for each email in violation.
The guide requires an accurate subject line, a valid physical postal address, and a clear way to opt out. Opt-out requests must be honored within 10 business days.
The fix: check every Black Friday template for the address and unsubscribe link, and do not mail people who opted out last year.
6. Hiding Fees Until Checkout
A low headline price that grows at checkout with shipping or handling fees drives shoppers away.
The FTC report on dark patterns also lists burying junk fees as a tactic it targets.
The fix: show shipping costs and any fees on the product page or in the cart, before the shopper reaches payment.
Planning Mistakes
These mistakes happen in October, long before the first sale goes live.
7. Starting Too Late
Discounts start well before Black Friday. Adobe’s 2026 holiday forecast expects online discounts of up to 14% in early November, weeks before Black Friday on November 27.
A store that launches on the day itself competes with shoppers who already bought.
The fix: plan backward from November 27 with a dated Black Friday checklist that starts in October.
8. Discounting With No Margin Floor
A 30% discount on a product with a 35% margin leaves almost nothing after shipping and ad costs. Many Black Friday orders lose money this way.
The fix: set a minimum margin per product before choosing a discount.
If the floor rules out a deep discount, use a lower-cost offer from these Black Friday promotion ideas sorted by margin cost.
Website and Offer Mistakes
These mistakes show up the moment traffic arrives.
9. Ignoring Slow or Broken Mobile Pages
Phones carry most holiday buying: Adobe puts mobile at 63% of Thanksgiving online spending and 57.4% of the full 2026 season.
A sale page that loads slowly or breaks at checkout on a phone loses most of its buyers.
The fix: test the full purchase on two or three phones, including coupon entry and payment, at least a week before launch.
10. Running Too Many Confusing Offers
Sitewide 20% off, plus a bundle, plus free shipping over $50, plus a gift, plus a Cyber Monday code is hard to explain and hard to apply at checkout.
The fix: pick one main offer and at most one supporting offer. If you cannot explain it in one line, simplify it.
Measurement and Post-Sale Mistakes
These mistakes do not hurt this year’s sales. They make next year’s harder.
11. Not Tracking Results by Channel
Without tagged links, you cannot tell whether email, ads, or social media drove the sales. Next year’s budget becomes a guess.
The fix: give each channel its own tagged link and QR code, using this plan to track Black Friday campaign performance.
12. Having No Plan After Cyber Monday
Many Black Friday buyers are first-time customers. If the only follow-up is the next sale, most will not return.
The fix: send an order thank-you, a setup or how-to email, and a full-price offer in December or January.
Leave the sale page live at the same URL, so the links it earned this year help it rank again in the next Black Friday SEO cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Short answers on legal risk, timing, and offer mistakes.
What is the biggest Black Friday marketing mistake?
Advertising a fake former price is the riskiest. The FTC’s pricing guide treats an inflated regular price used to make a discount look bigger as a false bargain.
Among non-legal mistakes, a slow or broken mobile checkout costs the most sales, because most holiday buying now happens on phones.
Is it illegal to raise prices before Black Friday?
Raising prices is not illegal on its own. Advertising the raised price as the former price in a Black Friday comparison can be deceptive.
The FTC guide says a former price should be one offered openly and regularly for a reasonably substantial period. This is general information, not legal advice.
Are countdown timers legal for Black Friday sales?
Timers tied to a real end time are generally fine. The risk comes from a timer that restarts on each visit, which the FTC groups with other dark patterns.
If the timer resets or the offer continues after it ends, remove the timer.
When is it too late to plan Black Friday marketing?
Mid-November is late for most stores. Adobe expects discounts to start building in early November 2026.
If you start late, focus on one simple offer, a tested mobile checkout, and an email to past customers. Skip anything that needs new pages or new tools.
What was the Black Friday scandal?
There is no single Black Friday scandal. Most complaints involve fake former prices, where a store raises a price before the sale and then advertises a discount from it.
The FTC’s Guides Against Deceptive Pricing describe this exact practice as a false bargain.
Fix the Legal Mistakes First
Pricing, review, and email mistakes come first, because they carry risk beyond lost sales. Then fix the mobile checkout and simplify the offer.
Shoppers now compare prices for weeks before the sale, one of the shifts in how Black Friday works for sellers that make early planning matter.
Buying email or review software for the season? Compare renewal prices on discounted email and review tools first.