Black Friday Marketing: What Materials Should You Print?

Black Friday is one of the year’s most influential marketing events, born from a holiday surge that took businesses from “in the red” to firmly “in the black.”

This event’s scale is massive: the estimated 130.4 million Black Friday shoppers eclipse both the annual attendance of Disneyland and the total viewership of the Super Bowl.

To help you maximize your sales, we have put together a comprehensive guide to Black Friday marketing strategies with printing materials.

Read on to discover expert insights from our marketing experts and explore which printing products fit best for your brand.

Black Friday Print Marketing: Start With the Revenue Goal

Before ordering any printed material, define what the campaign needs to achieve.

A business trying to increase store traffic needs a different print strategy from a retailer trying to increase average order value. A brand promoting a new product line needs different materials from a local business trying to bring existing customers back.

Your print campaign should therefore start with the commercial objective.

Business Goal	Recommended Print Material	Primary Distribution	Conversion Metric
Increase local store visits	Flyers, posters	Streets, storefronts, local areas	Store visits
Increase average order value	Gift guides, catalogs, brochures	In-store, direct mail	AOV
Reactivate existing customers	Direct mail brochures	Customer database	Repeat purchases
Promote limited-time offers	Flyers, posters	Storefronts, bags, counters	Offer redemptions
Promote multiple products	Booklets, brochures	Mail, retail counters	Products per order
Drive online sales	Flyers, brochures	Packaging, direct mail	QR scans and online sales
Build VIP demand	Personalized brochures	Existing customer database	Early orders

This distinction matters.

A flyer with a generic “20% Off” message may generate attention. A flyer with a specific offer, redemption mechanism and spending threshold gives you a much clearer commercial objective.

The Black Friday Print Production Timeline

Black Friday campaigns should be planned backward from the date customers need to see the materials.

Waiting until the final weeks creates avoidable pressure around artwork approvals, production, shipping and distribution. The earlier you finalize the campaign, the more control you have over quantity, production timing and delivery.

Period	Commercial Activity	Print Activity
September – October	Define offers, products and target segments	Design, templates and file preparation
Early November	Finalize promotions and distribution lists	Submit artwork and approve proofs
Mid-November	Begin early customer outreach	Direct mail and brochure distribution
Black Friday Week	Run promotional offers	Flyers, posters and point-of-purchase materials
Black Friday Weekend	Maximize transactions	Store signage, checkout materials and promotional handouts
After Black Friday	Retarget customers and measure sales	Follow-up offers and retained customer campaigns

September – October: Plan the Campaign

Start by reviewing the previous year’s performance.

Look at which products generated the highest revenue, which promotions produced the largest orders and which customer segments purchased most often. Use that information to decide what your Black Friday materials should promote.

You should also define secondary objectives such as email signups, loyalty memberships and repeat purchases.

Then prepare the print campaign.

Finalize your offers, photography, product information, QR destinations, quantities and artwork templates before production begins.

Early November: Submit to Print

Approve your final artwork and pre-press proof before the campaign enters production.

Printing earlier gives you more time to resolve file problems and arrange distribution. It also gives you more control over your order quantity instead of forcing a rushed production decision close to Black Friday.

Mid-November: Reach Customers Before the Rush

Do not wait for Black Friday itself to communicate your offer.

Direct mail brochures and promotional materials can introduce seasonal offers before customers begin making their final purchasing decisions. The original campaign recommends using direct mail ahead of Black Friday and following up digitally when the promotion launches.

Black Friday Week: Convert Existing Traffic

This is where physical materials move from awareness to transaction support.

Use posters to direct shoppers. Use flyers to communicate specific offers. Use counter materials to promote additional purchases. Use QR codes to connect physical promotions with online product pages.

The print material should answer one question immediately:

What should the customer do next?

Black Friday Print Material Sourcing Matrix

Choosing a product should start with the conversion goal, not with the product itself.

Print Product	Primary Commercial Goal	Distribution	Recommended Direction	High-Conversion Feature	Buyer Action
Direct Mail Brochures	Early sales and customer reactivation	Customer database, targeted mail	100 lb gloss or suitable coated stock	Personalized offer + QR code	[Calculate Direct Mail Printing Costs]
Promotional Flyers	Local traffic and limited-time offers	Streets, bags, counters	80 lb gloss text or suitable stock	Clear offer + QR code	[Calculate Bulk Flyer Printing Costs]
Retail Posters	Store traffic and product visibility	Windows, walls, endcaps	Heavy cover stock or suitable rigid material	Large offer and simple CTA	[Calculate Bulk Poster Printing Costs]
Gift Guides	Increase AOV through product bundles	In-store, direct mail, VIP customers	Text stock with heavier cover	Product grouping and price tiers	[Calculate Gift Guide Printing Costs]
Brochures	Explain multiple products or offers	Mail, counters, packaging	Gloss or matte stock	Product grouping + QR code	[Calculate Brochure Printing Costs]
Stickers	Add promotions to packaging and bags	Product packaging, storefronts	Adhesive stock	Short offer or QR code	[Order Black Friday Stickers]

The right choice depends on where the customer is when they see the promotion.

A person receiving a brochure at home has more time to consider several products. A shopper walking past a storefront has only a few seconds to understand a poster.

Your print format should match that buying environment.

1. Direct Mail Brochures: Reach Existing Customers Before Black Friday

Existing customers are one of the strongest audiences for a seasonal promotion because they already know the business.

Instead of relying only on a generic online discount, use a printed brochure to introduce your Black Friday offer before the main shopping weekend.

The commercial objective is not simply awareness.

It is to move a known customer from “I might buy” to “I know what I want and when I can buy it.”

Commercial Production Profile

Specification	Recommendation
Best for	Existing customers, VIPs and repeat buyers
Primary goal	Early orders and customer reactivation
Format	Multi-panel brochure
Content	Product selection, offers and purchasing information
Conversion feature	Personalized offer + QR code
File Safety Check	100% Free Pre-Press Review Included at ChilliPrinting

A brochure also gives you room to structure offers by customer value.

For example:

• Spend $75, save 15%
• Spend $125, save 20%
• Spend $200, receive an additional offer

The purpose is not to discount everything equally. The purpose is to give customers a reason to increase the size of their order.

Mailing Consideration

Your customer database should be cleaned before the mailing run. Verify addresses, remove duplicates and segment the audience according to purchase history where possible.

A poorly maintained mailing list wastes more than postage. It also wastes the cost of producing the printed material.

Planning an early Black Friday mailing campaign?

[Calculate Your Bulk Brochure Printing Costs]

2. Flyers: Turn Local Traffic Into Store Visits

Flyers remain useful for businesses with a defined geographic audience.

The objective is simple: put a specific offer in front of people who can realistically visit the store or redeem the promotion.

But the flyer needs more than a large “BLACK FRIDAY” headline.

It should answer:

• What is the offer?
• When does it end?
• Who qualifies?
• Where should the customer go?
• What should they scan or show at checkout?

Commercial Production Profile

Specification	Recommendation
Best for	Local businesses and retail stores
Primary goal	Store visits and offer redemptions
Format	Single-sheet flyer
Content	One primary offer with supporting products
Conversion feature	QR code or redemption code
File Safety Check	100% Free Pre-Press Review Included at ChilliPrinting

A tiered offer can also raise order value.

For instance:

• Save 15% on orders over $75
• Save 20% on orders over $125

This gives customers a financial reason to add another product rather than simply purchasing the first discounted item.

3. Posters and Retail Signage: Direct Attention at the Point of Purchase

Posters serve a different purpose from flyers.

A flyer can travel with the customer. A poster needs to communicate its message while the customer is moving through a store, approaching a storefront or standing near a product display.

That means the message should be short.

Commercial Production Profile

Specification	Recommendation
Best for	Storefronts, windows, walls and retail displays
Primary goal	Attention and purchase direction
Format	Poster or retail sign
Content	Offer, deadline and CTA
Conversion feature	Large headline + QR code
File Safety Check	100% Free Pre-Press Review Included at ChilliPrinting

For storefronts and other locations exposed to sunlight, weather or repeated handling, select a material and finish appropriate for the installation environment.

Need retail posters for Black Friday?

4. Commercial Production Profile

Specification	Recommendation
Best for	Retailers with multiple products
Primary goal	Increase AOV
Format	Multi-page booklet or brochure
Content	Curated products, bundles and price tiers
Conversion feature	QR codes linking directly to products
File Safety Check	100% Free Pre-Press Review Included at ChilliPrinting

Keep product descriptions and pricing easy to read. Do not compress important information into tiny text simply to fit more products onto each page.

5. Brochures: Sell More Than One Product at a Time

A brochure becomes particularly useful when the customer needs more information before purchasing.

Use the format to group related products, explain a promotion, compare product tiers or introduce a complete seasonal collection.

The commercial objective should be clear: move customers from one-product purchases toward broader product consideration.

For example, instead of promoting one discounted item, a retailer can present:

Product A + Product B + Product C

as a seasonal package.

This makes the brochure a sales tool rather than simply a promotional handout.

Commercial Production Profile

Specification	Recommendation
Best for	Product ranges and seasonal collections
Primary goal	Product discovery and larger orders
Format	Folded brochure
Content	Products, bundles, pricing and offer terms
Conversion feature	QR codes and direct product URLs
File Safety Check	100% Free Pre-Press Review Included at ChilliPrinting

6. Stickers: Extend the Promotion Into Packaging

Stickers can add another touchpoint without requiring a separate marketing piece.

Place them on packaging, shopping bags, product boxes or other customer-facing surfaces. Use them for a short promotional message, a QR code or a reminder about a limited-time offer.

The best sticker messages are short. Some examples are:

• BLACK FRIDAY – SCAN FOR 20% OFF
• VIP ACCESS – SHOP NOW
• BLACK FRIDAY ENDS SUNDAY

The sticker should support the primary campaign rather than introduce another complicated offer.

Connect Every Printed Promotion to a Measurable Action

A printed campaign should not end when the customer sees the material.

Connect the physical promotion to a digital destination. QR codes are one of the simplest ways to do this.

Use a Different QR Destination for Each Material

Print Material	QR Destination	Metric
Direct mail brochure	VIP landing page	Scans + sales
Flyer	Local offer page	Scans + redemptions
Store poster	Product collection	Scans + orders
Gift guide	Product category	Product sales
Packaging sticker	Repeat-purchase offer	Repeat orders

Do not send every QR code to the homepage.

Send customers to the page that matches the printed message.

That gives you a cleaner view of which physical assets generate commercial results.

How to Choose the Right Black Friday Print Campaign

You do not need every print product.

Start with the customer journey.

Your Business Situation	Recommended Campaign
Local retail store	Posters + flyers + counter materials
Existing customer database	Direct mail brochure + email
Large product catalog	Gift guide or booklet + QR codes
Premium retail brand	Brochure + premium stock + direct mail
E-commerce business	Printed insert + QR code + direct mail
New product launch	Brochure + posters + targeted mail
Loyalty-focused campaign	VIP brochure + early-access offer
Multi-location retailer	Centralized posters + location-specific flyers

The goal is not to print more materials.

The goal is to print the materials that support the commercial objective.

Black Friday Print Budget: Where Should You Spend More?

Not every printed asset deserves the same production budget.

Spend more on materials that remain in front of the customer longer or represent the brand directly. A direct mail brochure sent to an existing customer deserves a different production approach from a short-lived street flyer.

Material	Suggested Budget Priority	Why
Direct mail brochure	High	Direct customer contact
Gift guide	High	Supports multiple products and higher AOV
Retail poster	Medium-High	Repeated exposure in store
Flyer	Medium	High distribution volume
Sticker	Medium-Low	Supporting campaign asset

Quantity also matters.

A premium brochure printed for a small, targeted customer segment may generate more commercial value than a low-cost flyer distributed without audience targeting.

Black Friday Print Production Checklist

Before sending your campaign to production, our printing experts advise to have full insights on the following questions:

Campaign

• Is the main commercial goal defined?
• Is the offer easy to understand?
• Is the expiration date visible?
• Is the intended audience clear?
• Does the promotion have a measurable redemption mechanism?

Artwork

• Are images at 300 DPI?
• Is the artwork prepared in CMYK?
• Is important content inside the safe zone?
• Is the required trim allowance included?
• Are prices, dates and promotional codes correct?

QR Codes

• Does every QR code lead to the correct page?
• Does the destination work on mobile?
• Is the promotion still active?
• Can scans and resulting sales be attributed to the campaign?

Production

• Is the quantity based on expected distribution?
• Is the paper suitable for the material?
• Does the finish match the intended use?
• Has the final proof been reviewed?
• Is there enough time for production and delivery?

Black Friday Print Campaign Decision Table

Use this as the final planning reference before ordering. We’ve tried to put as many details in the table below as possible, for your convenience:

If Your Main Goal Is…	Start With…	Add…	Primary KPI
More local store traffic	Flyers	Posters	Store visits
Higher AOV	Gift guides	Bundles and tiers	AOV
Existing customer sales	Direct mail brochures	Email follow-up	Revenue per customer
Online sales	Flyers or brochures	QR codes	Online revenue
VIP sales	Personalized brochures	Early access	Early orders
Product discovery	Brochures	QR codes	Product-page visits
Repeat purchases	Packaging stickers	QR offers	Repeat orders

Print Your Black Friday Campaign With ChilliPrinting

Black Friday production requires more than choosing a paper stock and uploading a file. You need the right product, quantity, format and delivery schedule for the campaign you are running.

ChilliPrinting provides commercial printing for flyers, posters, brochures and other promotional materials, with options suited to both targeted campaigns and larger print runs.

Choose the materials that match your sales objective, prepare your artwork and calculate your production requirements before the holiday rush begins.