Case Study: How a Simple Lead Generation Campaign Helped Increase Monthly Revenue By 143% During Black November

TL;DR

For many ecommerce brands, November and December represent the most significant revenue opportunity of the year. However, without a clear and considered strategy, this potential can go unrealised whilst business runs as usual: no promotions, no urgency, no reason for customers to purchase within the peak period.

This was the position Australian retailer Salon Supplies & Furniture found itself in as the final quarter of 2025 began. Whilst standard marketing activity was in place for October, there was no defined strategy for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) trading period.

Following a successful accelerated migration from WooCommerce to Shopify earlier in the year – through which the brand doubled its revenue – Salon Supplies engaged Swanky’s Australian team to design and deliver a high-performing BFCM strategy.

What followed was a fully-coordinated multi-channel campaign across Meta Ads, Google Ads and Klaviyo email. Our approach was built on a foundation of deliberate list-building, smart budget scaling, and a tightly sequenced Black Friday email strategy.

The impact was substantial:

• Total store revenue increased 143% from October to November.
• Peak week revenue rose 147% compared to the average October week.
• New email subscribers grew 137% from October to November.
• Klaviyo-attributed revenue increased by 4,872% month-on-month.

The starting point: October baseline

Before assessing the impact of the campaign, it’s important to establish the brand’s position at the start of October.

At this stage, standard paid media activity was in place across Google and Meta. However, there was no overarching seasonal strategy, no promotional calendar, and no coordinated push planned for the upcoming November and December peak trading period.

As a result, October provided a clear and reliable performance baseline.

Notably, Klaviyo was contributing a negligible share of total revenue – less than 0.4% across the month – reflecting the absence of any email campaign activity.

The strategy: Three phases, one cohesive approach

Rather than simply turning on ads and hoping for the best, we approached peak period with a structured three-phase plan: build the audience, scale the spend, then convert through coordinated email and ad activity.

Phase 1: Building the email list with a lead generation campaign (mid-October)

The most critical strategic decision was made before November even started. In October, we launched a lead generation campaign on-site and across Meta, centred around a simple giveaway mechanic. The objective was clear: rapidly grow Salon Supplies’ email database with engaged, opted-in users ahead of BFCM.

Users entered the giveaway in exchange for joining the mailing list, creating a pool of warm subscribers who had already interacted with the brand prior to any purchase-driven messaging.

The result was a significant acceleration in list growth, with weekly subscriber acquisition increasing eightfold through this single, low-cost initiative.

Phase 2: Scaling paid media intelligently (November)

As November began, budgets across Meta and Google were increased in a controlled, phased manner. This was a deliberate approach designed to allow platform algorithms sufficient time to learn and optimise. A sudden budget spike wastes spend on cold audiences, whilst a gradual ramp-up increases efficiency.

On Meta, weekly spend increased by approximately 12x from the start of October through to the Black Friday peak. Despite this substantial uplift in investment, ROAS (return on ad spend) nearly doubled – from 9.77x in October to 18.67x in November – meaning the channel became more efficient as it scaled, not less.

Google Ads maintained consistent efficiency throughout the period, with ROAS holding steady at approximately 10x, whilst conversion value increased by 116% month-on-month.

The combined impact of this approach was a 60% increase in site sessions and a 119% increase in orders from October to November – indicating not only higher traffic volumes but a meaningful improvement in conversion rate.

Phase 3: Deploying a Black Friday email sequence (November & December)

With a larger, warmer email list and paid media driving awareness and intent, Klaviyo email became our primary conversion engine.

Rather than relying on a single email blast, we implemented a carefully-timed sequence of campaigns through the Black November period, designed to engage customers at multiple touch points throughout the buying journey.

• BFCM early access (Nov 9): The first signal to subscribers that a sale was coming. This was designed to warm the audience and build anticipation before the promotional period began. It achieved a 37% open rate, significantly outperforming industry benchmarks.

• Black Friday launch (Nov 21): The primary sale launch email, sent separately to VIP and non-VIP segments. This was the single highest-performing email of the entire campaign, achieving a 45.69% open rate and generating the greatest revenue of any individual send. Notably, this was sent out three days before Black Friday itself – demonstrating how launching the sale early allowed Salon Supplies to capture high-intent buyers before inbox fatigue set in during peak period.

• Black Friday itself & follow-ups (Nov 22–24): A series of supporting communications, including an email on Black Friday itself, an SMS to drive urgency, and follow-up emails targeting non-purchasers. Each touch point was aligned to a different moment in the decision cycle.

• Extended sale & last chance (Nov 29 – Dec 2): The promotion was strategically extended beyond Black Friday, with clear communication to maintain momentum. A final ‘last chance’ email sent at the beginning of December ensured we captured late decision-makers, without diluting urgency through an indefinite offer window.

The results

November: Peak performance

November delivered results that reflected the strength of the strategic groundwork laid in October.

Total store revenue grew by 143% compared to October, with orders rising by 119% and sessions by 60%. 

Crucially, average order value remained consistent throughout the month, demonstrating that the discount strategy successfully drove volume without eroding perceived brand value.

Klaviyo was the standout contributor. Having accounted for less than 0.4% of total store revenue in October, the channel scaled significantly in November. This uplift was driven by the combination of proactive list growth and a well-executed Black Friday email strategy. This clearly illustrates the impact of investing in owned audience development ahead of peak season.

December: A deliberate pullback

December tells a different, but equally important, performance story.

Revenue finished 46% above October’s baseline, despite a significant reduction in ad spend. This was by design.

For most ecommerce categories, the weeks leading up to Christmas represent a natural dip in conversion intent, as delivery cut-offs limit customers’ ability to purchase in time for the holiday. Rather than throwing budget into that void and maintaining peak-level spend during this period, budgets were scaled back – Meta investment reduced to approximately 55% of its November peak, with Google adjusted proportionally.

Email activity was focused on key conversion moments: a gift ideas campaign and Boxing Day communications deployed on December 25 and 27. These two Boxing Day emails achieved open rates above 34% and delivered strong returns with minimal spend.

The outcome was a more efficient trading period: December outperformed October by 46% while operating on a reduced budget compared to November – demonstrating that strategic restraint can be as impactful as aggressive scaling when aligned with consumer behaviour.

Key lessons for peak season marketing

This project with Salon Supplies highlights several key principles for executing a successful peak season marketing strategy:

• Start building your audience before the sale. The October lead generation campaign delivered an eightfold increase in weekly list growth at relatively low cost. Crucially, those subscribers converted during November’s Black Friday sequence at a far higher rate than cold traffic. The lesson: an email list is an asset that should be built proactively, not reactively.

• Scale budgets gradually, not suddenly. Jumping from minimal to maximum spend overnight doesn’t work, as platform algorithms need time to learn. Our controlled, incremental scaling approach ensured campaigns were operating efficiently by the time peak spend was reached. This is reflected in Meta performance, where ROAS nearly doubled from October to November.

• Launch your sale before Black Friday. The single highest-performing email of the entire campaign was deployed three days before Black Friday, achieving a 45.69% open rate. This reinforces a consistent trend: high-intent customers are ready to purchase before the day itself. Launching early enables brands to capture demand ahead of peak inbox competition.

• Respect the quiet periods. Spending heavily on ads during the pre-Christmas window can often be wasteful for physical goods stores. Scaling back and redirecting budget to Boxing Day, where intent is high again, delivered strong returns on a fraction of November’s spend.

• Simple offers can outperform complex ones. The promotional strategy relied on a straightforward percentage discount, without layered mechanics or complex offers. Its success was driven by effective timing, sequencing, and audience targeting. In practice, a simple offer delivered well will consistently outperform a more complex offer executed poorly.

Conclusion

November and December represent a critical period in the ecommerce calendar – but success during peak season is driven by preparation, not reaction.

The results achieved by Salon Supplies during BFCM 2025 were not the outcome of increased budget alone or a single promotional moment. They were the result of a structured strategy, initiated in advance of Black Friday and executed with consistency through to Boxing Day.

A simple, focused lead generation campaign. A measured approach to budget scaling. A thoughtful, five-email Black Friday sequence. A disciplined reduction in spend during December. Collectively, this formed an effective playbook for BFCM success – and it’s repeatable.

For brands approaching peak season without a defined strategy, the risk is not simply underperformance – it’s the transfer of opportunity to competitors who have invested in planning ahead.

Multi-channel marketing campaigns with Swanky

Swanky’s ecommerce growth experts specialise in helping online retailers maximise performance during peak trading periods through data-led, multi-channel strategies, including smart lead generation campaigns. If you’re looking to unlock stronger results ahead of your next peak, get in touch with our team.

All percentage figures calculated from in-platform data. Meta and Google stats are in-platform only. Klaviyo figures attributed via last-touch within platform. Data sourced from Polar Analytics and Klaviyo, October–December 2025.