Tariffs & Landed Cost
The tariffs that raised your COGS got struck down this year, then rebuilt under new rules, so landed cost stayed high but the basis keeps moving. Price every offer from today's number with a buffer, because it won't hold.
[ The BFCM Operators Playbook ]
2026 Edition · 13 Chapters
[ Introduction ]
The Rules Changed. Again.
BFCM 2026 isn't just another cycle. Tariffs reshaped landed cost, then the courts reshaped tariffs. AI reshaped how shoppers find you, often before they click. And the operators who won last year didn't buy their way there. This is the operator's version of the weekend: the P&L, the timeline, the send calendar, the war-room dashboard. All of it pulled from the brands and partners who actually ran it.
[ What changed in 2026 ]
AI-Led Discovery
AI-referred shoppers now convert better than your paid traffic (on paid channels the trend is the opposite — Ch 12), and most arrive as untraceable “direct.” Your highest-intent demand shows up pre-filtered and invisible, which rewards being legible to the models more than loud in search.
Margin Is the New Growth
Last year's records got bought with deeper discounts, so a lot of that topline came straight out of margin. The operators who won moved the lever off price: offer architecture, owned channels, and knowing when to stop.
[ How to read this playbook ]
Read It in Order, or Jump to Your Fire.
Thirteen chapters, each one a piece of the puzzle to help you plan and execute on the weekend ahead.
Open Contents in the top-right to jump between chapters, or use the prev / next links at the bottom of every page.
Start with the P&L →
Contributing brands
$23M+
Combined BFCM revenue represented by contributing brands.
Interviewed
14
Operators, partners and brands interviewed for this edition.
Categories
5+
Categories represented: apparel, home & bedding, travel, sports & outdoor, and baby.
Start of playbook
Next · 01
The BFCM P&L →