LoyaltyLion is bringing together leading ecommerce brands and experts for a special Black Friday edition of Loyalty Connect, as new research reveals more than half of shoppers are more likely to join a loyalty programme during the peak sales period.
Taking place on 8 September 2026, the event will bring together Shopify, Roswell NYC, ILIA Beauty, Hillberg & Berk and Medik8 to share how retailers can turn the surge in Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) traffic into longer-term customer relationships, rather than relying on discounts to drive one-off sales.
The event follows LoyaltyLion research among 4,000 shoppers which found 54% are more likely to join a loyalty program during BFCM or a similar sales period. Six in ten (60%) are more likely to purchase from brands they already know and have shopped with before over the peak, while 60% are more likely to visit stores where they have loyalty points or rewards to redeem.
With retailers competing for attention through an increasingly crowded mix of promotions and discounts, Loyalty Connect will explore how brands can use existing customer relationships to drive peak-season revenue, while making the influx of new BFCM shoppers more valuable over the longer term.
Shopify's Phoebe Bainsfair, Roswell NYC's Nihar Kulkarni and Domaine’s Jace Coleman will examine the trends set to define Black Friday 2026, what brands tend to underestimate about peak and where retailers should focus their marketing budgets.
Cora Cowan, Retention and Loyalty Manager at California-based ILIA Beauty, will share which loyalty promotions drive the biggest BFCM impact and why early access has become an important part of the beauty brand's peak strategy.
Emman Cheung, Senior Director, Digital at Canadian jewellery brand Hillberg & Berk, will reveal the multichannel tactics that helped the brand increase loyalty enrolment fourfold during BFCM, alongside how AI in loyalty could help brands identify additional revenue opportunities.
Anna-Louise Chambers, Head of Customer Marketing (Ecommerce) at Medik8, will discuss the strategy behind the skincare brand's record-breaking BFCM, including the impact of giving loyalty members a three-day head start, how the brand approached its communications during peak and whether free gifts deliver results on Black Friday.
The event will also feature a BFCM Sprint, with LoyaltyLion's Fi Thompson joined by experts from Loox, Gorgias, GoKwik and Order Editing to share five quick wins brands can implement ahead of holiday sales.
Charlie Casey, CEO and co-founder of LoyaltyLion, said “Black Friday brings a huge influx of shoppers to ecommerce brands, but the opportunity goes well beyond what they spend over one weekend. More than half of shoppers are more likely to join a loyalty program during BFCM, giving brands a chance to turn that spike in traffic into relationships that continue into the new year.
“Our research also shows the value of going into peak with those relationships already established. Six in ten shoppers are likely to buy from brands they know, and the same proportion are more likely to visit stores where they have points or rewards waiting to be used.
“Loyalty Connect brings together brands that have tested these strategies in the real world. We want retailers to hear what worked, what they learned and what they can still put into action before Black Friday arrives to make the peak season more profitable.”
Loyalty Connect BFCM 2026 takes place on 8 September 2026, with over 250 members of LoyaltyLion’s community already signed up to participate.