How dropshippers can actually win Black Friday / Cyber Monday

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Let's be real: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are bot incredible stressful if you're a dropshipper.

You're selling the same products as everyone else. You didn't make them. You can't guarantee they'll arrive on time. And your customers? They've got 20 tabs open right now, looking at stores that sell the exact same thing you do.

So how do you win? You can't beat many on price alone. The person next to you is running the same supplier, probably with the same margins. 

You can't win on exclusivity either – it's probably the same product photo everyone uses.

The only thing that can truly differentiate your brand, and you can win on, is trust.

When someone lands on your store during BFCM, they're asking one question: "Can I actually trust this place?" If your site doesn't answer that in about five seconds, they're gone.

This guide is about how to make your store look like the obvious choice, even when you're selling the same stuff as fifty other people.

And the good news? We are giving dropshippers a free month of Awesome Plan so you can set all this up in time for BFCM.

Why is BFCM so tough for dropshippers?

Here's what makes BFCM tough for dropshippers:

• Everyone has access to your products: Your competitor can add the same item to their store in ten minutes.

• You don't control shipping: A customer orders on Friday, and you're just hoping your supplier actually ships it.

• Customers are comparison shopping like crazy: They're not loyal. They're hunting for deals and they'll bounce the second something feels off.

In that environment, the stores that win are the ones that feel safe. 

Not the cheapest, not the flashiest, just the ones that make people think, "Okay, lots of others people bought from here, and they liked the product – I'll give it a go!"

That's what reviews do, they answer the trust question without you having to say a word.

Step 1: Show proof right away (because nobody trusts a blank page)

Imagine you're shopping on Black Friday. You find a product you want. You open two tabs, both stores selling it for the same price.

One store has no reviews. Just a product photo and a buy button but a slightly cheaper price.

The other store has 87 reviews, a 4.8-star rating, and photos from real customers wearing the product.

Which one are you buying from? Hopefully the answer is self-explanatory! 

The fastest way to look legit is to have visible reviews right at the top of your product page. Not buried at the bottom, right where people can see them immediately.

Judge.me's review carousel lets you show off customer reviews in a scrolling banner.

You can also add badges like "Top Rated" or "Verified Quality" that make your product pages feel more established.

But what if you're just starting out?

Here's the problem: if you're new, you don't have reviews yet. And if you're importing products from AliExpress or another platform, your page starts at zero, while your competitors might already have social proof built up.

That's where our AliExpress Review Importer comes in. You can legally pull in existing reviews from AliExpress (including customer photos) and display them on your store.

It's transparent, it's allowed, and it gives you instant credibility instead of starting from nothing.

You're just making sure customers can see the feedback that's already out there, instead of launching without any social proof at all.

During BFCM, people are moving fast. A product page with zero reviews feels risky. 

Whereas, a product page with 100+ ratings and real customer photos? That feels safe – and safe wins when you've got minimal brand reputation. 

Step 2: Let AI do the heavy lifting

There’s a balance to everything thought. If you’re lucky enough to have said 200+ reviews, people will just scroll for like three seconds, see a few stars, and decide.

They don't read all 200 reviews. The reality is that they are barely going to read five in full. Likewise, they just want to know if other people were happy.

That's why our AI review summaries are a game-changer.

Judge.me automatically scans your reviews and pulls out the most common things people say. Stuff like:

• "Arrived faster than I expected"

• "Looks even better in person"

• "Great quality for the price"

Then it displays those summaries right at the top of your reviews section. So instead of making customers dig through pages of feedback, you're giving them the highlights instantly.

This is huge for dropshippers because you don't have a brand story to lean on because you need to build confidence fast, and AI summaries do that by showing customers the good stuff without making them work for it.

Step 3: Build landing pages fast (without any developer input)

Let's say a product goes viral on TikTok. Or you want to run a flash sale. Or an influencer agrees to promote your store.

You're likely going to need a landing page, and fast!

The problem is that it takes time to code custom pages or redesign layouts. You're too busy managing suppliers, checking stock, and trying not to mess up fulfilment.

That's where apps like PageFly comes in. It's a drag-and-drop page builder that works with Judge.me, so you can pull in reviews, carousels, badges, and testimonials without touching any code.

You can build a BFCM-specific page in a matter of minutes. Just drag your review widgets in, add your product, throw in a countdown timer if you want, and you're done.

30% off for all paid PageFly plans – simply apply the coupon JUDGEMESPECIAL

Trends move fast in dropshipping. A product can blow up on social media and be dead two weeks later. 

If you can't move quickly and build pages that actually convert, you're leaving money on the table.

Even if ten other stores are selling the same product, customers will trust the one that looks like it has real validation. 

However, if your landing page has clear social proof above the fold and your competitor's doesn't, we’ll put a bet on the fact that you’ll convince most buyers.

Step 4: Start laying the foundations to get repeat customers

Most people think of dropshipping as transactional. Sell once, move on. 

But BFCM is actually a great time to start building repeat customers – even if you don't control the product or the packaging.

There’s a really simple way of doing this: reward people for leaving reviews.

With BON Loyalty, every time someone submits a review through Judge.me, they can earn points, discounts, or referral bonuses. 

It's automated, so you don't have to do anything. They leave a review, they get rewarded, and now they have a reason to come back.

Let's say someone buys a random impulse item during Black Friday. Normally, they'd forget about your store. 

But if they earn points from their review, they might come back in January to use them.

You can't compete on unique products. But you can compete on how you treat customers. And loyalty programs are one of the easiest ways to do that.

Secure 30% off for 3 months on Bon Loyalty

Step 5: Automate everything and save your safe A LOT of time

When Black Friday hits, you're going to be slammed. Orders are coming in. Customers are asking questions. Suppliers might be delayed. The last thing you want to do is manually send review requests.

That's why you need to set up automation now (before things get busy!)

Judge.me's smart review requests automatically send review invitations after delivery. 

You can customize the timing based on your typical shipping windows, which is important as you know that handling international shipping will take longer than domestic orders.

From there, you can look to:

• Ask for a photo review if someone leaves 5 stars

• Send a discount code after a positive review

• Show recent reviews to people who abandoned their cart

All of this can run on autopilot, so once you’ve set it up once, it will keep working while you focus on maintaining your store and supply.

Step 6: Take your reviews beyond your website (TikTok, Meta, affiliate marketing)

Here's the thing: most of your customers don't start on your website. They start on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook.

They see a product, click a link, and maybe land on your store. But a lot of the time, they're shopping directly inside those apps.

That's why you need to show reviews there, not just on your Shopify store.

Judge.me integrates with TikTok Shop and Meta, so your reviews can show up directly on your social commerce listings and shoppable posts. That means people see proof before they even visit your site.

And, to take it a step further, apps such as UpPromote helps you amplify that social proof through affiliate, influencer, and referral marketing. 

By using this, you can encourage your best customers and creators to share your brand across the same channels where people shop.

UpPromote are offering 20% off for all paid plans for your ENTIRE lifetime 

During BFCM, attention is everything. If your competitor is just offering a discount, and you're offering a discount plus visible, verified reviews right there in the app, you're the safer bet. And safer wins.

Final Thoughts: Trust is your best advantage

Ultimately, you can't win on price or exclusivity, but you can win on trust.

Two stores selling the same product will not perform the same. 

One might look a bit sketchy and the other could look established. The difference? Reviews, badges, and social proof.

You know that can't control when the product ships. But you can control what customers expect when they order. 

At the end of the day, dropshipping is about selling products you don't make, from suppliers you don't fully control, to customers who are comparing you to a dozen other stores.

So use your positive sales to your advantage in every way possible. 

BFCM doesn't reward the store with the most inventory. It rewards the store people trust the most.

We're offering 30 days of Awesome Plan for free so you can get everything ready before BFCM!