New customers are how a brand grows, and no moment delivers them like BFCM. The awareness and consideration you build all year converges on a few days when shoppers are finally ready to try someone new. In 2025, new-customer checkouts spiked harder than returning-customer checkouts during BFCM, and the buyers acquired during the event kept purchasing for months afterward. This playbook covers how to capture that first purchase: which campaigns to run, how long to let them mature, and how to turn BFCM buyers into repeat customers.

1. New customers drove the BFCM spike

During BFCM 2025, we found that new-customer checkouts reached 3.3x the evergreen baseline, versus 2.9x for returning customers, and new customers generated the majority of checkouts across major categories. Order values were roughly on par: new and returning customers spent about the same per order, with only modest differences by category.

On AppLovin, we recommend you set separate goals for new and returning customers. Use Prospecting and Discovery campaigns to capture new-customer demand and Universal Campaign to maintain returning-customer coverage. Add the new-customer campaigns at least a week or two before the event rather than during it, and calibrate the budget split using your category and customer history.

2. Give Prospecting and Discovery campaigns time to mature before judging performance

When new-customer acquisition is the top priority, add Prospecting and Discovery campaigns. They reach less familiar audiences, so conversions take longer to land, and day-one numbers undersell them: during BFCM 2025, new-customer ROAS grew 29% from D0 to D14 for Universal Campaign, 63% for Prospecting Campaign, and 78% for Discovery Campaign. Judge these campaigns on matured results, not the first-day snapshot.

For Prospecting and Discovery campaigns, we recommend using D0 as an early signal and D7 as a checkpoint, and let these campaigns run through D14 before making the main performance call. Avoid cutting or reallocating their budget based on the first few days, if you are focused on NC ROAS or NC CPP performance.

3. New customers acquired at BFCM kept repurchasing for months

BFCM is a fast way to bring new customers into the brand, but the opportunity does not end there. Our data shows that repeat purchasing kept building for nine months. Among customers acquired during BFCM, the cumulative repeat-purchase rate rose from 9.4% by day 90 to 12.5% by day 180 and 14.5% by day 270, giving advertisers a long window to maintain momentum.

What to do next:

Keep engaging BFCM-acquired customers after the holiday. Start with a strong welcome and product guidance, then follow up with replenishment reminders, loyalty benefits, and relevant recommendations as repeat purchases build. Keep campaigns live on this new-customer pool rather than cutting budgets sharply the week after Cyber Monday.

Your 2026 BFCM New Customer Action Plan

• Set separate goals and budgets for new and returning customers, and launch Prospecting and Discovery campaigns before the event, not during it.
• Judge new-customer campaigns on D14. Use D0 as an early signal and D7 as a checkpoint, and avoid cutting based on the first few days.
• Keep engaging BFCM-acquired customers after Cyber Monday; repeat purchases build for nine months or more.
• Get additional insights into top-performing creative concepts and campaign strategies by downloading our Q4 Playbook.