Seasonal playbook
White Friday 2026 falls on Friday 27 November, the day after US Thanksgiving. It is the Gulf and Egypt name for Black Friday, and for most MENA brands it is the biggest sales week of the year. This playbook covers the six weeks from now to the end of the sale: what to set up each week, which flows to switch on, which segments to build, and ready-to-copy WhatsApp and SMS templates in English and Arabic.
Measured on Nonito. Real results from brands on Nonito. Yours depend on your product and pricing, so read this as a range, not a forecast.
Sender IDs and templates take the longest to approve, so they come first. The messages themselves are the easy part.
19–26 October
27 October – 2 November
3–9 November
10–19 November
20–26 November
Friday 27 November to the end of the sale
wf_launchwf_cart_reminderwf_last_hourssms_wf_launchsms_wf_last_hours
28 November – 13 December
wf_cod_confirmwf_cod_followupsms_cod_confirmwf_delivery_updatewf_review_requestwf_second_order
Automated flows carry most of a sale week, because they fire on what each customer actually does. Set them up before the first broad send.
One message to the whole list is the fastest way to lose a WhatsApp quality rating in a busy week. Build these from your order data instead, and send each group only what it needs.
| Segment | Who is in it | What they get |
|---|---|---|
| Early list | Tapped "Yes, get early access". | Early access, then the launch only if they have not bought. |
| VIPs | Top 10% of customers by spend in the last 12 months. | A private code before the sale opens. |
| Last year’s White Friday buyers | Ordered between 20 and 30 November 2025. | They already expect a sale. The early-list invitation. |
| Recent clickers | Clicked a tracked link in the last 30 days without ordering. | The launch, and last hours if they click again. |
| Sale-only buyers | Every past order used a discount code. | Sale messages yes. Leave them out of full-price sends in December. |
| First-time sale buyers | First ever order placed during the sale. | The second-order message after delivery. |
| Cash-on-delivery risk | Refused a cash-on-delivery order in the last 90 days. | No order ships until it is confirmed. |
Every WhatsApp template below follows Meta’s rules: numbered variables that never start or end the body, buttons of 25 characters or fewer, and the category Meta will actually assign. Copy one, swap in your store’s details and submit it.
wf_early_list_optinHi {{1}}, White Friday at {{2}} starts on 27 November. Want to shop it a day early, before sizes sell out? Tap below and we'll message you first.
Send to customers who already opted in to WhatsApp. Everyone who taps the first button goes into an early-access segment.
wf_early_accessHi {{1}}, you asked for early access, so here it is. White Friday prices at {{2}} are open for you now, a day before everyone else. The link below works until {{3}}, then the sale opens to all.
Only to the early-access segment. Use a tracked link so the orders it drives are attributed to this message.
wf_vip_codeHi {{1}}, thank you for being one of our regular customers. Before White Friday opens, here is an extra {{2}} off for you only. Use code {{3}} at checkout, valid until {{4}} at midnight.
For your VIP segment only. A code per segment shows you exactly how much revenue the VIP send drove.
wf_launchHi {{1}}, White Friday is live at {{2}}. Up to {{3}} off across the store until Sunday night. The most popular sizes go first.
Your one broad send. Leave out anyone who already bought in early access, so they are not told about a sale they just used.
wf_cart_reminderHi {{1}}, you left {{2}} in your cart. It is still at its White Friday price until {{3}}, and stock is moving quickly this week.
Sale-week copy for the abandoned cart flow. Cart recovery is always billed as MARKETING, so there is no point wording it as utility.
sms_wf_launch{brand}: White Friday is live. Up to {discount} off until Sunday. Shop: {link} STOP to opt out
For customers you cannot reach on WhatsApp. Promotional, so it needs the advertising sender ID in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
wf_last_hoursHi {{1}}, White Friday at {{2}} ends tonight at {{3}}. After that, prices go back to normal. If something is still on your list, now is the time.
Only to people who clicked during the sale and have not bought. Sending it to the whole list is how a quality rating drops in a week.
sms_wf_last_hours{brand}: White Friday ends tonight at {time}. Last chance on sale prices: {link} STOP to opt out
Send it in the afternoon, not at 11pm: promotional SMS has quiet hours in the Gulf.
wf_cod_confirmHi {{1}}, thank you for your order #{{2}} with {{3}}. The total of {{4}} will be paid in cash on delivery. Please confirm the order so we can prepare it for shipping.
The order confirmation flow. Sale weeks bring the most impulse cash-on-delivery orders, so nothing ships until this is answered.
wf_cod_followupHi {{1}}, following up on your pending order #{{2}}. We are awaiting your confirmation before it ships. Please confirm or cancel using the buttons below.
A few hours after the first confirmation goes unanswered. "Following up" and "pending order" are the words that keep it in UTILITY.
wf_delivery_updateOrder #{{1}} update: because of high order volume this week, your delivery is now expected on {{2}}. You can track it any time from the link below.
Say it before the customer asks. It leaves out the sale name on purpose: a seasonal reference is enough to get an order update reclassified.
sms_cod_confirm{brand}: Order #{order} ({total}, cash on delivery) is waiting for your confirmation. Confirm here: {link}
The fallback when a WhatsApp confirmation fails to deliver. Transactional, so it uses your normal sender ID.
wf_review_requestHi {{1}}, your order #{{2}} has been delivered. How did it arrive? Your answer goes straight to our team.
The post-purchase feedback flow. Tied to an order number, so it stays UTILITY. "Something is wrong" should reach a person the same day.
wf_second_orderHi {{1}}, thank you for shopping White Friday with us. Customers who bought {{2}} often come back for {{3}}, and you can still get it at the White Friday price until {{4}} at midnight.
Ten to fourteen days after delivery, to first-time buyers from the sale. This is the message that turns a discount buyer into a customer.
Arabic SMS counts 70 characters per part instead of 160. Count your parts.
Promotional SMS in the Gulf needs a sender ID registered for advertising, and registration takes weeks. These are the rules as SMS providers document them. Confirm the details with your provider before you schedule anything.
Source: Telerivet: UAE SMS compliance
Last checked 2026-10-19.
Nonito connects to your Shopify or Odoo store and runs order confirmation, cart recovery and post-purchase flows on WhatsApp and SMS, with every order tied back to the message that drove it.