The biggest sales of the year are almost here! Black Friday and Cyber Monday represent major opportunities for founders, developers, and small businesses to score exclusive deals on top SaaS products. But with thousands of deals flooding your inbox, how do you know when the prime time is to score the deepest discounts on the tools you really need?
Let's break down the ideal timing to lock in the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals for must-have SaaS to optimize your workflows and support your growth in 2023.
When to Start Looking for Black Friday SaaS Deals
The key to snagging the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on SaaS is to be prepared and vigilant in the weeks leading up to the big weekend. Here's when you need to be on the lookout:
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Many SaaS companies like HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and Intercom will start unveiling exclusive early access deals 1-2 weeks prior to Black Friday weekend. Sign up for their email lists, follow their social media accounts, and check their sites daily so you don't miss flash sales.
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The absolute best doorbuster deals often sell out very quickly once announced. For example, LastPass offered 75% off premium plans for 12 hours only on Black Friday last year. Be ready to act fast if you see a hot discount on a must-have app.
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Black Friday and the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend tend to have the biggest and best sitewide discounts for SaaS companies and platforms. Based on historical data, up to 60% of all SaaS sales happen during this peak 48 hour period.
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Scope out upcoming deals in advance and make a wishlist on SaaS deal sites like SaaSDiscover so you know exactly which tools to target when the sales start. Watch for early announcements from vendors.
Ideal Time to Buy SaaS Tools You Already Use
If you already rely on certain SaaS products daily, Black Friday is the perfect opportunity to lock them in at a discount:
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Look for limited-time discounts on the services you already use on a regular basis, like 50% off Slack or 25% off Asana.
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Upgrading to a higher tier of an existing tool like Calendly or Drift at a discounted price can unlock more features.
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Adding more team seats to apps your team uses extensively like Salesforce or Hubspot is highly cost-effective during sales events.
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Consider extending an annual prepay plan to get the lowest price per month on tools you rely on, often with additional savings of 10-20%.
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Stack sitewide discounts with coupon codes and promos for maximum savings on your everyday SaaS stack.
When to Get SaaS Products You've Been Eyeing
For new tools you've been wanting to try, Black Friday is the time to take them for a spin:
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Sign up for free trials and start evaluating SaaS products you've been eyeing over the past few months, like Monday.com, Superhuman, or Notion. Get familiar with them before buying.
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Make a priority list of must-have tools that solve your biggest pain points or supercharge your workflow, like chatbots, project management, or analytics. Resist impulse purchases if you're not sure how you'll use them.
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Ensure any new integrated tools you buy on sale are compatible with your existing tech stack and workflows. Research integration capabilities.
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Favor flexible subscription plans from vendors like Zoho that will allow you to easily scale your usage up or down as your needs change.
Strategies for Assessing Discounted SaaS Deals
Not all deals are created equal. Use these pro tips to assess Black Friday SaaS offers:
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Compare discount percentages across similar tools like SEO platforms to find the best value for your needs and budget.
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Look at the actual dollar amount you'll save, not just percentages. A 25% discount on a $20/month tool has more impact than 40% off a $5,000/year service.
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Factor in the regular non-discounted retail pricing and the true value of the tool. A steep discount off an inflated price may not be the best deal.
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Carefully vet companies by reading online reviews and making sure their customer support is responsive before purchasing discounted SaaS tools.
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Consider the ease of onboarding, implementation, and integration before investing in complex new SaaS solutions like Adobe Analytics or Salesforce.
When to Buy SaaS Tools Aligning with Growth Plans
The sales period is also an opportunity to invest in solutions supporting your future growth initiatives:
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Look for tools with capabilities that scale as your emerging needs change over the next 1-3 years like CRMs or marketing automation platforms.
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Prioritize buying tools that provide analytics, insights, and intelligence to inform your strategy like Mixpanel, Heap, or Amplitude.
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Consider workflow automation tools like Zapier or Integromat to optimize processes as you grow your team.
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Invest in omnichannel live chat and chatbots like Drift or Intercom to enhance CX as your customer base expands.
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If targeting enterprise accounts, start implementing security and compliance tools like Okta now to prepare.
Other Opportune Times to Buy On-Sale SaaS
While Black Friday weekend sees the biggest deals, you can find SaaS discounts at other points too:
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Early Tuesday mornings when new online deals and promos are unveiled.
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During flash sales and other limited-time promotions vendors announce via email and social media.
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On Cyber Monday - the big online shopping day right after Black Friday.
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In December as vendors try to hit year-end budget targets and boost Q4 revenues.
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Right after the holidays in January when companies want to boost lagging sales.
There you have it - the inside scoop on the best times to lock in Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on the SaaS tools your business needs now and in the future. Follow these tips to save big while avoiding dud deals on unnecessary tools. With the right discounts on must-have solutions, you can accelerate your productivity and growth trajectory in 2023!
Top SaaS Categories to Watch for Black Friday Deals
Beyond timing your purchase right, you also need to know which categories of SaaS products see the biggest Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts. Keep these top software deal categories on your radar:
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Website builders like Wix and Squarespace often offer free months of access or discounted annual plans up to 50% off.
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Marketing tools like Mailchimp, HubSpot, and ActiveCampaign provide credits for email sends and ads to let you expand reach.
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Subscription services like Calendly, Dialpad, and Slack give bulk discounts on higher seat tiers up to 25% off.
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Sales tools like PandaDoc, Outreach, and SalesLoft provide percentage discounts from 20-40% off Pro and Business plans.
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Customer service platforms like Intercom, Drift, and Zendesk offer extended free trials for premium tiers.
Website Builders and Hosting
Every business needs an online presence. Look for deals on top website builder and hosting services like:
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Squarespace - Free custom domains and discounted annual website plans up to 50% off.
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Wix - BOGO months and up to 50% off premium eCommerce plans.
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Webflow - Discounted annual plans from 20-30% off with more CMS features unlocked.
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Bluehost - Domain registrations for $1-2/month and shared hosting at 60% off.
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Siteground - Up to 80% off popular shared web hosting services.
SEO and Marketing Tools
Growing your reach online? Watch for hot deals on top marketing SaaS:
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Ahrefs - Rare 7 day $7 trial of their SEO toolkit plus 25% discount on paid plans.
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Moz Pro - Free month of pro SEO tools and 30% off paid plans.
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Sendinblue - "Forever Free" plan with 300 free emails per day.
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Mailchimp - Discounted credits for email and ad sends up to 25% off.
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Hootsuite - 35% off Pro and Teams social media management plans.
Sales and Video Tools
Closing more deals requires the right sales stack. Look for discounts on:
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PandaDoc - Up to 40% off Pro and Business eSigning plans.
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Calendly - Bulk discounts on premium tiers with more seats up to 20% off.
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Loom Pro - Half off their annual video recording plan.
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Drift - Free chatbot seats and extended free trials of their conversational marketing platform.
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Zoom Meetings - Discounted annual plans up to 20% off for webinars, meetings, and conference rooms.
Productivity and Project Management
Staying on task across teams requires next-level project management tools. Watch for deals on leading solutions:
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Asana - Discounts up to 50% on their premium paid plans.
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Trello - Savings on discounted annual plans up to 25% off and free bonus months.
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Notion - Discounted personal plans up to 20% off for notes, tasks, wikis and databases.
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Slack - Reduced annual rates up to 25% off and free credits for paid workspaces.
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Basecamp - Exclusive holiday discounts on their popular annual project management plans up to 20% off.
Business Intelligence and Analytics
Insights drive smart strategy. Keep an eye out for deals on top analytics SaaS solutions:
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Mixpanel - Free months of access and extra data points on their pro plan.
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Amplitude - Extended free trial and discounted annual plan up to 25% off on their analytics platform.
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Google Analytics 4 - Now free with unlimited data and advanced features.
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Hotjar - Discounts on their Starter and Team heat mapping and conversion analytics plans up to 20% off.
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FullStory - Free 21-day trial and discounted annual plans up to 30% off for their digital analytics.
Scoring the best deals requires both perfect timing and knowing the top SaaS categories that see the biggest Black Friday and Cyber Monday discounts. Now that you’re armed with insider info on timing and top deals categories, you can upgrade your tech stack and supersize your SaaS savings this holiday shopping season.
Key Takeaways - Best Time for Black Friday SaaS Deals
To recap, here are the key tips for securing the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on the SaaS tools your startup needs:
Start monitoring deals 1-2 weeks before Black Friday weekend by signing up for vendor emails and checking their sites daily for early announcements. This ensures you have time to evaluate deals and products before the sales start.
The peak discount period is Black Friday and Cyber Monday themselves when vendors offer sitewide discounts of 25-50% off. These two days see the highest volume of SaaS sales.
Look for limited-time lightning deals that sell out quickly and discounted upgrades to tools you already use regularly. Adding seats and prepaid annual plans offer additional savings.
Carefully research free trials and vet companies for any new SaaS tools you want to try out. Ensure they integrate with your stack before buying at a discount.
Evaluate deals beyond just percentages by considering true dollar savings and retail costs. Avoid steep discounts on inflated regular pricing.
Invest in forward-looking SaaS like analytics, automation, and security aligned with longer-term business goals and future expansion plans.
Monitor for discounts not just during Black Friday weekend but also on Cyber Monday, flash sales, and in the weeks before and after.
With the right prep and buying strategy, Black Friday and Cyber Monday represent huge opportunities to supercharge your SaaS stack and fuel your startup growth. Now that you know the insider tips for timing and targeting deals, you can upgrade your essential workflows at the lowest prices of the year.
