Home / Guides

Black Friday and holiday emails for bakeries and sweet treat shops

A bakery’s holiday is a calendar of pickups. People want a pie on Thanksgiving morning, a tin of cookies for a neighbor, a box for the office. They need to know what to order, by when, and where to collect it.

Updated October 25, 2026 · By Doorbuster Studio

Capacity is your real limit

Most bakeries and sweet shops cannot make an unlimited number of pies, cookie boxes or gift tins. Your ovens, your staff and your time set the ceiling. That makes pre-orders the foundation of your holiday emails. They let you plan your baking, they spare you the line of disappointed customers, and they turn your list into a steady stream of orders.

Before you write anything, decide your daily or weekly order limit for the busiest days. If you will sell out, say so plainly, and tell people the order-by date. It is not a pressure tactic if it is true.

Order-by dates and pickup windows

For every item, give the same three facts: the last day to order, the pickup day or window, and the price. Thanksgiving pies, Christmas cookie boxes, yule logs and gift tins should each have their own dates. A short table or a simple list works well in the email. Keep it consistent across every email you send, so no one has to compare.

Local pickup is the simple, fresh choice for baked goods. Say where to park, what time, and what name to give. If you offer local delivery, give the area and the days.

Shipping: only what travels well

Cookies, brittle, fudge, caramel, popcorn and some loaf cakes ship well in a tin. Cream pies, frosted layer cakes and anything that needs a fridge generally do not. Offer shipping only for items you have tested, and give the last day to order for delivery before Christmas, plus what time of year or weather could affect it. If you ship perishable items, say how they are packed. Do not promise delivery dates you do not control: say “order by [date] for delivery before Christmas, with standard shipping times.”

Gift tins and boxes

A tin of cookies or a box of fudge is an easy gift for neighbors, teachers, coworkers and clients. Build a few set options, name them, and show the price: a small tin, a large tin, a sampler box, a corporate gift order of ten or more. Offer a note-card choice and, if you can, a way to send to someone else’s address. Businesses often place larger orders for coworkers and clients, so add a line inviting them to contact you before the dates fill up.

The five emails

1. Early access and Thanksgiving pre-orders (a week or two before Black Friday). Menu, prices, the order-by date and pickup window. Your list gets first choice, so say that.
2. Black Friday: one offer, and gift tins. A small free treat with a gift tin, a bonus for a sampler, or a discount on larger orders for the office. Keep to one offer and state the dates. Remember that discounts on made-to-order items eat into time you may not have.
3. Small Business Saturday: come by the counter. Invite people in for a sample, a decorating table for kids if you host one, and cider or coffee. A photo of the case does more than any coupon. Examples.
4. Christmas pre-orders and shipping cutoffs (early December). The full holiday menu, the order-by dates, what ships and what is for pickup only, and what is nearly full.
5. Last call and holiday hours. The last day to order, the last pickup day, and the hours on December 23 and 24. Include the Christmas morning pickup if you offer it. Last-day template.

What to put in a bakery’s emails

• Allergens, stated clearly: nuts, dairy, eggs, wheat, and whether your kitchen handles them together. Do not claim a product is allergen-free unless you can back it up.
• Size and servings, such as a nine-inch pie or a box of twelve.
• Storage and serving notes, a line or two on how long it keeps and how to rewarm it.
• Real photos, taken in the shop, of the actual items.
• A simple way to order, whether a form, a call, or an online cart, and the deadline for each.

A short template: holiday pre-order

Hi [First Name],

Holiday pre-orders at [Shop Name] are open.

Thanksgiving
[Pie or item], [size], [$ price]
[Pie or item], [size], [$ price]
Order by [date]. Pickup [day, time window].

Gift tins and boxes
[Small tin], [what is inside], [$ price]
[Large tin], [what is inside], [$ price]
Order by [date] for pickup, or by [date] for shipping to [where you ship].

Offices and groups: orders of [number] or more, contact us by [date].

[Place your order -> link]

Please tell us about any allergies when you order. We are open [holiday hours] and our pickup spot is [address and parking note].

Thank you for sharing your holiday with us,
[Your name], [Shop Name]

For packaged sweets and shipping details, see the candy and chocolate shop guide and the specialty food shop guide. The Black Friday email calendar has the dates.