Upcoming Black Friday 2024: Predictions, Patterns, and Mind-Blowing Statistics
Upcoming Black Friday 2024: Predictions, Patterns, and Mind-Blowing Statistics
Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 broke previous records once more. Barclaycard reported a 9.5% surge in UK retail transactions compared to BFCM 2024, while Bazaarvoice noted a similar 9.3% increase in orders throughout EMEA.
This year's retail scene remained in a state of flux, as changes in consumer preferences, payment methods, and hybrid shopping strategies became evident.
BFCM 2025 presented retailers with both challenges and opportunities. On the upside, its alignment with the last payday before Christmas generated interest. However, its late date, falling on the 29th of November, was a drawback, creating a shorter post-BFCM shopping window leading into Christmas.
Rory O’Neill, the chief marketing officer at Checkout.com, pointed out, "Despite a difficult economic climate, retailers are clearly making efforts to motivate shoppers to spend their hard-earned cash, and it's been successful."
Timing challenges and pent-up demand for Black Friday
BFCM 2025 coincided with payday for many consumers, leading to an intensified shopping period filled with time pressure. Huboo, a fulfillment company, saw that this condensed timeline led to higher activity peaks. "The demand is more pronounced and concentrated," said Andrew Harkness, vice president of sales and marketing at Huboo. "This shorter timeline is making the season not only busier but also more dynamic than previous years."
Black Friday itself dominated the weekend, with Checkout.com data showing a sales peak between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Black Friday itself.
O'Neill commented, "The spike in sales at the beginning of the working day on Black Friday indicates that UK consumers have a strong appetite for securing a bargain early in the day."
Black Friday's continuing dominance
Although sales extended across the entire BFCM weekend, Black Friday persisted as the central focus for most businesses. With retailers offering discounts early, many aimed to hype up the main event by providing early incentives and building anticipation.
There were 41,000 email campaigns sent to nearly 460 million contacts leading up to Black Friday, including 11,000 campaigns reaching 150 million recipients on the day itself, indicating a substantial build-up.
In contrast, retailers sent 7,000 campaigns to 100 million contacts on Cyber Monday.
Insights from technology company Block's commerce tools suggest, however, that retailers' singular focus on Black Friday might be misdirected. Saturday, 30th November, emerged as a significant shopping day, with the peak shopping minute occurring at 8:01 a.m. on Sunday, 1st December. This suggests that spreading marketing efforts across the entire weekend could yield better results.
What consumers purchased on Black Friday
Black Friday 2025 consumer spending patterns demonstrated a blend of planned and impulsive purchasing behavior.
Checkout.com data showed an increase in electrical store spending at 1 p.m. on Black Friday, with a 478% increase compared to the last Friday in October, as shoppers sought out high-end items like TVs and appliances. This contrasted with an overall growth in purchases of 70% compared to the last Friday in October.
Cosmetics purchases peaked at 7 p.m., with a 563% growth during the same period.
O'Neill explained, "Early purchasing from general high street retailers and department stores suggests that people are browsing and looking for deals across all categories early on, not necessarily with a specific deal in mind. Later surges in categories like cosmetics indicate impulse buying driven by targeted marketing."
Data from Block showed that gift cards also gained traction during the BFCM weekend, with a 31% year-on-year increase in the number purchased. This highlighted their appeal as a stress-free gifting option.
While most categories peaked on Black Friday, Checkout.com data showed that travel and clothing categories reached their peak at 9 p.m. on Cyber Monday, reflecting retailers' strategic last-minute deals.
BNPL also saw a lift of 10% for provider Clearpay. Beyond fashion and beauty, the largest Clearpay categories worldwide were personal care, household supplies, health care, gift cards, and office supplies as consumers opted for flexible shopping and payment options.
The rise of hybrid and mobile shopping on Black Friday
Consumer shopping habits increasingly involve blending online and brick-and-mortar experiences. E-commerce overall exhibited remarkable growth during BFCM 2025, with Block reporting a 16% increase in online sales and a 31% increase in in-store purchases. Online transactions had cart sizes four times larger than their in-person counterparts.
Mobile shopping continued to gain popularity. Bazaarvoice noted a 3.91% rise in mobile orders across EMEA, highlighting how integral mobile devices have become in the shopping journey.
The hybrid model of shopping is also gaining traction. QR Codes Unlimited analyzed data from over 10,000 Shopify stores and reported a 74% year-on-year increase in QR code scans leading to online purchases. This data showed a significant rise in consumers engaging with in-store products but completing their purchases online.
Jonathan Palley, a founding partner at QR Codes Unlimited, observed, "As the retail landscape evolves, those who embrace this hybrid model will likely stand out in a competitive marketplace."
Loyalty programs are playing an increasingly significant part in transforming occasional customers into long-term shoppers. As per data from LoyaltyLion, there was a 119% surge in new loyalty program members and a staggering 746% increase in referral activities during Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekends compared to usual weekends.
Charlie Casey, CEO of LoyaltyLion, asserted that BFCM is not just about discounts but also about creating deep, enduring connections with customers. Beyond purchasing, consumers interacted with brands through profile completion, recycling initiatives, and quizzes, and these activities grew by 454% during BFCM weekend, as per LoyaltyLion's data from over 4000 stores.
Key strategies for retailers during BFCM
This year's data further underscores the growing significance of BFCM in the retail industry's calendar. Retailers should henceforth focus on leveraging this period not only to boost sales but also to foster lasting bonds with their customers.
The compressed timeframe for Christmas sales emphasized once more the necessity of having operations capable of managing extreme sales peaks. Huboo boosted workforce and involved its leadership team in warehouse operations to meet demand. Huboo emphasized the importance of adaptability, citing the value of advanced planning.
In the future, Checkout.com's O'Neill urged caution against over-reliance on tentpole events like BFCM. “It's a marathon, not a sprint,” he noted. Retailers should aim for consistent, sustainable development by concentrating on targeted sales throughout the year besides focusing on these events.
Sarah Jordan, chief marketing officer of Constant Contact, concurred, mentioning that many small businesses attract a flood of new customers during this period. However, she lamented that many fail to capitalize on this "powerful growth tool" by disregarding post-transaction engagement with those shoppers.
Black Friday's record-breaking sales, the surge of mobile and hybrid shopping, and the development of loyalty programs reflect the transformation of the retail sector.
Today's customers want the freedom to choose how they pay and where they shop, noted Nick Molnar, head of sales at Block. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend remains crucial for the holiday sales season, but shopping habits are evolving, according to him.
Retailers must constantly adapt to the consumer who values flexibility and ease of shopping, and explore ways to strengthen customer loyalty. This way, they can utilize the lessons and triumphs from Black Friday 2024 to forge a robust strategy for 2025.
Retailers recognized the impact of shopping trends on BFCM 2025, as they aimed to motivate consumers despite a challenging economic climate. The shift towards hybrid shopping and mobile transactions was evident, with a 31% increase in in-store purchases and a 3.91% rise in mobile orders across EMEA.
With the retail scene in a state of flux, retailers recognized the need to adapt to these changing trends. The alignment of BFCM 2025 with payday and its late date presented both challenges and opportunities, leading to an intensified shopping period towards the end of November.
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