Every year, Black Friday returns, and marketers kick into high gear months in advance. The UK remains one of the world’s ecommerce giants, yet 2025 has been anything but predictable. For brands straddling multiple categories, the message is clear: keep a pulse on these industry shifts and double down where the momentum is building.
WHAT IS BLACK FRIDAY MARKETING?
Black Friday isn’t just a shopping event – it’s a battlefield for brands to dominate the market and capture consumer attention. This is when your marketing strategy needs to go bold, with tactics designed to break through the noise and deliver unbeatable deals. Black Friday is about giving customers offers they can’t resist, driving sales to new heights. While it’s a time for aggressive pricing, it’s also a unique opportunity to build customer loyalty and engagement that lasts well beyond the holiday rush. This is the time to go all in and turn casual browsers into devoted fans.
A QUICK LOOKBACK.
Before we discuss the Black Friday Marketing checklist, I thought it would be useful to take a quick look back at 2025.
Global Online Sales: Black Friday 2025 saw a record-breaking $79 billion in global online sales, marking a 6% increase from the previous year.
Amazon’s Early Deals: Amazon’s Black Friday event officially commenced on November 20, 2025, kicking off Black Friday Week and running through to Cyber Monday on December 1.
AI Reshaped the Search: In 2025, a significant shift occurred as AI-driven traffic to retail sites surged 805% year-on-year, with AI and AI agents influencing over $14 billion in online sales. This indicates a growing trend of consumers turning to chatbots and AI assistants to find deals, rather than relying on traditional search alone.
Cross-Platform Research Dominated: Shoppers in 2025 engaged in multi-platform research more than ever before. Mobile devices drove over 70% of AI referral traffic to retail sites, while Buy Now, Pay Later usage climbed over 30% year-on-year, reflecting the increasing importance of a seamless, AI-augmented omnichannel shopping experience.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR BLACK FRIDAY & CYBER MONDAY (BFCM)?
We’re expecting that retailers and brands will lead with a digital first strategy this year – making sure they are present during the different touchpoints of the consumer journey, from awareness right the way through to driving action on site.
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry — the team at Found has created a handy checklist of what to prioritise this season. Based on the latest retail trends and consumer insights, it’s designed to help you plan with confidence.
2026 BLACK FRIDAY CHECKLISTS
GENERAL PREPARATION
Your go-to list before any Black Friday:
B2C BLACK FRIDAY CHECKLIST
Specific checklist developed for B2C companies, focusing in on preparation and activation across different channels:
B2B BLACK FRIDAY CHECKLIST
Specific checklist developed for B2B companies, focusing in on preparation and activation across different channels:
PAID MEDIA BLACK FRIDAY CHECKLIST
A checklist which details the must-do actions across all Biddable channels including: Search, Social, Local, YouTube and Shopping:
GOOGLE SHOPPING BLACK FRIDAY CHECKLIST
A huge proportion of overall revenue is tracked through Google Shopping campaigns, so much so that we thought it deserved it’s own checklist, covering everything from feed set up through to activation:
SEO BLACK FRIDAY CHECKLIST
This checklist contains everything you need to know/action from an organic perspective including site accessibility and crawlability through to keyword coverage and content:
BLACK FRIDAY 2026 KEY DATES
It’s important to remember that even though Black Friday is one of the key shopping events of the year, there’s other key dates to be aware of which I’ve listed below:
2026 Key Ecommerce Dates in November:
- Singles’ Day: Wednesday, November 11. Originating in China, Singles’ Day has become a significant global shopping event, with many retailers offering early deals.
- Black Friday Week: Monday, November 23 – Sunday, November 29. Many retailers extend their promotions throughout the week leading up to Black Friday.
- Thanksgiving (US): Thursday, November 26. While primarily a U.S. holiday, Thanksgiving influences global shopping patterns, especially online.
- Black Friday: Friday, November 27. The main event, offering significant discounts across various product categories.
- Cyber Monday: Monday, November 30. Focused on online deals, Cyber Monday continues the shopping momentum from Black Friday.
2026 Key Ecommerce Dates in December:
- Free Shipping Day: Monday, December 14. Many retailers offer free shipping on this day, encouraging last-minute holiday shopping.
- Christmas Day: Friday, December 25. A major holiday, often influencing shipping and return policies.
- Boxing Day: Saturday, December 26. A significant shopping day in the UK and other Commonwealth nations, featuring post-Christmas sales.
Planning and preparation will help to ensure a successful Black Friday Cyber Monday – the checklists which I’ve included above should help to cover most of what you need to know for this year’s upcoming peak shopping event and will hopefully put you in the best position to succeed during this holiday season.
If you would require any help and support with your Black Friday planning, Found is the ecommerce marketing agency to get you there — don’t hesitate to get in touch!
