Another Black Friday/Cyber Monday week(end) has been and gone, and it’s time to face the numbers. Looking at the data from all of our clients in north-western Europe, what have we learnt from this year’s most busy weekend in the e-commerce calendar, and how can we help you create a strategy for the upcoming year?

Year on year, the trends show that the sales are starting earlier, with the Monday before BFCM showing a revenue share increasing by 267% compared to the same day last year. We also saw that shopping behaviour reflected a shift towards a more evenly distributed shopping week, but Cyber Monday outperformed its prior-year performance significantly, with a +49.59% increase in revenue share. 

While this shows that people do still make (many) purchases during the weekend, there’s also enough commentary to suggest that customers are experiencing fatigue, overwhelm, and disengagement with brands due to saturation. 

Looking forward, we’ve distilled three key pieces of information we believe you should take into account when preparing your next calendar year.

Consider the profitability

First of all, should Black Friday even be part of your own e-commerce calendar? It’s easy to get swept along with the masses of brands doing it, but if you look at your own financial situation and profitability (as well as brand identity), does it make sense? 

Some things to consider are:

1. Revenue Trade-Offs: Black Friday can drive significant sales, but steep discounts and pre-event dips reduce overall profitability. 
2. Customer Behaviour: Many shoppers delay purchases waiting for Black Friday, impacting revenue in late October and early November. 
3. Strategic Balance: A hybrid approach with pre-event deals and targeted Black Friday offers can help sustain revenue and profitability.
4. Cost of ads: In order to cut through the noise of this period, higher ad budgets are needed.
5. Brand Perception Risk: engaging in continuous discount cycles can lead to brand dilution, potentially eroding long-term customer loyalty.

While Black Friday remains a critical opportunity for customer acquisition and sales growth, careful planning is essential to maximise returns while protecting margins.

A constant strategy, where revenue remains steady across weeks, avoids the pre-event dip and delivers slightly higher total revenue (+5%) over the period (if revenue stays the same). In contrast, the Black Friday strategy creates a sharp pre-event decline but compensates with a significant spike in sales during the event.

However, this spike comes at a cost. Lower profit margins due to discounts mean that while sales volumes increase, overall profitability may not. The pre-event dip, where revenue declines by as much as 15.8%, further impacts the total revenue. Be critical of your own financial status and make decisions accordingly.

Utilise relevant platforms and create content that resonates with that audience

Social media is a powerful tool, but with all the noise, it’s getting harder and harder to stand out from the crowd. Comparing the same period last year, pre Black Friday Monday - Cyber Monday, these insights show how important using social media is to drive engagement and revenue:

• Total Engagement: Impressions rose +106%, clicks +109%, and ad spend +124% across channels.

• Google Ads: Impressions grew +81%, with ad spend up +82%, but CTR fell -11%.

• Meta: Strong engagement with +155% clicks and +24% CTR; ad spend increased +148%.

• TikTok: Impressions soared +257%, clicks +120%; ad spend surged +259% despite a -38% CTR decline.

Brands should consider diversifying their budget to include emerging platforms while optimising their campaigns for performance on Meta and Google.

What types of content work per platform 

Brands need to tailor their creative formats to platform behaviour to thrive and have maximum engagement. By aligning your creative assets to platform strengths, you’ll drive better results and make the most of your Black Friday campaigns. 

Meta: Simplicity Drives Results

1. Still Images with plain, direct messages outperform other formats during Black Friday, delivering better engagement and conversions.
2. Carousel Ads work well in the lead-up to Black Friday, offering an interactive way to showcase multiple products or deals.
3. Video Content, while impactful on some platforms, performed less effectively during Black Friday. To succeed, adjust video creatives to specific placements and keep messages concise.
4. On Instagram, user-generated content (UGC) is essential. Authentic, relatable content stands out in a feed crowded with polished ads.

TikTok: Leverage the Power of UGC

TikTok continues to dominate with its focus on short-form, authentic content. Black Friday campaigns saw a surge in user-generated content directly created by and for target audiences. Relatable ads featuring real users or influencers showcasing products with trending audio perform exceptionally well.

Emerging platform spotlight: TikTok

TikTok continues to prove itself as a reliable and popular platform, delivering impressive growth in reach and returns. A year-over-year analysis reveals significant improvements in scalability, engagement, and cost-effectiveness.

In 2024, TikTok campaigns saw impressions increase by +29% compared to 2023. While click-through rates (CTR) dipped slightly by -10%, total clicks grew by +22%, indicating strong audience engagement. Profitability remained high, with ROAS reaching +15% above 2023 levels, highlighting TikTok's potential for driving results during competitive periods.

TikTok is also more cost-efficient, with CPMs decreasing by -17% YoY, making it an ideal platform for brands looking to maximize visibility without overspending.

Find a balance between customer acquisition and retention

One of the key metrics we analysed was the split between new customers and returning customers during Black Friday week.

• In 2023, the split was evenly balanced at 50% new customers and 50% returning customers.
• In 2024, the share of new customers increased to 67%, while returning customers accounted for only 33%.

 This highlights a growing challenge in activating the existing customer base, with many brands choosing to shift focus to customer acquisition instead. Retention strategies should be a big part of future plans to ensure loyalty and consistent engagement, particularly during high-pressure shopping periods. A balanced approach focusing both on acquisition and retention will drive sustainable growth and strengthen a brand’s position in the oversaturated market.

Conclusion

So, is it worth it? This is something you need to decide independently as a business, while taking a look at all the facts and data you have before you. Taking stock of your profitability margins and making calculated decisions is very important.

In a climate where audiences are trying to be more economical with their budgets, time, and energy, skipping Black Friday might be a strategic move to gain favour with customers, and help you engage with them in a less busy period. Consider focusing on the Winter sales starting in December instead.

However, if Black Friday is a profitable time for your business then it’s a great way to move stock and reach new customers. Do whatever is right for you!