Black Friday is no longer just that one day when everyone storms stores and websites en masse. It’s increasingly transforming into a whole shopping season. It’s not just about timing, but also about relevance, sustainability, and smart communication.
As a marketer, you naturally don’t want to be left behind. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the five most important trends for Black Friday 2025.
Not on Friday, but beforehand: this is how we shop now
The clue is in the name, right? Black Friday is one particular Friday.
Not anymore!
While Black Friday (November 29th) saw UK shoppers spend a little over £1 billion, itself a 7.2% increase on 2023,, November as a whole saw £11.7 billion total spending, 5% more than the year before.
Consumers no longer shop en masse on that one Friday, but spread their purchases over several days. Online stores are cleverly capitalising on this by launching their Black Friday deals earlier and earlier. For example, Google started their 2024 Black Friday sale on November 21st, and ran an email campaign to build up to that date:
Personalisation is no longer a luxury, but a must
McKinsey research shows that 71% of consumers expect companies to tailor their communications to personal preferences and behaviour, and 76% become frustrated when this doesn’t happen.
This emphasises that personalised and well-timed messages not only offer a better customer experience but also have a real impact on the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
Companies that capitalise on this effectively often see higher open and click rates, more conversions, and stronger customer loyalty. Fortunately, small steps can make a big difference.
For example, segment customers based on previous purchases, interests, or demographics. This way, you can send offers and content that truly resonate with your customers.
With our CDP, you can build complete, 360-degree customer profiles . This gives you a single, central overview of all your customer data and allows you to create intelligent segmentations.
Combined with email marketing, you can easily translate these insights into automated campaigns. This way, you always send the right message to the right person, increasing open and click rates and boosting customer satisfaction.
Black Friday? No, Green Friday
According to BusinessWaste.co.uk, Black Friday creates 700,000 tonnes of cardboard and plastic waste, and an extra 429,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas.
Combined with growing consumer scepticism about whether Black Friday deals really represent savings, the eco-friendly alternative Green Friday has been gaining momentum:
A good example of how brands can lean into this trend is Rituals, who hit an eco-friendly double by both promoting refills and planting a tree for each sale.
By incorporating sustainability into your marketing, you demonstrate your commitment to adapting to your customers’ needs. This not only strengthens your brand but also attracts conscious shoppers.
Social & chat are becoming increasingly important
More consumers are making purchases via social media and mobile channels such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube. Preferences differ by generation, with younger shoppers, such as Gen Z, more likely to choose Instagram and TikTok, while Millennials and older generations are more likely to shop via Facebook and YouTube. Even though Gen X and Baby Boomers shop less often on social media , when they do, they mostly use Facebook as their channel (source: DHL).
Tip: Optimise your campaigns for mobile and social media, integrate shoppable content and live shopping where possible, to maximise your impact during Black Friday 2025. Australian fashion brand That’s So Fetch put out TikTok content that’s unpolished and shot in first-person view, rather than a slick branded video:
Using AI to intelligently respond to customer behaviour
Timing is crucial during Black Friday. With countless offers and campaigns sending out simultaneously, it’s a challenge to stand out and reach customers before they’re overwhelmed by other promotions.
More companies are therefore focusing on personalised timing and relevant content to differentiate themselves. According to research by Attentive (2024) , brands that use AI to determine the perfect time to send significantly outperform those that do not. They see higher open and click rates, more conversions, and stronger customer loyalty.
Besides timing, there are other ways to use AI intelligently. With Spotler Predictive AI, you don’t focus on the shipping time, but on predicting customer value and purchasing behaviour. The system predicts daily customer behaviour, such as Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), churn risk, and the likelihood of a repeat purchase in the next 30–90 days .
Customers are automatically categorised into value segments (high, medium, and low). These insights can be directly used to create targeted journeys, such as upselling, loyalty, or retention campaigns. This allows you to intelligently address each customer’s needs and allocate your marketing budget efficiently.
What does this mean to you?
Black Friday is no longer a sprint, but a smart, strategic campaign spanning several weeks. By working with relevant content, sustainable messages, and data-driven marketing, you can make the most of this crucial period.
And if you work with Spotler, you have everything you need to implement these trends immediately.
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