Well, we thought we heard it all.
But Black Friday in July?
If we didn’t have one foot in our eCommerce camp, we’d be inclined to say it was bordering on ridiculous.
Once upon a time, Black Friday was just that – a Friday in November. But these days it has been affected by some serious scope creep; first Cyber Monday, then cyber week, then cyber month?!
But now retailers have started using the Black Friday concept far beyond the winter months. Amazon’s Prime Day is of course one example.
Has it gone too far? Have consumers had enough? If Bloomberg rumours were to be believed, the figures would suggest so; Amazon Prime Day sales were down 41% on day one.
There’s no denying shoppers are showing signs of fatigue. They’re suspicious of markdowns and counting their pennies more carefully thanks to inflation and the cost of living.
Prime for discounting
Interestingly, over Prime Day in the US (a four-day long event), average order value slumped 37%. It also looked like US shoppers were prioritising buying household essentials, stocking up on what they needed, rather than treating themselves.
Despite this, Amazon’s Prime Day numbers were still pretty big; a reported £2bn in sales across the UK event.
It’s clear that people are still prime for a bargain, but only on products they really need.
While discounting upon discounting may work for behemoths like Amazon, it’s not a sustainable way to do business for smaller retailers and independents. But if you do choose to sit Black Friday / Cyber Monday out without any kind of offer, you risk handing your customers straight to competitors.
So what else can eCom brands do to make the most out of revenue driving events? Or is Black Friday completely broken?
How to fix Black Friday
Remember the old adage; things are only broken if they can’t be fixed.
Admittedly there are some elements which need a fresh approach. Here are some of our recommendations.
Don’t just do what you did last year
Black Friday / Cyber Monday worked out a treat for you last year, so if it ain’t broke, right?
Wrong.
Fix: Here is your cheat sheet for 2025
- Optimise for AI. Shoppers will be turning to AI tools such as ChatGPT to find the best deals. That means your products need to be visible in AI-driven recommendations, not just traditional SERPs. Do this by optimising product feeds and being transparent about pricing and messaging for AI discovery. You need to move early on this to gain a competitive advantage.
- Optimise for product-led discovery. With shoppers prioritising practical purchases over luxury splurges, they’re more likely to search for the product itself than the brand. Being product-led ensures you show up right where they’re looking.
- Don’t let Black Friday devalue your products
Endless discounts have trained customers to see your product’s value as whatever’s on the sale tag and to only buy again when it’s back at that price.
Fix: build in value, and explore alternative incentives
- Offer bundles, limited editions, or members-only collections
- Add perks like free shipping, gift wrapping or an extra surprise in the box
- Focus on what Amazon can’t replicate.
Don’t ignore your loyal customers
Brands go all out to attract new buyers while existing, loyal customers watch from the sidelines feeling totally underappreciated.
Fix: reward loyalty
- Offer early access or exclusive deals just for loyal customers
- Run surprise-and-delight campaigns just for them
- 64% of shoppers are more likely to join loyalty schemes in uncertain times so don’t waste that opportunity
Don’t ignore retention strategies
It’s inevitable that discounts will attract deal chasers, but if you’re prepared and have a sound retention strategy there are ways to convince them that you’re not a one-trick pony.
Fix: focus on retention
- Build loyalty journeys straight after purchase
- Send post-purchase emails and how-to content that adds value
- Segment and nurture new buyers with ongoing comms
- Have a 12-month retention strategy for new customers acquired during Black Friday
Don’t bombard your audience with vague offers
As we’ve said before, figuring out when Black Friday actually is, has become a bit of a guessing game. Does it kick off in October? Does it end in December? If you’re not explicitly saying when your sale starts and ends, your customers are going to get confused.
You may think you’re creating urgency but really, you’re just giving them analysis paralysis. Shoppers hang back, waiting for an even better deal, and sometimes, they won’t even buy at all.
Sending generic “big sale coming soon” emails is not going to stand out in their inboxes either.
Fix: be precise and transparent
- Share clear details in your communications; what’s on sale, when and how much
- Use loyalty and pre-sale access to lock in committed buyers before peak frenzy
- Retarget non-purchasers who engaged with follow-up offers
Don’t slip up at the final hurdle
A poor checkout experience, slow site and clunky UX won’t get sales over the line and you’ll fall at the final hurdle.
Fix: be operationally prepared
- Stress-test your checkout
- Prioritise mobile UX, speed and uptime
- A/B test cross-sells and upsells to boost AOV
- Strengthen abandoned cart flows with time-sensitive extras
- Plan for stockouts with restock guarantees (but don’t overpromise)
Black Friday isn’t beyond saving but it does need a serious rethink. Success is not directly correlated to the size of your discount. To make it work for your eCom brand you need to think about building value which lasts beyond one chaotic day, week or month of price slashing.
Want to make sure your brand adds real value before the BFCM rush kicks in? Let’s chat.
