Discover the Winning Strategies for Black Friday 2025 on Marketplaces
Lessons from Black Friday / Cyber Week 2024: What Worked
What we saw in 2024 wasn’t just “a lucky year”: there are recurring patterns and dynamics worth carrying into 2025.
Cyber Week 2024 (November 26 – December 2) generated $314.9 billion in global digital sales (+6% vs. 2023).
Mobile devices accounted for 70% of all digital orders, both globally and in the U.S., confirming their dominance in traffic and conversions.
AI technologies (agents, smart recommendations, chatbots, conversational tools) influenced $60 billion in global sales during Cyber Week.
Merchants who implemented AI-driven solutions during the promotional period achieved conversion rates 2 percentage points higher than those who didn’t. The use of intelligent chatbots grew 32.2% year over year, while AI agent interactions increased 38% compared to the previous week.
“Smart,” Not Extreme Discounts
The average discount rate stood at 26% globally and 28% in the U.S., slightly below 2023 — proving that extreme discounting isn’t always the most effective approach.
These numbers confirm several consolidated trends:
- A mobile-first approach
- AI as a key differentiator
- Black Friday and Cyber Week as fundamental pillars of digital commerce
Emerging Trends
- BNPL and flexible payment options will remain decisive levers
- Social commerce will play an increasingly important role as a discovery and purchase touchpoint
- Sustainability, transparency, and omnichannel experience will act as differentiators
- AR / visual and voice search are approaching broader adoption — a good opportunity for early investors
These trends show that standing out in 2025 will require more than relying on “old tricks”: brands will need to differentiate through offering, customer experience, and communication.
Black Friday 2025: Forecasts, Opportunities, and Challenges Ahead
With 2024 behind us, let’s look ahead to Black Friday 2025:
🗓️ Black Friday 2025: Friday, November 28
🗓️ Cyber Monday 2025: Monday, December 1
What to Expect: Key Trends and Opportunities
Challenges to Consider:
- Rising advertising costs (higher CPCs)
- Compressed margins for brands offering deep discounts
- Logistics and returns management, especially with unexpected volumes
- Real-time campaign management and budget reallocation
- Standing out when many brands adopt similar strategies
Practical Tips for Marketplace Brands: How to Maximize Sales in 2025
Here’s an actionable roadmap divided into pre-event, event, and post-event phases:
Preparation Phase (Now – Early November)
Historical Analysis & Forecasting
- Study 2023 and 2024 performance to estimate demand curves and budget allocation.
- Compare marketplace performance to identify the most promising platforms.
Catalog & Product Page Optimization
- Ensure titles, descriptions, images, bullet points, and attributes are optimized for both mobile and marketplace algorithms.
- Include strategic Black Friday 2025 keywords (e.g., “promo,” “offer,” “deal”).
- Add AI-friendly content such as FAQs, comparators, and dynamic elements if supported.
AI Testing / Recommendations / Chatbots
- Test recommendation modules on regular traffic before the sales peak.
- Enable chatbots for guided assistance once traffic begins to rise.
Teaser Campaigns / Intent Collection
- Launch “Save the Date” campaigns, newsletters, notifications, and wishlist pushes to build anticipation and capture interest.
During Black Friday / Cyber Week
Dynamic Advertising & Budget Reallocation
- Use real-time dashboards to monitor ROAS, conversions, and share of voice.
- Shift budgets toward SKUs and segments performing best throughout the day.
Flash Deals & Tiered Discounts
- Don’t release everything at once — schedule phased promotions, timed offers, and countdowns to drive urgency and immediate conversions.
Cross-Channel & Social Commerce Integration
- Combine marketplace + social campaigns to broaden reach and leverage audience synergy.
Logistics & Operational Excellence
- Focus on packaging, shipping, returns, and customer communication.
- Avoid delays or poor post-purchase experiences that could harm ratings and reputation.
Post-Purchase Upsell & Cross-Sell
- After a purchase, offer related or complementary products and discounts on future orders.
Post-Event / Retention Phase
Nurture & Retention Workflows
- Send thank-you emails, loyalty coupons, and reminders for products viewed but not purchased.
- Turn one-time buyers into repeat customers.
Incremental vs. Cannibalization Analysis
- Identify which sales were incremental vs. shifted from other periods.
- Use baseline benchmarks to measure event effectiveness.
- Segment top-performing campaigns and SKUs for replication in 2026.
Preparation for the Holiday Season
- Leverage Black Friday insights to inform Christmas and January strategies: stock levels, targeted offers, and follow-up campaigns.
Source: Salesforce
