Is Black Friday Still Worth Your Time?

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Jan 22, 2026 / by
Is Black Friday Still Worth Your Time?

At the end of every November, the marketing world lights up with talk of Black Friday. Once a single day of frenzy, it has become a season-long opportunity (and challenge) for brands large and small. But as consumer habits, economic pressures and retail strategies evolve, the question arises: Is Black Friday still worth your time?

The short answer: it depends. For some brands, Black Friday remains a strong lever for traffic, visibility and sales. For others? It can end up being a costly exercise in discounting with limited long-term reward.

What Black Friday Still Delivers

Big traffic and conversion surges

For many online retailers, Black Friday continues to deliver a powerful spike in traffic and conversions. Indeed, recent data suggests that online retail visits can double compared with a typical day. Conversion rates often rocket too, with conversion rates nearly 79% higher during Black Friday sales compared to usual. Online sales we’re seeing remain significant too. In 2025, with AI advances helping to drive a record $11.8 billion spending in 2025.

A chance to attract new customers

Black Friday often draws shoppers who wouldn’t otherwise be browsing. For some businesses (especially smaller or niche ones) that influx can mean a quick expansion of reach: new customers, new email subscribers, new potential brand fans. Given the rising importance of digital-first shopping and mobile browsing, Black Friday can still be a useful hook to get noticed.

Low-hanging fruit for holiday season sales

Black Friday can function as a gateway into the holiday buying season, giving brands a chance to capture gift-shopping intent and leverage festive momentum. For some retailers, the data shows that Black Friday boosts weekly online revenues significantly, especially if they gear up in advance.

What’s Changed and Where Black Friday Can Disappoint

Discounts may not actually be special

Recent consumer-price tracking suggests many so-called Black Friday “deals” aren’t always the lowest price you’ll see all year. In many cases, items are cheaper at other times, before or after the Black Friday window. That means there’s a risk of over discounting or devaluing your products without offering real value to customers, which chips away at margins and brand positioning.

Most buyers don’t stick around

One of the recurring challenges: many of the customers’ brands win during Black Friday don’t return for repeat purchases. Only around 22–23% of new customers acquired during the event go on to buy again in the following 12 months and that makes Black Friday a transaction-heavy period which is useful for boosting immediate sales, less effective for building long-term loyalty.

Growing competition and rising expectations

Because nearly every retailer expects Black Friday, competition is fierce: more discounting, more ads, more noise. Margins can get squeezed fast. In some cases, retailers report lower efficiency from advertising spend, especially when using elevated bids or automated seasonality bid adjustments. Additionally, with many brands spreading their Black Friday offers over a longer window (in some cases weeks) the sense of urgency fades. Unless your campaign is sharp, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd.

Difficult to sustain and a risk to long-term value

Heavy discounting and volume-based sales can erode brand value over time: customers may begin to wait for discounts rather than buy at regular prices; perceived value can decline; margin leverage shrinks. For many businesses, pushing for a quick win during Black Friday may result in an elevated cost base and limited long-term return, especially if post-event retention is low.

When Black Friday Makes Sense and When It Might Not

Given the trade-offs, here’s a rough decision framework for digital marketers pondering whether to go all-in on Black Friday this year:

It’s probably worth pursuing if:

  • You have e-commerce and fulfilment already optimised for high traffic (fast mobile site, robust checkout, inventory ready).
  • You’re aiming for short-term revenue boost or to clear inventory before the end of the year.
  • Your customer acquisition strategy can support post-sale follow-up (email, retargeting, loyalty incentives) to convert one-time buyers into repeat customers.
  • Your offers are genuinely compelling and transparent.

It may be less worthwhile if:

  • Your business relies on margins rather than volume, or you lack capacity to discount without harming profitability.
  • You’ve struggled to convert or retain customers in the past.
  • Your brand positioning depends on quality or premium perception.
  • Your marketing team is overstretched.

Make It Strategic, Not Reactive

If you decide to go for Black Friday, approaching it methodically increases your chances of success. Here are some tactical principles:

  • Optimise for mobile & performance: With more shoppers browsing on phones, ensure your site is fast, checkout friction is low, and mobile UX is smooth.
  • Use genuine value: Instead of slashing prices across the board, consider bundles, limited-edition offers, loyalty incentives, or value-adds (like free shipping, extended warranties, gift-wrapping) that preserve perceived value.
  • Plan post-sale retention: Have a follow-up strategy: collect email addresses, offer post-purchase incentives and re-market to new customers.
  • Prepare your infrastructure: Ensure systems (inventory, fulfilment, site capacity) can handle the surge. Black Friday has become a systemic test of operational resilience.
  • Segment messaging carefully: Not all products or audiences respond the same way. Tailor campaigns to your most price-sensitive segments while protecting flagship products from over-discounting.

Black Friday Isn’t Dead but It’s Not the Same

Cyber Monday, extended discount seasons, and shifting consumer behaviour have altered the shape and timing of the holiday shopping surge. But Black Friday still offers value, especially for digital marketers and e-commerce brands that treat it as a strategic tool, not just a sales panic button. When executed thoughtfully, it can deliver meaningful traffic, conversions and even new customer acquisition.

Black Friday is still worth your time, but only if you make it count!

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