A short Black Friday guide for business owners

This guide is for business owners and the people who run a business. It sums up what’s worth knowing about Black Friday:

• why to run Black Friday campaigns;
• why not to;
• ten actions for a Black Friday that works;
• the online marketing mix for Black Friday;
• which calls to action to use on your site;
• which days perform best;
• what shoppers expect;
• what can go wrong;
• when to update your product feed;
• the short version.

1. Why run Black Friday campaigns?

If you run a business, you’ve probably asked yourself this already. The main reasons:

• You sell more. Black Friday brings a lot of customers in a short time. You can sell more in one day than on most other days of the year.
• You clear inventory. It’s a good moment to sell old stock or surplus, make room for new products, or cut storage costs.
• You get noticed. Taking part can strengthen your reputation and draw attention to your brand. Well-promoted offers can bring much more traffic to your site or store, along with new customers.
• You reward loyal customers. Black Friday matters to existing customers too. You can give them special discounts and perks for sticking with you.
• You learn what customers want. The campaign shows you what customers prefer, what they need, and which products or offers sell best. You can use that to adjust your marketing and product strategy.
• You grow your customer base. You can collect email addresses or phone numbers (with consent), so you stay in touch after the event and send them offers and news.

For many businesses, Black Friday is the biggest sales period of the year, and it also brings visibility, new customers, and insight into what people want. But big sales don’t automatically mean big profit, so read the next section too.

2. Why you might not run Black Friday campaigns

In some cases, it’s better to sit it out, or to take part carefully. A few reasons to weigh:

• What you sell. If your products or services don’t fit Black Friday or can’t take deep discounts, taking part can hurt you. In healthcare or professional services, for example, big discounts can look like a sign of lower quality.
• You can’t afford deep discounts. Some businesses have thin margins or high costs and can’t offer serious discounts without losing money. Skipping Black Friday is the smarter call then.
• Pressure on logistics. Black Friday means many orders and deliveries at once. If you’re not ready, you can run into serious problems processing and shipping on time.
• It pulls you away from your brand strategy. A focus on discounts and quick sales can dilute your brand message. Some companies prefer to stay premium and avoid heavy-discount events.
• Respect for your team. Black Friday can mean long hours and stress. Companies that want to keep their people happy can skip intense campaigns or organize the work more evenly.
• Very heavy competition. To stand out, you need to invest a lot in marketing and offer big discounts. Without the resources, it may be better not to enter the race.

The decision depends on your business, your brand strategy, the resources you have, and your long-term goals.

3. Ten actions for a Black Friday campaign that works

A good campaign is prepared well ahead, not in the final week. The ten actions we recommend:

1. Plan early. Start a few months before. Set your goals, budget, marketing strategy, and the products or services you’ll promote.
2. Study the competition. Look at which offers worked in past years and what competitors are doing. It helps you come up with an offer that stands apart.
3. Make an offer worth taking. The offer has to be genuinely tempting. Big discounts, exclusive deals, and bundles with a bonus get attention.
4. Get the website ready. Make sure your site can handle heavy traffic. Test page speed and check that checkout runs smoothly, with no errors.
5. Advertise online. Invest in paid ads on Google and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) to get your offer in front of more people. Launch them a few days early so the algorithms have time to learn.
6. Send emails. Give subscribers exclusive offers and previews before the event. It encourages them to come back on the big day.
7. Be active on social media. Promote the campaign there with images and videos that show your offers clearly.
8. Work with influencers. Influencers or creators in your field can make your products more visible and build trust in your brand.
9. Monitor the campaign in real time. Watch traffic and orders throughout the day and adjust based on the data.
10. Look after the customer experience. Answer questions quickly and fix problems on the spot. A happy customer recommends you and comes back.

In short: plan early, and pay close attention on the busy days.

4. The online marketing mix for Black Friday

The channels you can use for Black Friday, from paid to free:

• Paid ads (PPC). Google Ads and Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) campaigns to show your products or services to the right audience and stay visible throughout the Black Friday period.
• Email marketing. A series of emails announcing special offers, previews, and key details to your subscribers. Link straight to products or to the site so people can buy quickly.
• Social media. Promote your offers and build anticipation among followers. Post images and videos of your deals and announce the campaign date early.
• SEO. Optimize the site for search engines so shoppers also arrive from organic results. Publish relevant content and optimize product pages for the right keywords.
• Content marketing. Publish articles and guides about your products or services, linked to your Black Friday campaign. They attract shoppers and help in search.
• Affiliates. Work with affiliate partners or influencers who promote your products for a commission or fee. The campaign reaches further and brings in new customers.
• User experience (UX). The site must load fast and be easy to use, and checkout must work without problems.
• Marketplaces. If you sell on marketplaces such as Amazon or the large regional ones, make sure your listings are in good shape and use the platform’s promotional tools.
• Real-time analysis and adjustment. Track results as they come in and move resources toward the channels that perform best.

Not every business can or wants to use every channel. Decide based on your history (if you have one) and your performance metrics, and pick the channels from this mix that work best for your industry and budget.

5. Which calls to action to use on your site

Five calls to action that show up often on websites during Black Friday:

• “Buy now and save [X]%!” Shows directly how much the customer saves and pushes them to act right away.
• “Subscribe for exclusive deals.” Invites visitors to join your newsletter or notifications so they hear about your Black Friday offers first. Good for loyalty too.
• “Download our app for special offers.” If you have an app, encourage people to install it for exclusive deals and real-time notifications on the day.
• “Reserve now, pay later.” Works for people who want to secure their favorite products before the event and pay later.
• “Share with friends and earn a reward!” Encourages visitors to invite friends or share your offers on social media, and rewards those who bring in new customers.

They all aim to get people to act now: to buy or to engage. Adapt them to your products and your campaign.

Important: calls to action must be visible immediately, especially on mobile.

6. Which days of the Black Friday period perform best?

A few days matter most for retailers:

• Black Friday itself. It’s the peak of the whole period. In the US, it’s the Friday after Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday of November), so in 2026 it falls on November 27. The UK and most of Europe follow the same date. Some markets run on their own calendar: in Romania, for example, the big retailers usually hold Black Friday on one of the first Fridays of November. If you sell into a market like that, plan your campaigns around the local date; our Romania market entry page covers that market in more detail.
• Cyber Monday. The Monday after Black Friday (November 30 in 2026), originally focused on online shopping. It matters less in some European markets than in the US, but many online stores use it for a last round of discounts.
• Black Friday week. The days before and after count too. Many retailers start discounts before Black Friday and keep them running until after Cyber Monday.
• Black Friday weekend. Traffic and sales climb sharply over the weekend. People have more free time and browse more offers.
• Extended Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Some retailers stretch their deals over several days or even weeks to sell more over a longer period.

The impact varies by industry and by what you sell.

Some retailers concentrate on these key days, while others spread their discounts over a longer stretch, so their logistics aren’t overloaded on a single day and they stay visible for the whole shopping season.

7. What shoppers expect on Black Friday

The discounts shoppers expect vary by product, industry, and region. There are some general patterns, though. The percentages below are rough guides, not the results of a study.

Big discounts. People generally expect deep discounts on Black Friday, often between 20% and 50%. And they’ve learned to compare: a discount calculated on a price that was inflated the week before is easy to spot on price comparison sites. In the EU, the advertised discount has to be measured against the lowest price of the previous 30 days.

• Electronics and appliances. Expectations are higher here: on TVs, laptops, or phones, discounts of 20–30% or more are seen as attractive.
• Fashion and apparel. People hope for discounts of up to 50% or more. The category is known for big deals.
• Beauty and personal care. Discounts vary, but many people hope for big reductions on premium products or gift sets.
• Books, toys, and home goods. Shoppers may be happy with 10–30%, though depending on the brand and its popularity, discounts can reach 50%.
• Everyday products. For groceries, cleaning products, or pet food, discounts can range from 10% to 30% or more, depending on brand and quantity.
• Restaurants and food. Discounts vary widely, from deals at local restaurants to discounts on food and drinks for home.

Expectations also depend on past experience, on what retailers promise, and on how well known the brand is.

Shoppers also look for other perks, such as free shipping or bonus gifts.

8. What can go wrong on Black Friday

Even the best-prepared campaigns run into problems. Anticipate them and have a plan for each.

The most common ones:

• The server can’t keep up. Heavy traffic can slow down or crash the site, and people abandon their carts. Load-test early and have a plan to scale.
• Technical problems. Pages that don’t load and errors at checkout or payment can ruin the whole campaign. So can a product feed that doesn’t update correctly and on time. Test everything thoroughly before the event.
• Security issues. Black Friday also attracts cybercriminals who try to steal data or commit fraud. Protect customer data and your site.
• Noise. So many sites take part that it’s hard to stand out. Focus on what makes you different and on your advantages.
• Not enough stock. If you run out, you disappoint customers and lose them. Plan stock early and be clear about what’s available.
• Late orders and deliveries. Lots of orders at once means delays. Prepare for the volume and keep customers updated on their order status.
• Exhausted staff. Long hours and stress wear people out. Make sure you have enough people, trained and motivated.
• Unhappy customers. People get frustrated if they can’t access the offers, run into technical problems, or can’t get help. Have people ready to answer quickly by phone, chat, and email.

Most of these can be avoided with testing done early. For the rest, keep a backup plan at hand.

9. When to update your product feed for Black Friday

When and how you change your product feed for Black Friday matters: a mistake here can stop your shopping ads on exactly the best days.

What to keep in mind:

• Before the campaign. The safest time to update the feed is before your Black Friday campaign starts. Check that all product, discount, and stock information is correct. For discounts, use the sale price (sale_price) together with its validity period (sale_price_effective_date) in Google Merchant Center: the price changes on its own on the date you set, without touching the feed on campaign day.
• During the campaign (not recommended). If it’s absolutely necessary, be ready to manage changes carefully: products added to or removed from the offer, changed prices, and updated stock. Tell customers clearly what changed and keep the site and feed in sync.
• Plan and test. Every feed update should be planned and tested in advance to avoid technical problems. Keep a backup plan at hand.

In short, it’s safer to make big feed changes before Black Friday and let it run without major changes during the event. We go into more detail in our article on getting your product feed ready for Black Friday.

10. The short version

You now have a clearer picture of Black Friday and can decide whether it fits your business. The clock is ticking, and as we’ve said more than once, planning early is a big part of a successful event.

So, are you in or out this Black Friday?