And if it’s not, don’t sweat it; there’s still time to get ahead of the holiday push.
Black Friday 2025
Before we jump into what to do this year, it’s worth looking back at Black Friday 2025 to examine trends and what they might mean for this year.
Last year, holiday shopping started early and lasted longer than before. According to data gathered by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Experian’s 2025 Holiday Spending Trends and Insights report, 45% of consumers planned to begin shopping before November, 84% had already started shopping by Thanksgiving weekend – well before Black Friday, and 62% planned to continue shopping into December.
When Pilothouse reviewed BFCM 2025 performance across Meta, they found that brands launching in the first week or two of November had a significant head start. You should be thinking not only about ads, but also about the ways your business can maximize the impact of Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) pushes. All of this means that while Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still major opportunities for brands, consumers are thinking about and looking for sales beyond those key days. We’re looking at a longer retail season that may reward marketers who plan longer campaigns, refresh offers, and keep an eye on high-intent shopper activity.
Additionally, last year, 89% of shoppers used AI in some way during holiday shopping (Talkdesk), and mobile accounted for 56.4% of online holiday revenue (Adobe). Shopper preferences and patterns are changing, and your team should track them too.
Your Black Friday Checklist
☐ Plan your sale
If BFCM is part of your strategy, now is the time to decide what the promotion looks like and align on budgets, revenue goals, and expected reach.
If your business is focused on ecommerce, now is the time to check – and lock in – your inventory. Freight and supplier timelines can be unreliable, especially with the increased volume as we enter the holiday season, and taking a proactive approach will set you up for success
☐ Set your launch schedule
Earlier launches give you more time to iterate on creative and avoid introducing your campaigns when competition — and costs — are at their highest. We recommend aiming to have your first set of holiday creative live in early November.
☐ Get your creative started
You don’t necessarily need to start from scratch. Pilothouse also found that evergreen ads adapted with Black Friday overlays performed well. Start identifying your strongest existing assets and where a strong holiday hook could give them new life.
☐ Check the full customer journey
Make sure your landing pages, promotional messaging, tracking, email, and conversion paths are ready to support the increased holiday traffic.
☐ Make Sure Your AI Strategy is Clear
As we mentioned above, AI had a huge impact on shoppers last year. Consumers are increasingly using AI to help shop for gifts and accounts for a growing segment of conversion traffic. If you have yet to develop strategies around how your business is showing up in AI results, our SEO team has developed dedicated strategies to help decide the best course for you and can help your team meet shoppers where they are.
☐ Create a post-BFCM plan before it’s over
Especially because we know that the shopping season was longer last year and is only showing signs of getting longer, it’s important that you think beyond BFCM. To maintain momentum, businesses need to make sure they are reviewing audiences, refreshing campaigns, planning additional holiday (Christmas, New Year, etc.) campaigns, and maintaining early 2027 inventory. Finally, BFCM can give you a huge amount of insight into your audiences – be prepared to really deep-dive into this; there may be key insights waiting to be found that can help build out your 2027 blueprint.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro when it comes to Black Friday planning or are entering your first season, establishing a solid plan will be key to success. As the shopping landscape shifts, your data is more important than ever. Need additional help in developing a strong BFCM strategy? Our paid media team has been developing insightful solutions for years and would be happy to help your team create plans for your best holiday season yet.
