Black Friday 2025 is Nothing Like Before. Are You Ready?
Love it or loathe it, Black Friday has become the Glastonbury of the sales calendar: a frenzied, noisy, overhyped event that somehow still manages to pull in record crowds every year. Some brands embrace it like a kid at a pick ‘n’ mix. Others grit their teeth, slash a few prices, and hope it passes quickly.
Normally, we’re the first to say you don’t have to join in. Not every brand belongs in the Black Friday shouting match. But 2025? This year’s going to be different. Really different.
Why? Because the way your customers are going to shop this Black Friday will bear almost no resemblance to what you’ve seen before.
AI is your new competition (and your customers best friend)
In previous years, bargain hunters would check a couple of familiar retailers, scan Google Shopping, and open up dozens of browser tabs to compare prices. This year? AI is doing the legwork for them.
Consumers will be chatting to AI assistants that can pull every relevant deal, compare product features, calculate delivery costs, check stock availability, and even sniff out extra freebies - all in seconds.
That means if your product pages, pricing, or offers aren’t optimised for AI discovery, you may as well be invisible. The days of hoping people stumble across your deals are numbered. You’ll need to be deliberate about how you feed information to AI-powered search, and think about your marketing in a way that ensures you’re part of the conversation before customers ever see your website.
Social search will be the new storefront
TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube - for years now they’ve been a source for consumer research and information gathering. In 2025, they’re the go-to search engines for an increasing number of consumers.
Come Black Friday week, and the run up to, we’ll see an avalanche of short-form videos showcasing deals - some from creators and brand partnerships, but many more from ordinary shoppers who just love shouting about a bargain.
@whatannloves BLACK FRIDAY SALE @Bicester Village is on right now and here is all you should know if this is you’re a rookie! Are you planning a trip to bicester village soon? 1. If you’re travelling from London to bicester this trip will cost you approximately £50 each. You can catch a direct train from Marylebone and will have to our purchase your ticket online or at the station. Book your tix in advance to save some 💷 2. Carry your luggage bag if you intend to shop a lot. It’s a great idea considering the wet weather we’re expecting this week. We did see a lot of paper bags tearing apart🫣 3. Remember to scan your bicester village app at every purchase to win some rewards. We just got few macaroon’s but it all depends on how much you shop🤓 4. Try to reach bicester village as early as you can to get a head start from the large crowd coming in during the afternoon. 5. Wear comfortable clothes and a raincoat preferably. Also, Get ready to stand in long queues and know it’s worth the wait😊 Planning a trip this year to bicester?ye #bicester #bicestervillage #blackfridaysale #blackfridaydeals #london #uk ♬ All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
And your customers aren’t going to scroll aimlessly. They’ll be tapping “best gaming laptop under £1,000 UK Black Friday” directly into TikTok search and expecting tailored, timely results. If your brand isn’t discoverable across social for your deals, you’re gifting sales to competitors.
Live shopping will push the “buy now” button
A growing trend that we love but will cause so many headaches for businesses that can’t adapt: Live shopping events.
Imagine QVC but in the palm of your hand, hosted by charismatic presenters from your in-house team. They’ll be demoing products, flashing limited time offers, and giving live stock updates.
Impulse purchases will go through the roof. And those that embrace the format early will build an audience they can monetise long after Black Friday is over.
So, how should you prepare?
If your Black Friday plan is to dust off last year’s campaign, swap in a new date, and send a couple of “SALE NOW ON” emails, you’ll be left behind.
2025 is the year to test new ideas: optimise your product copy, images, reviews in as much detail as possible for AI search; create short-form, product-centric content with social search in mind; and explore promotional campaigns that feel interactive, not static.
This year is your sandbox. Test now and you’ll have the data, skills, and confidence to dominate 2026, when these behaviours will be even more ingrained.
At Evoluted, we help online retailers do exactly this - think bigger, adapt faster, and turn trends into growth. We’re not just here to run your ads or post a few nice graphics on social media. We’re here to be your strategic partner: whether that’s rethinking your entire Black Friday approach, integrating new tech into your marketing stack, or creating campaigns that people actually want to engage with.
The digital landscape is shifting faster than ever. You can either chase after it breathlessly… or have a partner who knows the shortcuts, the trends, and the tools to make it work for you.
Black Friday 2025 will reward the bold, the prepared, and the adaptable. Which one will you be?
Giorgio enjoys getting stuck into data analysis to uncover user behaviours. He possesses a strong understanding of development practices and enjoys testing and pushing ideas to the limits of possibility.
