Black Friday is on Friday 27 November 2026, and Cyber Monday follows on 30 November. But if your inbox, your feed and your local high street are anything to go by, it started weeks ago.
The short answer to why everyone is early is that brands are chasing the same shoppers and the same spending, and nobody wants to be the one still waiting while a competitor takes the order. The trouble is that when everyone starts early, starting early stops being an advantage. It also leaves smaller businesses with a hard question: do you join the race, or do something different?
This post looks at what the figures say, why being first is not a strategy, and the Black Friday strategies that still work when every brand is shouting at once.
Why is Black Friday starting so early?
Black Friday used to be one day. It is now a sales period. Which? describes it as lasting for two weeks, or even longer at some retailers, and one retailer told it that it has become a month-long promotion. Nationwide reported that most retailers launched their sales in early November last year.
Retailers rarely say out loud why they move the date, so here is what we think is behind it.
- Everyone wants the first look. When shoppers are watching every pound, the first brand to put an offer in front of them has the best chance of the sale. So everyone moves earlier to avoid being second.
- Waiting shoppers cost you sales. After a quiet October last year, Rohan Kumar, head of spending insights at Barclays, said the slowdown was potentially a sign that shoppers were holding out for discounts and deals (reported by PA). If customers wait for the sale, the sale has to start sooner to catch them.
- A longer run is easier to manage. Spreading orders over several weeks takes pressure off stock, deliveries and customer service, compared with one enormous day.
Does starting early actually work?
Not as well as brands hope. Nationwide said that although most retailers launched sales in early November, most shopping still happened in the peak sale period. Its figures showed 11.9 million transactions on Black Friday itself, 28 November 2025, a record and 8.7% up on the year before. Barclays found that transactions that day were 62% above the average day, the highest of the year at that point.
In other words, the big day was still the big day. The early sales did not replace it. They added weeks of discounting before it.
Shoppers are also getting more careful. Which? looked at deals on 227 products from eight major home and tech retailers during the 2023 Black Friday fortnight and found that 92% were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year. Nationwide also noted that shoppers were wary of scams. A customer who has seen “biggest sale ever” three times in a fortnight is less likely to believe it the fourth time.
That is why being first is not a strategy. It is a race to the bottom with a head start.
Six Black Friday strategies that work when everyone is early
These are for UK businesses of any size, and most apply whether you sell products, services or both.
1. Decide whether to take part at all
Before you write a single email, work out what a discount does to your profit. Here is a simple example. If you sell something for £100 and make £40 on it, a 20% discount leaves you with £20. You now need to sell twice as many just to make the same money. Some businesses can afford that. Plenty cannot. If the sums do not work, a quieter Black Friday is a sensible decision, not a failure.
2. Give people a reason beyond a percentage off
When every brand offers money off, money off stops being a reason to choose you. Offer something a competitor cannot copy in a day, such as a bundle, a free upgrade, a gift with purchase, early access for loyal customers, free delivery or a limited edition. If you sell services, a free consultation or a fixed-price starter project works in the same way. Give people a reason to buy from you, not just a reason to buy.
3. Start with the people who already know you
Your email list, past customers and followers are the most likely to buy, and you own that list, so you are not paying for every view the way you do with advertising. Write to them first, thank them, and give them early access before the wider offer goes public. If you have not emailed your list for months, start now with something useful rather than an offer. Our email marketing team can help you plan it.
4. Pick your moment, not the earliest moment
Being first only helps if your customers are ready to buy. Think about when yours actually decide. Gift buyers may be shopping in the week before Christmas. Businesses buying for the new year may not start planning until January. A short, clear offer on the right dates will often beat a month of discounting that nobody trusts. Say exactly when it starts, when it ends and what is included, so people can act.
5. Get the basics ready before the noise starts
The busiest weeks are a bad time to find problems. Check that your website loads quickly on a phone, that the checkout works, that your delivery promises are realistic and that someone is ready to answer questions. If you are not sure how your site holds up, our web support team can check it. If you plan to advertise, set up your pay per click campaigns and tracking early. Competition for advertising space usually rises at this time of year, so a campaign that has already learned what works is better placed than one launched at the last minute.
6. Measure profit, then plan the follow-up
Sales on the day tell you very little. Look at how much profit the offer made, how many buyers were new and how many came back. Then follow up. A thank-you email, a review request and an offer for January help turn a Black Friday customer into a regular one. If you run a shop or online store, our retail marketing page shows how we work with them.
What if you sell services, not products?
Black Friday still affects you. Your customers are being bombarded with offers, and their attention is hard to win. For many service businesses, the smarter move is not to compete on price in November at all. Use the quiet weeks to prepare your January message, tidy your website and ask recent clients for reviews. Our post on why the right message can fail at the wrong time covers how timing changes what people notice.
Black Friday questions, answered
When is Black Friday 2026?
Black Friday is on Friday 27 November 2026. Cyber Monday follows on Monday 30 November 2026.
Why is Black Friday so early this year?
Most retailers now start their sales weeks before the day itself. They are competing for the same spending, shoppers who wait for deals can cost them sales, and a longer run spreads out orders and deliveries. Nationwide said most retailers launched their sales in early November in 2025.
Are Black Friday deals really cheaper?
Often not. Which? found that 92% of the deals it analysed from the 2023 Black Friday fortnight, covering 227 products, were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.
Should a small business do Black Friday?
Only if the sums work. Check what a discount does to your profit first. If it does not add up, offer added value such as a bundle or early access, or sit it out and use the time to prepare for January.
The takeaway
Black Friday will keep starting earlier for as long as brands believe being first wins. The businesses that do best are usually the ones that know why a customer should choose them, and say it clearly.
If you would like help planning your marketing, our free digital presence audit is a good place to start. It scores your website and wider marketing out of 100 and gives you practical recommendations you can use straight away.
If you run a shop, café or other local business, the next date to plan for is Small Business Saturday on 5 December. Our Small Business Saturday plan takes you through it week by week.
Sources
- Nationwide, Black Friday weekend spending update, 1 December 2025.
- Barclays spending data on Black Friday 2025, reported by PA.
- Which?, nine in 10 Black Friday deals cheaper or the same price at other times of the year, 26 November 2024.
Staunton Rook is a full-service marketing agency based in Chester, working with hospitality businesses, professional services firms and consumer brands across the UK.