Black Friday to Cyber Monday (BFCM) has turn out to be probably the most important vacation sale durations on the US calendar, and their mixed recognition can be vital within the UK.
Since launching in 2010, Black Friday has advanced right into a can’t-miss calendar occasion for bodily retailers, however its impression is arguably even stronger on-line. Cyber Monday particularly was designed to help completely on-line gross sales, and the persevering with pattern of on-line purchasing throughout the UK has made a Black Friday social media technique extra vital than ever.
On this article, we’ll cowl what units UK Black Friday gross sales aside, recommend concepts for BFCM social media posts throughout every community and showcase profitable campaigns throughout completely different industries.
Black Friday within the UK: What manufacturers ought to anticipate
While it isn’t a vacation within the UK, Black Friday continues to be a big gross sales date which frequently kickstarts vacation spending all through December. In 2024, the common deliberate spend throughout BFCM was £132 for males throughout the nation and £112 for girls.
Spending throughout the interval can be on the rise; in 2024, spending by members of Nationwide Constructing Society elevated by 12% when put next with the earlier yr. It’s frequent for retailers to announce timed gross sales, typically promoted by distinct digital campaigns, to draw these consumers.
And in keeping with Sprout’s This fall 2025 Pulse Survey, 84% of UK customers plan to make use of social media the identical quantity, if no more, to seek out items throughout the 2025 vacation season in comparison with the 2024 season.
Formally, Black Friday falls on the final Friday of November within the UK–in 2025 that is November twenty eighth. Gross sales normally run throughout that weekend till the next Monday, which is known as Cyber Monday. These gross sales are usually extra tech-focused or centered on on-line channels. Nevertheless, as the recognition of BFCM has grown, it’s turn out to be frequent for retailers to plan gross sales for longer than this window, with some beginning gross sales as early as the start of November.
Black Friday social media methods for Black Friday within the UK
Should you’re beginning to plan your Black Friday social media campaigns, listed here are just a few methods that may work properly throughout a number of platforms.
Influencer partnerships for BFCM
Partnering with influencers is an more and more widespread and rewarding technique for BFCM gross sales. Based on Sprout Social’s This fall 2025 Pulse Survey, greater than a 3rd (35%) of UK customers belief influencer suggestions most for present concepts and product discovery throughout the vacation season.
Influencers enable retailers to additional their attain when selling offers, which may then enhance gross sales and enhance general shopping for energy. That is notably vital throughout BFCM’s time-sensitive, crowded market. This shopping for energy can be backed up by latest knowledge from Sprout’s Q2 and Q3 pulse surveys, which discovered that 64% of individuals are extra prepared to purchase from corporations that companion with one among their favorite influencers; proof that each attain and gross sales will be main advantages of managing influencer campaigns over BFCM.
Should you’re planning a Black Friday influencer marketing campaign, ensure you hold a detailed eye on the undertaking timeline. It’s good to ensure you publish content material on the proper time to direct individuals to lively gross sales.
Social commerce for BFCM
Social commerce refers to promoting immediately by means of social media platforms, and it’s a rising pattern within the UK. Platforms like TikTok Store and Instagram Procuring are excellent for Black Friday or Cyber Monday gross sales, as they make it simpler for patrons to seek for and buy your merchandise. While you shouldn’t neglect your web site or bodily retailer places, social commerce affords you a direct channel to spice up gross sales throughout the busy purchasing interval.
Because it seems, Sprout’s This fall 2025 Pulse Survey discovered UK customers are nearly equally more likely to flip to social media for present concepts and product discovery throughout the vacation season as they’re bodily shops (48% use social in comparison with 49% who use bodily shops).
By internet hosting a dwell purchasing channel throughout BFCM, you possibly can provide distinctive offers throughout your entire weekend. These occasions additionally encourage engagement out of your followers, and are excellent for merchandise that promote properly by means of demonstrations, like electronics or toys.
Video content material for BFCM
Video stays the popular content material sort throughout the vast majority of at present’s hottest networks, together with TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and others. Eye-catching video content material that’s edited properly could make scrollers cease and concentrate, which is right for delivering time-sensitive Black Friday gross sales.
Video content material is simpler than ever as extra customers flip to social search to analysis merchandise they need to purchase. Your movies usually tend to seem in searches when you optimise for TikTok web optimization, or extra normal video web optimization when you’re on different platforms. Patrons will use social platforms to seek out lively offers on BFCM, so capturing these searches makes it extra doubtless that you just’ll be chosen over your competitors.
Giveaways and contests for BFCM
Planning dwell giveaways and social media contests is an effective way to spice up viewers and encourage engagement throughout BFCM. These will be mixed with dwell purchasing broadcasts, or managed individually. What issues is that you just’re providing your followers an opportunity to win one thing by interacting together with your account.
Contests are a wise means of selling gross sales alongside engagement alternatives. Bear in mind, you possibly can nonetheless present the sale value of a product while you’re giving it away. This value ought to mirror a superb deal to viewers, encouraging purchases even when they don’t win. You may also construct your follower depend by means of giveaways, which broadens your attain whenever you come to share dwell Black Friday gross sales sooner or later.
Extending promotions past the display screen
While BFCM is primarily held on-line, it’s nonetheless quite common for UK manufacturers to host offline gross sales or experiential advertising and marketing occasions like dwell activations that weekend. These in-person occasions can construct buzz round your model, which may then be channeled right into a stronger efficiency when Black Friday begins.
Contemplate internet hosting these occasions in November earlier than the principle sale interval occurs. You may even use these occasions to advertise some unique pre-BFCM offers, which inspires individuals to attend. One instance of an occasion is likely to be a dwell activation countdown for when your Black Friday sale goes dwell, the place you give away small items or provide the chance for company to entry sale costs in particular person. All these efforts increase consciousness and make your BFCM gross sales really feel like a fair greater deal.
Black Friday promotion concepts for every community
You may handle profitable BFCM promotions on just a few completely different networks. Listed below are some examples of main platform choices and the way you should utilize them to extend your attain and gross sales.
Based on Sprout’s 2024 Social Media Content material Technique Report, 84% of lively social media customers have an Instagram account, which is greater than every other platform. Alongside boasting this large variety of account holders, Instagram additionally has options like Reels and Instagram Procuring, which make it best for Black Friday campaigns.
This report additionally discovered that 61% of social customers discover their subsequent buy on Instagram, which is why it’s important you optimise your posts for searchability. Should you’re selling lively gross sales, make the most of hyperlink stickers and make the buying course of so simple as attainable.
Video content material resonates properly on Instagram, however don’t neglect photographs utterly. They nonetheless have a spot on the platform, notably as grid posts by means of carousels; these will be best for showcasing numerous lively offers. Should you’re posting these, ensure you have hyperlinks in your bio in order that your followers nonetheless know the place to go to make a purchase order.
TikTok
TikTok is the highest channel for product discovery amongst Gen Z, which makes it an vital platform when you’re concentrating on youthful generations. One key to success with Black Friday gross sales on TikTok is to faucet into the platform’s area of interest communities. Make use of hashtags that get your posts seen by the proper viewers, which ought to enhance your engagement in addition to your probabilities of changing into gross sales.
Don’t simply depend on hashtags; web optimization optimise your entire content material with caption key phrases and textual content overlays. Making an effort to do that will increase your searchability, which is significant for capturing customers trying to find particular offers.
With TikTok, it’s additionally value making the most of your workers and bodily shops. Encourage workers members to movie quick content material POVs and movies displaying off regional gross sales, as it will each increase your repute and can help you phase your lively gross sales throughout completely different elements of the UK.
Fb
With Fb, it may be value investing in focused Fb promoting when selling your Black Friday gross sales. One level to remember is that advert prices on the precise weekend itself will be larger than they’re each earlier than and after. Contemplate constructing hype in your Black Friday offers by publishing focused advertisements earlier within the week or month, as this may be each less expensive and helps you construct an viewers forward of time.
When it comes to content material itself, take a look at combining your Fb posts with giveaways or dwell occasions. Product-focused picture and video content material can each showcase your merchandise and encourage gross sales. However be certain that to pair them with the proper key phrases and CTAs to spice up their attain and enhance conversions.
It might appear to be an odd selection when put next with these different platforms, however the visible nature of Pinterest advertising and marketing could make it a wonderful selection for BFCM campaigns. Latest Pinterest statistics have proven that 80% of weekly pinners discover inspiration on the platform, together with discovering new merchandise or manufacturers.
Optimise your entire pins so that they hyperlink to distinct product pages in your web site. This makes it simple to transform any discoverers into gross sales. Pinterest can be a community-driven platform, so create content material that evokes creativity and encourages others to get entangled. The extra positively your pins are perceived, the extra doubtless pinners are to recollect your model when gross sales time rolls round.
Additionally, make the most of Pinterest retargeting instruments to phase your viewers based mostly on what they’ve interacted with. This could inform focused campaigns throughout Black Friday, the place you possibly can put the proper merchandise in entrance of the proper individuals.
Black Friday advertising and marketing campaigns throughout UK industries and merchandise
Listed below are a number of examples of UK and world manufacturers succeeding throughout Black Friday by means of artistic social advertising and marketing campaigns.
Electronics
Tech merchandise are completely designed for Cyber Monday gross sales, and that is the best-performing sector for Black Friday gross sales within the UK, however this does imply there will be a whole lot of competitors. One firm that tries to set itself aside by means of pre-emptive advertising and marketing is Currys. They already host a selected Black Friday web page on their web site, the place in addition they promote a Black Friday countdown publication.
This enables Currys to construct an viewers lengthy earlier than gross sales even happen. They’re capable of increase the hype of their upcoming offers, while additionally making a direct communication channel with their viewers. Additionally they mix this with their Currys Perks group so followers can even entry giveaways and unique reductions.
One other widespread UK electronics model that sells throughout socials is Ninja. Right here’s an instance of one among their Fb advertisements from Black Friday 2024.
Ninja’s Fb advertisements are designed to be easy and simple to catch when scrolling by means of the platform. It’s clear to see how a lot cash customers can save in the event that they entry Black Friday offers, and you may instantly navigate to a gross sales web page. Ninja additionally provides just a few modern pictures of their merchandise and consists of perks like free supply for consumers.
The takeaway
Currys proves how vital it’s for electronics manufacturers to get forward of the sport and promote their Black Friday gross sales properly earlier than the precise weekend itself. Additionally they present how helpful it may be to pair BFCM promotions with current advertising and marketing channels, like they do with Currys Perks. This makes Black Friday campaigns simpler to handle and permits them to offer extra reductions and giveaway alternatives to prospects.
In the meantime, Ninja evidences how vital it’s for Black Friday advertisements to be concise and to-the-point, notably on Fb. With a lot competitors in electronics, it’s value honing in on the individuality of your product and offering readability on the financial savings you’re providing throughout the weekend.
Trend
Clothes is one other widespread trade for Black Friday gross sales, with some manufacturers embracing low cost fast-fashion gross sales and others distancing themselves to face out from the competitors. Main on-line trend retailer ASOS typically invests closely in artistic Black Friday campaigns, together with in 2024 after they partnered with EYC Ltd.
ASOS’s “Made you Look” marketing campaign was designed for Instagram and TikTok and included activation hype in addition to behind-the-scenes content material and distinctive snapshot moments. The artistic concept aimed to seize followers’ consideration and succeeded, as ASOS’s content material achieved over 4.1million views.
Different UK trend manufacturers have taken a really completely different strategy to Black Friday gross sales. In an effort to distance itself from overconsumption, Lucy & Yak has partnered with the charity Fior Di Loto Basis since 2018. In 2024, they requested youngsters supported by the charity to create drawings, after which used them to make distinct Lucy & Yak dungaree designs.
They’re not the one trend model to do Black Friday just a little otherwise. Patagonia has additionally managed a number of distinct Black Friday campaigns centered on the standard of its merchandise, relationship all the best way again to 2011.
The takeaway
ASOS’s marketing campaign exhibits that typically an important factor to do together with your Black Friday advertising and marketing is to seize consideration. Upon getting eyes in your content material, you’ve gotten time to indicate off your merchandise and the gross sales you’re providing to prospects, however getting these eyes within the first place typically calls for a artistic strategy.
Each Lucy & Yak and Patagonia additionally present that manufacturers can do Black Friday just a little otherwise to realize outcomes. Although each manufacturers might not entice as many gross sales, they’ve been capable of increase their repute, the belief from their prospects and their communities by means of value-driven digital campaigns.
Toys
Toy gross sales are a large marketplace for the UK’s BFCM gross sales, because of their proximity to Christmas. Main toy retailers now depend on social advertising and marketing to spice up the attain of their offers, together with Smyths Toys, which has invested in TikTok advertising and marketing.
Smyths Toys promotes Black Friday offers throughout the weekend, in addition to early gross sales. Their TikTok movies are a bit like a video carousel, and undergo a number of dwell offers, which clearly present the sale value and the financial savings provided to prospects.
One other main retailer that builds hype round Black Friday early is Argos. They’ve the same strategy to Currys, the place they host a novel webpage for Black Friday lengthy earlier than November begins.
Argos differentiates by internet hosting dwell affords on all of its classes earlier than Black Friday begins. Additionally they host a number of recommendation pages for customers on their web site, explaining how one can add objects to a wishlist, obtain their app or acquire orders from pickup factors.
The takeaway
Smyths’ TikTok methods present how vital it’s for toy retailers to depend on visible adverts that showcase merchandise, both by means of demonstrations or quickfire gross sales snapshots. Additionally they depend on their workers to supply content material, which is a perfect content material sort for TikTok.
The important thing takeaway from Argos is for retailers to dedicate time to build up their web site, in addition to counting on social channels. All the pages on Argos’ web site assist put together guests for gross sales and permit the corporate to get a head begin on prepping consumers for Black Friday earlier than the weekend begins.
Journey and inns
A last widespread class for Black Friday social promoting within the UK is journey packages and lodge offers. Right here’s an instance from EasyJet’s Instagram web page printed throughout Black Friday 2024.
EasyJet promotes the dwell sale with a easy textual content picture utilizing their recognisable color scheme, and segments their caption out with easy-to-read emoji bullet factors. Additionally they add an additional Black Friday gross sales code for much more reductions, and so they direct followers to the hyperlink of their bio to make a reserving.
One other main UK journey supplier, Jet2, takes a distinct strategy. They as an alternative promote their journey offers with a Reel displaying an influencer having fun with themselves on the deal’s vacation spot in Cyprus.
Jet2 states that phrases and situations apply to any bookings throughout the caption of their submit. Additionally they printed this advert on November twenty fourth 2024, which was the weekend earlier than Black Friday.
The takeaway
EasyJet creates its Black Friday sale content material with a selected audience in thoughts. The instance above is designed particularly for a household of 4, which is made clear in each the picture and the outline. They present how vital it’s to know your viewers when selling offers throughout the weekend.
Jet2’s content material makes use of a number of hashtags to enhance searchability. By counting on a vacation spot reel, they’re capable of activate FOMO, which makes followers extra more likely to comply with their hyperlink and resolve to e book a vacation for themselves.
Plan your Black Friday marketing campaign activations at present
Profitable Black Friday social media campaigns are the results of cautious planning. It’s good to optimise your content material and produce throughout the channels most related to your viewers to seize gross sales throughout such a time-sensitive buying and selling interval.
Should you’re prepared to begin planning your Black Friday marketing campaign for the UK market, learn by means of our newest perception on 2025’s vacation purchasing tendencies. Discover out which platforms customers are utilizing and which content material varieties are driving purchases.
