Black Friday to Cyber Monday (BFCM) has turn into some of the vital vacation sale intervals on the US calendar, and their mixed recognition can be necessary 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 assist completely on-line gross sales, and the persevering with pattern of on-line buying throughout the UK has made a Black Friday social media technique extra necessary 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 major gross sales date which regularly 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% in comparison with the earlier yr. It’s frequent for retailers to announce timed gross sales, usually promoted by distinct digital campaigns, to draw these consumers.
And in line 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 search out presents 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 typically extra tech-focused or targeted on on-line channels. Nonetheless, as the recognition of BFCM has grown, it’s turn into 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 below are just a few methods that may work nicely throughout a number of platforms.
Influencer partnerships for BFCM
Partnering with influencers is an more and more fashionable and rewarding technique for BFCM gross sales. In keeping with 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 permit retailers to additional their attain when selling offers, which might then enhance gross sales and enhance total shopping for energy. That is significantly necessary 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 keen to purchase from firms that accomplice with one in all their favorite influencers; proof that each attain and gross sales may be main advantages of managing influencer campaigns over BFCM.
Should you’re planning a Black Friday influencer marketing campaign, be sure to maintain an in depth eye on the undertaking timeline. It’s essential to be sure to publish content material on the proper time to direct folks to lively gross sales.
Social commerce for BFCM
Social commerce refers to promoting instantly by means of social media platforms, and it’s a rising pattern within the UK. Platforms like TikTok Store and Instagram Buying are good for Black Friday or Cyber Monday gross sales, as they make it simpler for purchasers to seek for and buy your merchandise. While you shouldn’t neglect your web site or bodily retailer places, social commerce gives you a direct channel to spice up gross sales throughout the busy buying 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 stay buying channel throughout BFCM, you may supply distinctive offers throughout all the weekend. These occasions additionally encourage engagement out of your followers, and are good for merchandise that promote nicely by means of demonstrations, like electronics or toys.
Video content material for BFCM
Video stays the popular content material kind throughout the vast majority of right this moment’s hottest networks, together with TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and others. Eye-catching video content material that’s edited nicely could make scrollers cease and concentrate, which is good 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 search engine marketing, or extra basic video search engine marketing when you’re on different platforms. Consumers will use social platforms to search out lively offers on BFCM, so capturing these searches makes it extra probably that you simply’ll be chosen over your competitors.
Giveaways and contests for BFCM
Planning stay giveaways and social media contests is an effective way to spice up viewers and encourage engagement throughout BFCM. These may be mixed with stay buying broadcasts, or managed individually. What issues is that you simply’re providing your followers an opportunity to win one thing by interacting together with your account.
Contests are a wise method of selling gross sales alongside engagement alternatives. Bear in mind, you may nonetheless present the sale worth of a product while you’re giving it away. This worth ought to replicate a superb deal to viewers, encouraging purchases even when they don’t win. You too can construct your follower depend by means of giveaways, which broadens your attain while you come to share stay 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 stay activations that weekend. These in-person occasions can construct buzz round your model, which might then be channeled right into a stronger efficiency when Black Friday begins.
Take into account internet hosting these occasions in November earlier than the principle sale interval occurs. You’ll be able to even use these occasions to advertise some unique pre-BFCM offers, which inspires folks to attend. One instance of an occasion may be a stay activation countdown for when your Black Friday sale goes stay, the place you give away small presents or supply the chance for friends to entry sale costs in individual. All these efforts elevate consciousness and make your BFCM gross sales really feel like a good greater deal.
Black Friday promotion concepts for every community
You’ll be able to 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 use them to extend your attain and gross sales.
In keeping with Sprout’s 2024 Social Media Content material Technique Report, 84% of lively social media customers have an Instagram account, which is greater than another platform. Alongside boasting this large variety of account holders, Instagram additionally has options like Reels and Instagram Buying, which make it perfect 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 potential.
Video content material resonates nicely on Instagram, however don’t neglect photos utterly. They nonetheless have a spot on the platform, significantly as grid posts by means of carousels; these may be perfect for showcasing a lot of lively offers. Should you’re posting these, be sure to 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 necessary platform when you’re focusing 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 best viewers, which ought to enhance your engagement in addition to your possibilities of changing into gross sales.
Don’t simply depend on hashtags; search engine marketing optimise your whole content material with caption key phrases and textual content overlays. Making an effort to do that will increase your searchability, which is important for capturing customers looking for particular offers.
With TikTok, it’s additionally price benefiting from your workers and bodily shops. Encourage employees members to movie brief content material POVs and movies exhibiting off regional gross sales, as it will each increase your popularity and assist you to phase your lively gross sales throughout completely different components of the UK.
Fb
With Fb, it may be price 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 may be increased than they’re each earlier than and after. Take into account 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.
By way of content material itself, take a look at combining your Fb posts with giveaways or stay occasions. Product-focused photograph and video content material can each showcase your merchandise and encourage gross sales. However ensure to pair them with the best key phrases and CTAs to spice up their attain and enhance conversions.
It could look like an odd selection in comparison with these different platforms, however the visible nature of Pinterest advertising and marketing could make it a superb selection for BFCM campaigns. Current Pinterest statistics have proven that 80% of weekly pinners discover inspiration on the platform, together with discovering new merchandise or manufacturers.
Optimise your whole pins so that they hyperlink to distinct product pages in your web site. This makes it straightforward 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 probably pinners are to recollect your model when gross sales time rolls round.
Additionally, make the most of Pinterest retargeting instruments to phase your viewers primarily based on what they’ve interacted with. This could inform focused campaigns throughout Black Friday, the place you may put the best merchandise in entrance of the best folks.
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 may be plenty 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 additionally 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 may also entry giveaways and unique reductions.
One other fashionable UK electronics model that sells throughout socials is Ninja. Right here’s an instance of one in all their Fb advertisements from Black Friday 2024.
Ninja’s Fb advertisements are designed to be easy and straightforward 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’ll instantly navigate to a gross sales web page. Ninja additionally provides just a few smooth pictures of their merchandise and contains perks like free supply for consumers.
The takeaway
Currys proves how necessary it’s for electronics manufacturers to get forward of the sport and promote their Black Friday gross sales nicely 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 supply extra reductions and giveaway alternatives to clients.
In the meantime, Ninja evidences how necessary it’s for Black Friday advertisements to be concise and to-the-point, significantly on Fb. With a lot competitors in electronics, it’s price honing in on the distinctiveness of your product and offering readability on the financial savings you’re providing throughout the weekend.
Vogue
Clothes is one other fashionable 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 usually invests closely in artistic Black Friday campaigns, together with in 2024 once 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 thought 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 method 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 a bit in a different way. Patagonia has additionally managed a number of distinct Black Friday campaigns targeted on the standard of its merchandise, courting all the way in which again to 2011.
The takeaway
ASOS’s marketing campaign reveals that generally a very powerful factor to do together with your Black Friday advertising and marketing is to seize consideration. Upon getting eyes in your content material, you might have time to point out off your merchandise and the gross sales you’re providing to clients, however getting these eyes within the first place usually calls for a artistic method.
Each Lucy & Yak and Patagonia additionally present that manufacturers can do Black Friday a bit in a different way to realize outcomes. Although each manufacturers might not entice as many gross sales, they’ve been capable of increase their popularity, the belief from their clients and their communities by means of value-driven digital campaigns.
Toys
Toy gross sales are an enormous 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 stay offers, which clearly present the sale worth and the financial savings provided to clients.
One other main retailer that builds hype round Black Friday early is Argos. They’ve an identical method to Currys, the place they host a novel webpage for Black Friday lengthy earlier than November begins.
Argos differentiates by internet hosting stay gives 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 gadgets to a wishlist, obtain their app or accumulate orders from pickup factors.
The takeaway
Smyths’ TikTok methods present how necessary 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 kind 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. The entire 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 motels
A ultimate fashionable class for Black Friday social promoting within the UK is journey packages and resort offers. Right here’s an instance from EasyJet’s Instagram web page revealed throughout Black Friday 2024.
EasyJet promotes the stay sale with a easy textual content photograph 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 special method. They as an alternative promote their journey offers with a Reel exhibiting an influencer having fun with themselves on the deal’s vacation spot in Cyprus.
Jet2 states that phrases and circumstances apply to any bookings throughout the caption of their submit. Additionally they revealed 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 target market 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 necessary it’s to grasp 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 observe their hyperlink and resolve to ebook a vacation for themselves.
Plan your Black Friday marketing campaign activations right this moment
Profitable Black Friday social media campaigns are the results of cautious planning. It’s essential 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 buying tendencies. Discover out which platforms customers are utilizing and which content material varieties are driving purchases.
