Originally a day of post-Thanksgiving chaos in mid-20th-century America, Black Friday has evolved into a global retail milestone. For European retailers, it offers a chance to boost turnover well before Christmas while providing crucial insights into consumer behaviour at the start of the festive trading season.
Published on Dec 1,2025 at 11:50 AM | Updated on Dec 16,2025 at 11:39 AM
Black Friday began with an entirely different meaning. In the 1950s, police officers in Philadelphia used the term to describe the disorder that followed the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving: streets gridlocked, shoppers crowding into the city centre, and a surge of activity that placed immense pressure on local services. Retailers initially disliked the negative association, but by the 1980s they had embraced it, reframing “Black Friday” as the moment when accounts finally moved “from the red into the black.” With the rapid expansion of e-commerce in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the event grew dramatically, transforming into a central feature of the American retail calendar.
Lightbox sign displaying “Cyber Monday Sale” on a light blue background with a cast shadow
Cyber Monday emerged in 2005 as a digital complement to Black Friday, created after retailers observed a spike in online shopping on the Monday after Thanksgiving. While Europe adopted Black Friday first, Cyber Monday has since become an additional point of engagement. It is a quieter but valuable online follow-up that helps retailers extend momentum and refine digital strategies.

The scale of this entire period is underscored by recent figures. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 197 million U.S. shoppers took part in the Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday period in 2024, contributing to holiday-season spending of $241.1 billion (€221 billion), up 8.6% year-on-year. Globally, online Black Friday sales reached $74.4 billion (€68.3 billion) in 2024, a 5% increase according to Salesforce. Cyber Week as a whole achieved a record $314.9 billion (€289 billion) in worldwide sales, up 6% from the previous year. These numbers reflect not only the scale of U.S. participation but the extent to which Black Friday has become truly global, shaping consumer expectations far beyond American borders.


From American tradition to European shopping staple

Black Friday’s arrival in Europe is surprisingly recent. Although a few retailers experimented with promotions in the late 2000s, it was around 2014 that the event gained significant traction. The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and the UK became early adopters, each adapting Black Friday to local consumer habits and existing sales cycles. In Germany, e-commerce players drove early momentum; in France, national retailers expanded the event across categories; and in the UK, Black Friday quickly became a fixed component of both in-store and online retail. For European shoppers, the event offered something new: substantial pre-Christmas savings before December’s peak shopping period. It also fit naturally with Europe’s shift toward omnichannel retailing, allowing consumers to move fluidly between physical stores, marketplaces and brand websites. As awareness grew, so did participation, particularly among younger demographics and families managing holiday budgets.


How European retailers adapted Black Friday

For European retailers, Black Friday is now an essential early-season touchpoint. Many run multi-day promotions, using the Friday as the launchpad and extending activity across the weekend. Some choose a measured approach, limiting discounts to key lines to protect margins; others deploy broader campaigns aimed at clearing stock, driving new customer acquisition or boosting online conversion.

Yet the opportunity is not without risk. Heavy discounting can compress margins for the remaining festive season, especially if consumers delay purchasing in expectation of widespread deals. Some markets have seen calls for greater price transparency, prompting retailers to communicate more clearly and ensure promotional integrity. Operationally, Black Friday now tests distribution centres, stock visibility, IT systems and last-mile delivery in ways previously reserved for December.

The digital layer adds further complexity. Online traffic surges, rapid sell-outs, fluctuating stock levels and high expectations for delivery accuracy demand robust systems and proactive planning. For many European retailers, this weekend serves as an annual examination of their omnichannel capabilities and a source of immediate insight into customer behaviour.

Red discount signs showing 50% and 30% in a busy clothing store during a sales event

Black Friday’s significance for retailers and what lies ahead 

Black Friday has become a defining moment for European retail strategy. It marks the transition into the crucial year-end trading period, and its performance can meaningfully influence quarterly results. For retailers, it is not just about sales volume but about testing price sensitivity, monitoring category strength and understanding consumer confidence levels.

Looking ahead, the event continues to evolve. Economic uncertainty is prompting some retailers to adopt more sustainable or selective promotional approaches. Others are experimenting with elongated promotional windows to ease logistical peaks or highlight durability and value over deep discounting. Meanwhile, the digital extension offered by Cyber Monday provides additional scope to refine targeting, test messaging and analyse online shopping patterns.

Despite these shifts, the influence of Black Friday is stronger than ever. What began as a chaotic local shopping day in the United States has become a cornerstone of global retail, reshaping consumer expectations and retail planning alike. For European retailers navigating an increasingly competitive and complex festive season, mastering this pivotal weekend and the insights it generates is essential to delivering strong year-end performance.