Your Black Friday Playbook for 2025It's that time of year again. The ads are ramping up, the discounts are starting to creep in, and the "silly season" is officially underway. But for most ecommerce brands, Black Friday isn't just another sales event - it's a high-stakes, strategic play that can make or break your year.But what worked last year won’t necessarily work this year. To maximise your Black Friday results, you need to understand the minds of today's shoppers. We've compiled the latest insights from 2024 and 2023 to give you a definitive playbook for the season ahead - as well as some tips and advice from our team on how to make the most from every click.A Quick Reality CheckWhile Black Friday has become an absolute juggernaut of a sales day (or weekend, if you offers discounts through to Cyber Monday; or a whole week, if you start the savings early), a challenging economic environment means shoppers are still cautious and value-driven.This is the reality of the current market. Last year, Australian retail turnover rose a modest 0.8% in November, while in New Zealand, core retail spending was down 0.4% compared to the previous year. The data tells a clear story: consumers are making their dollars go further by shopping more often but spending less per transaction. This is not a market to be trifled with; it is a market to be understood.Here’s a snapshot of the trends that will define the upcoming Black Friday season:The Savvy ShopperShoppers are taking a more strategic approach to spending. In 2024, nearly one-third of Australians were willing to switch brands for a better deal, while in New Zealand, many shoppers were waiting for the sales to get underway before starting their Christmas shopping. The Christmas CountdownShoppers are using Black Friday to get a head start on Christmas gift buying. In fact, in 2024, 51% of New Zealanders planned to rely on the sales for Christmas gifts. This shifts the importance of the sales from a single event to a crit...