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Preparing for big sales: Black Friday

| Article: 3 min read | Marketing

Black Friday is a sale that falls on the Friday after American Thanksgiving; in 2026 that is 27 November. Around it forms a "sales week" (Cyber Week) that runs up to Cyber Monday. For a store this is the peak period, when mistakes in stock, delivery and the site cost the most.

What past data showed

There is no fresh verified data specifically on the Ukrainian Black Friday market for 2025. Below are open sources.

USA, Adobe (2025): Black Friday brought 11.8 billion dollars in online sales, +9.1% on last year; Cyber Monday 14.25 billion (+7.1%); Cyber Week overall 44.2 billion (+7.7%). The mobile share was 57.5% on Cyber Monday and 61.6% on Thanksgiving Day. Clicks from generative AI services to US retailer sites grew 670% on Cyber Monday and 760% over the season, compared with last year (Adobe, December 2025). Adobe's forecast for the whole season, 1 November – 31 December, is 253.4 billion (+5.3%).

Ukraine, Promodo (H1 2025): about 60% of online purchases in 2024 were made on mobile; every fourth order at large retailers comes through an app; shoppers have become more price-sensitive, buying more often and with smaller baskets (Promodo, 2025). According to a Borgexpert analysis of WayForPay data, the average online card payment in Q1 2026 was 654 UAH (580 UAH a year earlier) (Borgexpert, 2026). These are general figures, not Black Friday data.

Practical takeaway: prepare the mobile version as the main one.

Preparation calendar

The timing is practical advice, not a research result.

8–6 weeks out. Choose the products for the sale, calculate margin and the uplift you need (discounts and promotions). Agree stock and terms with suppliers. 6–4 weeks out. Update the product feed and Merchant Center, prepare landing pages, check site speed (Core Web Vitals). 4–2 weeks out. Collect subscribers for email and messengers (messenger marketing) with their consent; give them "early access". Reserve warehouse capacity and agree terms with the carrier (Nova Poshta, last mile). 2–0 weeks out. Load-test the site, check payments (payments in Ukraine), set up backup communication channels, prepare support. During. Check stock, payment errors, speed and margin every day. After. Returns, promotion analysis, work with customers.

Technical and operational risks

  • Site: loads slowly under load; check before the sale (Core Web Vitals).
  • Stock: showing "in stock" for a product you don't have is the most frequent cause of complaints. See OMS/WMS.
  • Payment and fraud: peak days bring more suspicious orders (Payment fraud).
  • Delivery: agree on timing in advance; returns grow after a sale, see returns.
  • Advertising: the cost per click in Ukraine rose in most categories in 2025 (Promodo, H1 2025), so plan the budget with a reserve (Performance Max, Meta).

Discounts: what to look at

Adobe recorded the peak discount levels on Cyber Monday 2025: electronics 31%, toys 28%, apparel 25%, computers 23% (USA). Ukrainian discount levels are different, and there are no fresh verified figures. Go by your own margin, not someone else's percentage.

Common mistakes

  • Starting preparation a week ahead.
  • Raising the price before the "discount".
  • Not calculating margin.
  • Overloading the warehouse without an agreement with the carrier.
  • Forgetting about support: there are more enquiries.
  • Not planning for "after": returns and churn.

FAQ

When is Black Friday 2026? 27 November 2026 (the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is 26 November); Cyber Monday is 30 November. Ukrainian stores often start earlier; you set your own dates.

When should I start preparing? Two months ahead: stock, margin, feed, technical readiness.

Do I have to offer big discounts? No. Impact Analytics showed that on Prime Day 2025 only 14% of SKUs got discounts versus 38% a year earlier, while the depth increased (Impact Analytics, 2025). This is an example from a large retailer, not a rule.

Sources

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