Ecommerce is an ever-changing world, and those slow to adapt to emerging trends often struggle to maximize their sales potential.
That’s why it’s hardly surprising that strategies that yielded remarkable results during Black Friday a few years ago won’t be as effective this year.
The evident shift in consumer behavior, use of AI search, regulatory hurdles, and consumers’ shrinking budgets are among the obstacles online sellers looking to capitalize on Black Friday opportunities face.
Consequently, crafting a strong strategy is vital for overcoming these challenges and attracting shoppers to your online store.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to maximizing sales during the Cyber 5 period, as the most effective strategy for an online store depends on its primary market, the online marketplace, and the product categories.
Our guide to Black Friday and Cyber Monday will help you prepare your online store for the most important online sales event of the year, so let’s dive deeper.
Key takeaways
- Despite the economic challenges, global spending on Black Friday in 2026 is projected to reach $85 billion.
- 75% of consumers say they plan to purchase at least one item during Black Friday.
- The most active shoppers during the Black Friday weekend are millennials and Gen Zers.
- Electronics and clothing will be the most popular product categories during Cyber Week.
- 9 out of 10 online shoppers say that free delivery and returns are among the most important factors influencing their purchasing decisions.
- 84% of ecommerce businesses plan to run promotional campaigns and offer exclusive deals throughout the holiday season.
- 41% of Gen Z shoppers want to increase their Black Friday spending over the next five years.
- The AI product discovery trend is soaring, with 47% of Black Friday shoppers expected to use AI shopping tools to search for or buy products.
- Buy Now, Pay Later spending is projected to reach $21.3 billion in 2026, more than $1 billion above the year before.
- 52% of shoppers check a product’s price history before purchasing.
A glance at Black Friday shopping on popular online marketplaces
Although it may seem insignificant, the platform a seller chooses as their primary online sales channel can affect their Black Friday sales performance.
According to DHL’s recent 2026 ecommerce trends report, 34% of consumers plan to use online marketplaces more than they currently do over the next five years.
Even though the number of shoppers on eBay, Amazon, and other platforms is growing steadily, market saturation makes it challenging to reach buyers. For instance, 28% of ecommerce businesses offer products on eBay while only 12% of consumers shop frequently on this platform.
Additionally, 48% of Black Friday shoppers will search for pre-owned and secondhand products this year, presenting sellers in eBay’s focus categories with an opportunity to benefit from the organic traffic spike.
47% of Gen Z and millennial shoppers will purchase products during Cyber Week, so optimizing offers for these demographics will be paramount for eBay businesses.
Figures show that sellers must make a conscious effort to attract younger generations of shoppers to maximize their sales opportunities during the peak of the shopping season.
The crucial challenges online sellers face ahead of Black Friday
In recent years, major retailers have expanded the shopping window and started their Black Friday promotions in early November to capture the segment of their audience that starts shopping early for the holiday season.
The so-called Black November campaigns enable sellers to increase sales by giving shoppers more time to discover the deals they’re offering.
Moreover, Black November campaigns extend beyond Black Friday, throughout the Thanksgiving weekend, and typically end on Cyber Monday.
This year, 36% of Baby Boomers, 33% of Gen X, and 30% of Millennial shoppers will use Black Friday sales to spread their holiday spending, so running promotional campaigns throughout November enables sellers to capture early holiday shoppers.
However, expanding the promotional period into the holiday shopping season presents sellers with challenges, as they must prepare to absorb higher fees, plan special offers, discounts, and advertising activities, and anticipate potential restocking issues months in advance.
Furthermore, the new import rules in the EU and the US have increased the costs of low-value parcel deliveries, forcing cross-border ecommerce businesses to increase product prices.
As a result, international shoppers will face higher prices at checkout, or bear additional tax and duty costs for their purchases, and potentially wait longer for delivery.
Rising prices and uncertainties surrounding the new import rules are causing international online shoppers to reconsider their spending.
That’s why some shoppers may choose not to buy from international sellers and instead seek the most favorable Black November deals in their domestic markets.
Does Black Friday matter more than Cyber Monday?
One crucial question for sellers on domestic and international online marketplaces is whether focusing on Black Friday matters more than focusing on Cyber Monday.
The answer isn’t straightforward since the optimal approach to ad spending, discount duration, personalized recommendations, and other aspects of Black Friday week sales depends on the seller and their business goals.
However, as online marketplaces become more competitive, sellers should aim to capture peak traffic as soon as Black Friday sales start, while simultaneously preparing their December offers for sales events like Free Shipping Day, Super Saturday, and New Year’s Eve sales.
Extending the promotional period is paramount for online merchants, as it allows them to keep pace with competitors, capitalize on early shopping trends, and capture the last-minute shopping peak.
Trust as the sales driver on Black Friday
The value proposition is one of the key reasons major events like Black Friday attract large numbers of buyers.
In other words, to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the spike in shopping activity during the Cyber 5 period and Q4 in general, sellers must create early deals that deliver value and help shoppers save money.
Consequently, trust is one of the key drivers of sales, as shoppers are confronted with a wide range of offers during Black November and especially during Cyber Week.
A survey found that 91% of Gen Z shoppers trust the prices and offers retailers present during this time, while 86% of Gen X and 80% of Baby Boomers believe that Black Friday prices deliver substantial savings.
These figures indicate that a considerable portion of online shoppers believe discounted prices provide value. Still, establishing trust with your target audience and ensuring your pricing meets customer expectations will be key to boosting your sales during Black Friday 2026.
It’s also worth adding that cross-border shoppers are among the most skeptical about the value of Black Friday offers.
Only 56% of cross-border buyers say they trust offers entirely during this time. Still, this group is among the most active throughout the period, with 42% of shoppers who purchase items from other countries doing so during Cyber Week.
Preparing your online store for Black Friday
Understanding current shopping trends, the motivations behind shoppers’ buying decisions, and focusing on providing potential customers with real value are the pillars on which online retailers should build their strategies for Black Friday 2026.
Among frequent online buyers, 88% now rely on AI assistants to compare prices and find the best deals before completing a purchase, making GEO listing optimization essential for the visibility of items in a seller’s inventory.
Most importantly, merchants must review their stores and ensure that the listings of their best-selling products are ready for the uptick in traffic.
Let’s go through a few tips that will help you prepare your online store for Black Friday.
Audit your product listings
Analyze all listings in your store and identify those with incomplete product descriptions, missing Item Specifics, vague or poorly worded titles, or subpar images.
Each of these factors is a common reason shoppers return products, so the purpose of this exercise is to minimize the risk of a spike in the return rate after the Cyber 5 period while ensuring that each listing attracts substantial organic traffic.
Create clear, comprehensive listing titles and product descriptions that use keywords strategically while focusing on delivering valuable information to potential buyers.
Leverage video to give shoppers a full view of the product and encourage them to purchase it. Make sure to use seasonal keywords that help improve the visibility of your products during this time.
Restock the inventory
Stock shortages can limit your profits during the busiest time of the year. That’s why sellers must anticipate which products may see an uptick in sales in the weeks leading up to Black Friday and ensure they restock those items in time.
Predicting which products will sell out quickly can be challenging, so many retailers use AI tools to determine the appropriate restocking frequency.
These tools can also help sellers estimate demand for specific products across different marketplaces and make it easier to prepare for periods of increased shopping activity.
Get your team ready for the increase in order volume
Delivery and free returns policies are crucial in shoppers’ buying decisions during the Cyber Week shopping surge.
50% of shoppers claim they only purchase items from sellers offering free deliveries, while 74% of shoppers would abandon a cart if their preferred shipping method isn’t included
However, to keep up with rising sales volume, merchants must ensure their fulfillment and reverse logistics processes run smoothly.
Shoppers will also be looking for the best deals during Black November outside their domestic markets, further complicating the logistics for sellers on international marketplaces.
Consequently, preparing the team for heavy traffic, minimizing the risk of late deliveries, and avoiding long return processing times are paramount for sellers who want to maximize their profitability throughout the Cyber 5 period.
The best-selling products during Black Friday and peak season
Products from only a handful of categories will dominate this year’s Black Friday sales.
Shoppers are predominantly looking for items in the electronics, clothing, and home furniture categories, suggesting that online retailers offering products in these categories will likely benefit from promo codes, discounts, and limited-time offers.
Here’s an overview of online shopping spending in the most popular product categories in Q4 2026:
- Electronics – $63.3 billion
- Clothing – $51.3 billion
- Home furniture – $33.4 billion
- Toys and games – $9.6 billion
- Cosmetics and beauty products – $9.3 billion
Understanding which items will attract the most attention in the weeks leading up to Black Friday can help sellers set discounts and plan promotional activities that reach their target audiences.
Sellers who don’t offer products in either of these categories can still benefit from Black Friday discounts and special promotions, but to maximize their profits, they must run highly targeted promotional campaigns.
Making the most of Black Friday sales opportunities
Despite market fluctuations and evolving regulations, Black Friday 2026 remains a major opportunity for online sellers to attract new customers to their stores, boost revenue, and end the year on a strong note.
Most importantly, cross-border shopping is gaining momentum, driven by high AI adoption rates, which enable shoppers to explore offers from other countries and find the best Black Friday deals.
Online sellers must prepare for the peak season, launch promotional campaigns early, extend discount windows, and deliver a seamless shopping experience to stay toe-to-toe with the competition and capitalize on sales opportunities.
Webinterpret can help localize and optimize your eBay listings for international marketplaces during this crucial time.
Schedule a call to find out how we can help you maximize your profits during Black Friday.
About Webinterpret
Webinterpret supports merchants selling on eBay.
Our AI-based solutions enable more effective selling through automated listing localization, advertising, and returns, and ensure all products placed on EU markets are GPSR-compliant.
By giving your international customers a full, end-to-end local shopping experience, Webinterpret improves your conversion and helps establish your business globally.
