9 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Tactics to Test Before 2026

Online holiday spending reached $257.8 billion in 2025, according to Adobe Analytics. Black Friday online sales totaled $11.8 billion, up 9.1% from $10.8 billion in 2024, while Cyber Monday set a $14.25 billion record; Black Friday falls November 27 and Cyber Monday November 30 in 2026.

The NRF forecasts holiday sales will pass $1 trillion for the first time. No platform policy or ad-product change drives this roundup; marketers must differentiate without another blanket discount.

What does the spending data mean for campaign timing?

The NRF’s 2026 survey found 43% start holiday shopping before November. Half of those shoppers do so to spread their budget, while 37% cite deals too good to pass up.

Another 64% plan most shopping over Thanksgiving weekend, so early campaigns should warm audiences rather than replace the main push. Budgets may need to favor commissions, prizes and live production over deeper discounts, although no cost benchmarks appear.

Nine campaign routes for Black Friday and Cyber Monday

1. Partner with media brands. Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping began campaigns weeks ahead, with writers focused on reviews and roundups on sale day. Niche publishers use affiliate links; commissions can add referral reach, high-authority backlinks and journalist relationships beyond the promotion.

2. Show brand values. Outdoor retailer REI has opted out for years, closing stores and sending employees home under #OptOutside. Patagonia’s 2011 full-page New York Times ad said “Don’t buy this jacket,” advancing its Common Threads effort to confront consumerism directly.

UK-based Lush sold 14,600 special-edition orangutan soaps at £8.25 each over Black Friday weekend in 2017. All proceeds went to the Sumatran Orangutan Society, and stock sold out within hours. In 2020, Allbirds raised prices $1 for Fridays for Future, the youth-led movement founded by Greta Thunberg, arguing the sale’s environmental impact outlasts the deal.

1. Make the sale distinct. Cult skincare brand Glossier holds one website sale each year around Black Friday. Elle and Glamour covered it weeks early, while r/glossier discussed the event, showing how scarcity can generate news without another discount.

2. Use invite-only access. Amazon has used invite-only offers during Prime Day. Brands can target subscribers, engaged followers and frequent buyers with personalized codes; a smaller audience may reward loyalty with less discount depth.

3. Run an anti-sale. Cards Against Humanity raised a card deck’s price in a one-time deal, sold random goods at 99% off and gave one customer a Ford Fiesta for under $100. In 2015, it charged $5 for nothing and reportedly made more than $70,000.

A third-party account claimed a 2021 $5 price rise generated buzz and lifted game sales above the prior year. Without company sales data, that performance claim remains less certain than the documented campaigns.

1. Use community content. Resharing customer photos and reviews can reduce production pressure, especially through Instagram Stories. Hashtag and comment giveaways with random winners add incentives; BPerfect Cosmetics and Gymshark paired authentic TikTok videos with offers.

Prompts can request a sale-item photo, votes on what to discount or a purchase snapshot. The guide treats TikTok as favoring genuine engagement, but supplies no algorithm update or performance benchmark.

1. Try live shopping. Major social platforms support live streaming; formats include permissioned in-store interviews, live deal reveals and attendee-only codes. MeUndies’ Drawer Buster event, featuring a live DJ, drew more than 13,000 viewers and converted attendees at 25%, according to Shopify, 13 times its Facebook average.

TikTok and Instagram now carry more live shopping, with brands increasingly using both for Black Friday 2026, particularly among younger audiences. BPerfect scheduled a TikTok Live for the start of Black Friday week in 2025.

1. Prioritize TikTok authenticity. The guide describes TikTok as a major Black Friday 2024 success, particularly with Gen Z, but supplies no separate return-on-investment figure. BPerfect used humorous, low-production videos, trending sounds, memes and quick deal messages; Gymshark used fitness influencers across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok and placed sale links in social bios.

2. Stage a credible mistake. A broken McDonald’s Black Friday post on November 24, 2017, asking for copy and a link drew 1,100 responses, 21,000 retweets and more than 60,000 likes. It carried no offer, but claims that it was planned came from observers, not company confirmation.

Brooklinen confirmed that an apparent intern email, supposedly meant for superiors, was intentional. A spokesperson said: “We wanted to surprise our customers … by making Black Friday accessible for a full week!” The brand also said it honored the worker named Mark and acknowledged accidental emails from all its staff.

The campaign runway through December

Build around Gray Thursday, or US Thanksgiving Day; Black Friday; Small Business Saturday; and Cyber Monday, which some companies extend for a week. Use buy-online, pick-up-in-store offers on Black Friday and online-exclusive discounts on Cyber Monday.

Because 43% start before November and 62% expect to finish in December, campaigns can begin early, peak over the holiday weekend and continue afterward. With the NRF projecting more than $1 trillion in 2026 holiday sales, clear positioning may matter more than another blanket discount.