Should You Even Do Black Friday? Experts Reveal What Really Matters in 2025

Here's a question that might surprise you: What if sitting out Black Friday could actually be your smartest business move this year?

In our latest eCommerce Explored webinar, this bombshell was just one of many insights shared. Host Chloe Thomas brought together Anna Wilson from Key Ascent and Hannah Cook from Loyalty Lion to tackle the uncomfortable truths about Black Friday 2025 – including whether you should participate at all.

If you think Black Friday is something every store has to do, these insights might change your mind.

Meet the Experts

Anna Wilson (Key Ascent) runs her own consultancy, having spent over 20 years in online retail, where she helps brands grow their customer base.

Hannah Cook (Loyalty Lion) works directly with brands on their loyalty programs, gaining exclusive insights into their Black Friday plans.

The Big Question Nobody Wants to Ask

Anna didn't hold back when talking about the questions she gets most: "Should we actually participate in it? A huge question, yeah. Should we not do it?"

This isn't just trying to be different – it's about being smart with your money. When Anna started talking about the math behind it all, Chloe jumped in with a reality check: "If anyone in e-commerce is bored by unit economics, they are in the wrong industry."

Here's what Anna sees happening way too often: "There's so many brands who get to the end of the Black Friday period and they're clapping their hands thinking, oh, we've increased revenue by 30%, 40%. And then when it comes out in the wash, actually they've lost money."

Think about it – they spent a ton on ads, gave huge discounts, and got customers who never came back. That's not success, that's just busy work.

Okay, So You're Skipping Black Friday – Now What?

If you decide Black Friday isn't for you, you can't just pretend it doesn't exist. Anna had some solid advice: "If you're not going to do it, customers will still wait to see if you do do it."

So what do you do instead? Tell them early. Anna suggests going out in early November and being upfront: "We're not participating in Black Friday this year. All our products are great because of this, and this is limited stock, this is exclusive, etc. You will still get those sales on the lead up."

Hannah sees this with sustainable fashion brands all the time. They tell customers: "We want customers to make meaningful purchases that doesn't add to a lot of the consumerism that they might see in today's society."

Bottom line? Don't leave people hanging. Tell them what you're doing (or not doing) and why.

But If You ARE Doing Black Friday, When Should You Start?

Let's say the math works out and Black Friday makes sense for you. When do you start telling people about it?

Hannah did her homework on this: "A lot of them tend to start communicating that beginning of November, really."

But here's the catch that Anna pointed out: "If you have done that previously and customers are used to you doing that, they're going to wait until that offer goes live because they know that something's coming up."

So basically, if you always do Black Friday, people will wait for it whether you want them to or not.

The trick? Give your best customers a heads-up first. Hannah explains: "We want to make sure that they're feeling recognized and they're important and they're getting the sneak peak."

The Loyalty Points Headache

Here's a question that's splitting brands down the middle: Should customers be able to use their loyalty points in addition to Black Friday discounts?

Hannah hears this all the time: "Brands are questioning, how do they stop double discounting?"

Her honest answer? "I don't think there is a right answer. It's always really to the brand to really look at their margins and think, Can we afford customers to allow them to use their loyalty points alongside their discounts?"

If you decide no points during Black Friday, Hannah has a clever workaround: save it for Christmas. Give your loyal customers something special then, when everyone else is tapped out from Black Friday shopping.

The Mistakes That Make Us Cringe

Anna shared a story that shows how messy things can get: "I saw an ad on Meta, went on to their website. Two hours later, got an email with an abandoned basket. The email had a completely different promo on it to the Black Friday promo. It was actually worse than the Black Friday promo."

What went wrong? "They literally just look at that promo, say, right, over the course of that weekend, we're going to do this. They don't think about their customer journey that they've already got in place."

In other words, they forgot to check if all their marketing was saying the same thing. Oops.

Hannah sees another big fail all the time: stores that have loyalty programs but basically hide them during Black Friday. All those new customers coming in? They have no idea there's a loyalty program they could join.

Your Best Customers Need Different Deals

Anna told us about Tonies (those storytelling boxes for kids) and their Black Friday mistake. They promoted the main box, which Anna already owned. She's had it for two years and bought tons of characters for it.

"However, if they'd have done something around the characters, that actually would have appealed to me to buy."

Makes sense, right? If someone already owns your main product, why would they buy it again? Give them deals on the add-ons instead.

What About All Those Bargain Hunters?

Here's the thing nobody likes to talk about – what happens to all those people who only bought because of the massive discount?

Anna tells it straight: "Do they have a much lower repeat rate? Have they got a lower lifetime value because they spent a lot less in the first place?"

Usually, yes.

But that doesn't mean you should ignore them. Anna says they just need different treatment: "They might need more nurturing. So they may have the potential to be a better customer."

Just don't blow your entire December ad budget trying to get them back. Anna warns that brands often keep throwing money at Black Friday browsers who were never going to buy at full price anyway.

So What's the Real Answer?

When asked for the one thing to remember, both experts kept it simple.

Anna: "Make sure you fully understand the data, especially if you want it to be a profitable season."

Hannah: "It's not just about the sales period, it's about retaining the customers after that as well."

Look, Black Friday isn't automatically good or bad for your business. It's just another tool. The question is whether it's the right tool for you. Check your numbers, know your customers, and make the choice that actually generates revenue – not just keeps you busy.

Want to hear everything these experts shared? Watch the full webinar here. And if you want more tips like these, sign up for future eCommerce Explored sessions.

If you're prepping for Black Friday and need the right tools, check out our email marketing directory and loyalty tech directory to find what works for your store.