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Black Friday Stories

UK Stories

Black Friday stories

UK retail rebounds as online sales post sharp surge
Marketing Technologies

UK retail rebounds as online sales post sharp surge

UK retail sales jumped in January as online spending saw its fastest annual rise since 2021, signalling a more resilient consumer mood.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Thu, 26th Feb 2026
Holiday refunds surge, squeezing global retail margins
Data Analytics

Holiday refunds surge, squeezing global retail margins

Holiday refunds jumped 18.1% in 2025, with each USD $1 million in refunds costing retailers about USD $1.3 million once overheads are included.

By Shannon Williams • 4 min read • Wed, 4th Feb 2026
Mobile & AI power record UK online Christmas sales
Data Analytics

Mobile & AI power record UK online Christmas sales

UK shoppers spent a record GBP £26.9bn online over Christmas 2025, as mobile purchases surged and AI-driven referrals leapt from 2024.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Tue, 20th Jan 2026
Shoplifter alerts more than double in 2025 - Facewatch says
Data Protection

Shoplifter alerts more than double in 2025 - Facewatch says

Facewatch says UK retailers' facial recognition alerts more than doubled to over 500,000 in 2025 amid rising theft and abuse in stores.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Mon, 12th Jan 2026

Global Stories

Black Friday stories

Blackpepper deploys Fastly WAF to protect eCommerce
Firewalls

Blackpepper deploys Fastly WAF to protect eCommerce

Checkout attacks and traffic spikes are being absorbed automatically, helping Blackpepper keep retail sites online and revenue flowing.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Last month
Constructor posts surge on AI retail search momentum
Hyperscale

Constructor posts surge on AI retail search momentum

Constructor rides AI retail search boom with 82% customer growth, 116% EMEA revenue jump and 322bn annual product discovery interactions.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Fri, 13th Mar 2026
UK online shipments climb as pet care leads growth
Customer Experience

UK online shipments climb as pet care leads growth

UK online parcels jumped 17% in late 2025 as pet care and beauty surged, even as fashion and homewares shipments slid, Scurri data shows.

By Mark Tarre • 3 min read • Tue, 3rd Feb 2026
THE ICONIC scales Datadog to handle peak sales surges
DevOps

THE ICONIC scales Datadog to handle peak sales surges

THE ICONIC expands Datadog observability across AWS microservices to keep Black Friday traffic spikes and checkouts running smoothly.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 3 min read • Wed, 28th Jan 2026
Scurri hits 180m shipments & EUR €19.2bn eCommerce GMV
Digital Transformation

Scurri hits 180m shipments & EUR €19.2bn eCommerce GMV

Scurri processes 180m shipments in 2025 as eCommerce GMV hits EUR €19.2bn and its platform annualises at over 200m parcels into 2026.

By Kaleah Salmon • 3 min read • Thu, 22nd Jan 2026
Microsoft tops global phishing brand rankings again
Gaming

Microsoft tops global phishing brand rankings again

Microsoft again tops global phishing brand list as attackers increasingly mimic big tech services to steal cloud and consumer credentials.

By Melania Watson • 4 min read • Fri, 16th Jan 2026
Chargebacks surge threatens retailers' holiday profits
Data Analytics

Chargebacks surge threatens retailers' holiday profits

Chargebacks surge after record online holiday sales, with USD $181 billion in returns putting retailers' first-quarter profits at risk.

By Shannon Williams • 4 min read • Thu, 15th Jan 2026
Klaviyo predicts AI voice shopping & smart returns
Digital Transformation

Klaviyo predicts AI voice shopping & smart returns

Klaviyo forecasts 2026 surge in AI voice shopping, automated returns and connected-device purchases reshaping how consumers buy.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Tue, 13th Jan 2026
Adobe sees surge in AI-driven traffic & conversions
Data Analytics

Adobe sees surge in AI-driven traffic & conversions

Adobe says generative AI referrals to retailers jumped nearly 700% over the 2025 holidays, driving longer visits and stronger conversions.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Tue, 13th Jan 2026
Fulfilmentcrowd posts record global growth on peak days
Customer Experience

Fulfilmentcrowd posts record global growth on peak days

Fulfilmentcrowd posts record global peak-day growth as EU orders jump 28% on Cyber Monday and US volumes soar up to 80% on Black Friday.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Mon, 12th Jan 2026

Stories from Other Regions

Black Friday stories

More deepens SourseAI deal to cut digital CPA costs
Marketing

More deepens SourseAI deal to cut digital CPA costs

Australian telco More deepens SourseAI partnership, using Atlas marketing mix modelling to cut digital CPA and sharpen media spend.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Thu, 26th Feb 2026
Sortd surges with AUD $8m holiday sales & 96% user lift
Customer Experience

Sortd surges with AUD $8m holiday sales & 96% user lift

Wishlist app Sortd rides holiday boom with AUD $8m in sales, 96% user growth and revenue up more than 600% across peak Q4 trading.

By Melania Watson • 4 min read • Mon, 9th Feb 2026
Amazon threat pushes Australian retailers to speed up
Digital Transformation

Amazon threat pushes Australian retailers to speed up

Amazon, Temu and Shein are forcing Australian retailers to speed up delivery, fix fulfilment bottlenecks and rethink toughened returns.

By Mark Tarre • 4 min read • Wed, 4th Feb 2026