Black Friday stories - Page 2

AI agents, circular retail and tighter rules will upend shopping by 2026, Akeneo warns, as poor product data threatens brand visibility.

Cyber Monday online orders in the UK surged, running about 70% higher than Black Friday as shoppers held out for last-minute deals.

AI is transforming loyalty from points to real-time, personalised journeys as super apps and agentic engagement engines rapidly take hold.

Social media fuelled a Black Friday boom in the UK, as Rithum data showed global social sales soaring 152% and online spend up 27%.

Record Black Friday online sales risk hollowing out profits as soaring returns, refunds and BNPL queries squeeze retailers' margins.

AI now underpins most UK Christmas campaigns, as 78% of marketers use it to deliver more personalised festive ads amid rising consumer demands.

Online marketplaces now dominate UK high-value shopping journeys, as brands risk invisibility without strong, optimised product data.

Retailers brace for a “Christmas Returns Hangover” as eDesk reports a 45% spike in return requests from 26 December, denting profits.

ASOS's GBP £130m stock write-off shows AI gloss cannot mask a broken ERP, as messy data turns clever tools into costly liabilities.

Patchworks data operations jumped over 320% year on year as retailers stretched BFCM 2025 into a longer, more complex multichannel peak.

Softonic issues festive-season guide warning of rising scams in fake shops, apps and delivery messages as online bargain hunting surges.

Infobip logs 12.2 billion Cyber Week interactions as retailers drive a 277% Black Friday surge in rich messaging such as RCS and WhatsApp.

A viral festival clip of a top influencer sipping from a pink Huski champagne flute has sent global demand for the Kiwi drinkware brand soaring.

UK Black Friday pet sector spending surged with average orders up 56%, as shoppers focused on essentials and bigger baskets to maximise savings.

UK saw the highest global Black Friday growth at 16%, driven by loyalty spend, AI tools, and personalised retail experiences, outpacing US and ANZ markets.

UK eCommerce sales surged 27% during Black Friday as social media platforms like TikTok fueled a 152% global rise in social shopping transactions.

Brands boosted Black Friday and Cyber Monday revenue by 38% year-on-year through varied creative ads, despite only a 13% rise in ad spend, analysis shows.

Black Friday searches hit 33.5bn, with pet products surging 81% and shoppers favouring value, wellness, and early deals over luxury goods this year.

Black Friday exposed how rising demand strains UK retailers' customer service, revealing challenges caused by complex systems and ageing processes.

UK Black Friday footfall fell 3% year-on-year as shoppers sought better deals amid cost-of-living worries, despite a 54.9% rise from the prior week.