Black Friday Shifts From Single Day to Month-Long Shopping Marathon
A new study reveals that Black Friday has evolved into a month-long consumer marathon, with 50% of shoppers starting their search over 30 days in advance.
The Black Friday shopping spree has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years across many countries worldwide: it is no longer a focused one-day event, but a month-long consumer marathon. Consumers have become smarter, more calculated, and better planned, forcing retailers and merchants to recalculate their strategies.
This trend is felt globally. A new study by LWSA (based on a sample of 1,044 consumers from all backgrounds and regions) reveals the extent of this shift: half of consumers (50%) start searching for deals and price offers more than 30 days before the official date. Additionally, 72% of respondents indicate that they prepare themselves financially in advance for the shopping event.
The Shift Toward a Month-Long Marathon
The data proves that the single shopping day concept is a thing of the past: 54% of respondents intend to spread their purchases throughout November as soon as deals appear. Only 20% of shoppers still plan to concentrate all purchases on Friday itself. Furthermore, 47% admit they will likely leave some items for Cyber Monday, the strong sales day following the weekend.
When most consumers plan to spread purchases across the month, the concentrated event disappears, explains Marcelo Navarini, manager of the Bling platform from the LWSA group. For merchants, this reality requires early decisions regarding inventory and pricing, alongside operational readiness to manage demand fluctuations throughout November.
The Shopping Journey and AI Integration
The modern consumer's purchasing path has become complex and multi-channel. Initial product searches and discovery typically start on marketplaces (56%), followed by brand websites (42%) and dedicated apps (33%).
However, at checkout, preferences shift entirely: 55% prefer making the actual purchase on the store's online website, 40% via apps, 37% on marketplaces, and only 28% choose to visit physical stores. New players have also entered the arena: Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude now serve as a starting point for 13% of consumers. Among them, 63% use these tools regularly or frequently to find products.
The consumer might discover a product on social media, search for reviews on a marketplace, use AI for a decision, and close the deal entirely on another channel.
Free Shipping and Payment Flexibility
Once a product is found, two main decisive points determine if a deal goes through: shipping costs and payment options. Over half of consumers (55%) will always look for a free shipping option, even if it means slower delivery. About 36% of buyers are willing to entirely drop a great deal simply due to high shipping fees.
Regarding payment methods, interest-free installment credit cards still lead (58%), closely followed by instant payment methods at 39%. For 56% of respondents, the ability to pay in installments is critical for decision-making, while 59% noted that an additional discount for instant payment would be the deciding factor in the transaction.
