Another November, another inbox full of “BIGGEST SALE EVER” subject lines. When every brand is offering 20%, 30% or 50% off, does the discount actually make anyone stop scrolling?
People still want to shop. According to Adobe Digital Insights, UK shoppers spent £1.16 billion online on Black Friday 2025 and £3.8 billion across Cyber Weekend. What has changed is how they find what they buy. They discover products on TikTok, research them on Instagram and check with creators before deciding what deserves their money. A good deal alone rarely cuts through.
So, if the discount doesn’t stop the scroll, what does?
Key takeaways
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Discounts might drive purchases, but they don’t guarantee attention: In a crowded Black Friday market, brands need creative content, relevance and a clear reason to engage
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Creators are becoming the new shopping guides: Sprout Social’s Q4 2025 research found that 35% of UK consumers trust influencer recommendations most for holiday gift ideas and product discovery
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The shopping journey is happening on social: Consumers increasingly use TikTok, Instagram and other social platforms to discover, research and purchase products
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Authenticity beats another promotional message: Creator reviews, product demonstrations and relatable storytelling can help brands build confidence before asking consumers to buy
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Black Friday doesn’t start on Black Friday: Brands that build awareness and interest early have more opportunities to convert attention when the offers arrive.
Black Friday has an attention problem
Black Friday used to be an event with queues outside shops, limited stock and one day of big discounts. Now it’s a month-long marketing marathon of early-access sales, Cyber Monday deals and endless last chances. More chances to shop means more noise to cut through.
When every brand promises its biggest sale of the year, the message stops landing. Shoppers still care about price, especially now, but they’re pickier about what counts as real value. Research from Wunderman Thompson found 56% of consumers believed Black Friday deals were misleading. A bigger discount doesn’t buy more confidence.
The prize is still big. Adobe’s data shows Black Friday remained the UK’s biggest online shopping day of 2025. You just need to give people a reason to choose your offer over everything else in their feed.
About the author
Simarin Tandon | Junior Digital Account Director
Having worked with brands across the Beauty & Wellness, FMCG, FinTech, and Home & Lifestyle sectors, Simarin focuses on driving acquisition and growth, whilst managing the Digital team at brandnation.
A curious marketer, Simarin’s finger is always on the pulse when it comes to performance and digital updates across both paid and organic platforms.
Why influencer marketing matters on Black Friday
When did a generic sale graphic last convince you to buy something? Now think about the last product you bought because someone you follow wouldn’t stop talking about it.
Sprout Social found 35% of UK consumers trust influencer recommendations most for gift ideas and product discovery, and 64% are more willing to buy from brands that partner with their favourite influencers.
Picture two posts about the same skincare deal. One is a graphic announcing 30% off. The other is a creator you trust walking through their routine, explaining why the product works for them and mentioning it’s in the sale. The offer is identical. The second post gives you context, relevance and a reason to care.
It only works when the fit is right. Choose creators whose content and communities genuinely align with your brand, because a forced partnership undermines the credibility you’re paying for. Get it right and you join a conversation your audience is already having.
The best Black Friday ad might not look like an ad
On TikTok and Instagram Reels, following a brand doesn’t guarantee anyone sees its content. Your post sits between a funny video, an honest review and a friend’s recommendation. A 20% off graphic struggles in that company, because you’re competing with the content people opened the app to watch as well as with other retailers.
So, build content around the questions shoppers are already asking:
- Is it worth buying?
- What makes it different?
- How does it work?
- Will I use it enough to justify it?
Comparisons, tutorials, behind-the-scenes content, honest reviews and relatable humour all answer those questions. They also give your audience something before you ask for something back. That matters most when you’re reaching people who don’t follow you yet. Make the value obvious in the first few seconds and give them a reason to keep watching. The brands that win this Black Friday will make content people would choose to watch, discount or no discount.
From For You Page to checkout
Social now covers the whole shopping journey. Sprout Social found 48% of UK consumers use social media for holiday gift ideas and product discovery, almost matching the 49% who use physical stores. The feed now matters as much as the shop floor.
TikTok Shop lets someone discover a product through a creator, watch a demonstration and buy it without leaving the app. Live shopping adds audience questions and limited-time offers to the mix. A creator comparing two pieces of fitness equipment answers questions a product listing can’t, and fewer steps sit between interest and purchase.
For Black Friday 2026, ask how each platform can help people discover, understand and feel confident about your products. Making them easier to buy is half the job. They also need to be interesting to find in the first place.
Your Black Friday social media strategy starts before November
By the time the sale goes live, plenty of shoppers have made their wish lists, watched the reviews and consulted the group chat. If you only show up on the day, you’re late. Treat Black Friday as a build in three phases.
Before: build interest. Focus on discovery, creator partnerships, product demos, wish lists and early access. The goal is to be the brand people already have in mind when the discounts land.
During: turn interest into action. Shift to clear offers, creator recommendations, shoppable video and paid social. Sweat the details too. Fast, clear answers on stock, delivery, returns and whether a deal is genuine can decide whether someone buys or keeps scrolling, so make sure social listening and community management are ready.
After: keep the relationship going. Post-purchase content, customer stories, tutorials and community engagement give new customers reasons to stay. Measure beyond the sales spike, looking at reach, saves, shares, creator-driven traffic, conversions and repeat purchases. A Black Friday sale is great. A customer who comes back at full price is better.
Trust is the new Black Friday currency
Shoppers have endless options and very few reasons to believe every offer is worth their time. They also have more ways to check than ever. They search TikTok for reviews, compare prices across retailers and ask friends.
Many of the most influential conversations happen out of sight. A product spotted on Instagram gets saved, then shared in a WhatsApp group before anyone buys. That makes shareable content as valuable as clickable content. A genuinely useful comparison or a clear demo can travel well beyond your own audience.
So be transparent about your discounts, work with creators who fit and give people reasons to feel confident. When every message shouts “HURRY” and “DON’T MISS OUT”, urgency loses its urgency. Trust is harder to manufacture, and far more valuable to earn.
So, what actually drives attention on Black Friday?
The discount gets people to checkout. What gets them interested? A creator they trust. A product they recognise. A video that answers a question. Something that makes them laugh. A recommendation that lands in the group chat at the right moment.
Those moments make a brand memorable before price enters the conversation. When every brand has a discount, the advantage goes to the one people actually care about.
Ready to make your brand stand out beyond the discount?
At Brandnation, we help brands create integrated social media, influencer marketing and digital campaigns that capture attention and drive meaningful engagement.
From creator-led storytelling to content strategies designed for discovery, we help brands show up in ways that audiences actually want to engage with.
Get in touch to discuss how we can help your brand stand out this Black Friday.
FAQs
A strong offer backed by creative content people want to watch, clear messaging and a plan that builds interest before the sale. Creators, paid social, short-form video and social commerce all help turn that interest into sales.
Trusted creators give promotions context. Reviews, demos and personal recommendations help shoppers decide with confidence, and 64% of people are more willing to buy from brands that partner with their favourite influencers, according to Sprout Social.
Make content that entertains, informs or gets shared. Creator partnerships, product comparisons, honest storytelling and short-form video cut through crowded feeds better than promotional graphics.
Several months ahead, especially if you’re working with creators or producing larger campaigns. Building awareness before November means shoppers already know you when the offers land.
TikTok Shop lets shoppers discover and buy products in one place. Creator content, live shopping and shoppable videos connect discovery directly to purchase.
