Black Friday 2025 broke all online spending records, with U.S. consumers shelling out $11.8 billion in one day. As a founder and entrepreneur immersed in the challenges of running startups, this milestone holds lessons for all of us. It’s more than just a reflection of consumer habits; it’s a mirror of how businesses, big or small, can adapt, scale, and learn. Let’s explore why this matters and how you can apply these takeaways to your own ventures.
What Drove $11.8 Billion in a Single Day?
Adobe Analytics tracked over a trillion visits to retail sites to report this historic figure, marking a 9.1% increase from 2024’s Black Friday. What stood out is when shoppers were most active, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. PST, spending surged to $12.5 million every single minute. Cyber Monday is expected to top this with projections of $14.2 billion in online sales.
What’s fascinating here is how technology shaped behavior. Artificial intelligence-powered tools, such as chatbots and personalized recommendations, streamlined the process of finding deals. AI wasn’t an afterthought but a cornerstone of this spending frenzy. Shoppers also increasingly relied on mobile devices for their purchases, accounting for more than half of all sales.
The Biggest Drivers of Success for Businesses
The record-breaking numbers weren’t just a result of luck or seasonal high spirits. Here’s what businesses did effectively:
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Leaning on AI Technology
Retailers used AI not only to attract attention but also to simplify purchasing decisions. For example, AI-driven recommendations matched customers with the right deals quickly, and advanced chatbots answered queries more efficiently than live agents would have. This is a massive takeaway for startup founders: Automating certain customer journey points can make or break conversion rates. -
Offering Deep Discounts Strategically
Discounts were more targeted this year, as data-driven insights helped brands optimize pricing. Top-selling categories like electronics, toys, and apparel saw lower margins but higher volume sales, proving that calculated short-term sacrifices can lead to dominance in crucial sales periods. -
Building Momentum Through Multi-Day Campaigns
The shopping momentum started on Thanksgiving Day with $6.4 billion in online sales and carried over to Black Friday. Many businesses aligned their campaigns to create anticipation and continuity across this period. This is especially relevant for solo entrepreneurs running seasonal campaigns, plan your sales roadmap to sustain interest over several days. -
Expanding the Role of Mobile Shopping
Customers' tilt toward mobile shopping wasn’t accidental. Retailers leveraged mobile-first strategies, including optimized apps and push notifications, effectively meeting consumers where they already spend time.
Lessons for Female Entrepreneurs in Europe
As a female founder bootstrapping her ventures, I see parallels between these e-commerce strategies and what smaller startups can adopt for big wins. Here’s how you can turn these learnings into actionable steps:
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Leverage AI, Even on a Budget
AI tools like Crisp or Drift can streamline sales processes without draining resources. Use them to handle customer queries during peak sales times or to suggest product bundles that provide value while increasing profits. -
Prioritize Data-Driven Discounts
Offering random discounts without strategy is chaos. Analyze what products people gravitate toward during specific months and offer tiered promotions based on buyer data. -
Strategically Extend Sales
The key isn’t only in planning a big launch but in sustaining momentum. If your business can turn singular events into multi-day campaigns, retention becomes easier and more profitable. -
Follow the Mobile-First Approach
Whether it’s optimizing your site for mobile or experimenting with SMS-based marketing, cater to mobile users. Social media ads targeting mobile audiences can drive exponential traffic spikes during critical sales periods.
Most Common Mistakes to Avoid
Entrepreneurs understandably fear overspending, especially during big campaigns, and this anxiety often leads to missteps. Here’s what not to do:
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Ignoring AI
Thinking “AI isn’t for small businesses” is severely limiting. Start simple. Many free or affordable options exist, like chatbots through platforms like ManyChat or AI-driven customer segmentation via Mailchimp. -
Relying Solely on Steep Discounts
Discounting without a plan can harm both your margins and your brand. Instead, target discounts where they add the most perceived value, such as bundled offers. -
Skipping Mobile Optimization
If your website doesn’t adapt seamlessly to screens of all sizes, you’re alienating a large portion of your audience. Regularly test load speeds and usability on mobile.
How-To Create Black Friday Success for Your Startup
Looking to replicate record-breaking sales proportions in your own way? Here’s your blueprint:
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Preparation Starts Early
Begin teasing your sales as early as October. This doesn’t mean exhausting your audience; rather, it means building effective awareness through soft prompts like emails or subtle social media ads. -
Go All In on Retargeting Ads
Visitors who browse and leave your website during Black Friday are low-hanging fruit. Use tools like Facebook Ads Manager to retarget them with time-bound deals. -
Create VIP Access Early
Invite your top 10% of customers to access Black Friday deals hours earlier than the wider audience. Reward loyalty, it pays back. -
Use Data Analytics Tools
Even free tools, such as Google Analytics and Hotjar, can show where customer drop-offs happen during the checkout process. Fixing bottlenecks could result in big gains.
Deep Insights for European-Based Startups
Black Friday sales in the U.S. have important implications for Europe. While cultural shopping behaviors vary, the growing emphasis on e-commerce and digital-first strategies is universal. European startups can lead with sustainability as a key selling point during seasonal sales. Over 72% of European customers now say they’d choose a sustainable product over a cheaper alternative. Expect growth in this direction to outperform price-centric campaigns long-term.
Entrepreneurs should use these numbers not as a signal to copy trends but to adapt them. The scale of sales may differ regionally, but the core strategies driving success, being data-forward, catering to mobile audiences, leveraging AI, remain what Europe’s female entrepreneurs can replicate with a more local twist.
Conclusion
Watching Black Friday hit $11.8 billion in a single day is a clear signal: digital commerce holds enormous potential for those agile enough to capitalize. But as women founders in Europe, we stand at a unique crossroads. We can scale by learning from global patterns while addressing niche, regional demands. Whether it’s through AI adoption, data-informed strategies, or simply aligning with changing consumer habits, opportunities lie in adapting, not merely mimicking.
Let’s take ownership of these lessons and apply them to build not just profitable businesses but lasting ones.
FAQ
1. How much did U.S. consumers spend online on Black Friday 2025?
U.S. consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online on Black Friday 2025, marking a 9.1% increase from 2024’s $10.8 billion, according to Adobe Analytics. Learn more about Black Friday 2025 spending
2. When was online shopping activity at its peak during Black Friday?
Adobe Analytics reported that the peak shopping activity occurred between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. PST, during which $12.5 million was spent every minute. Explore Adobe's report on peak shopping hours
3. What role did AI technology play in driving Black Friday spending?
AI-powered tools, such as chatbots and personalized recommendations, helped consumers quickly find and purchase deals by streamlining shopping processes. Learn how AI impacted Black Friday sales
4. What were the most popular shopping categories during Black Friday 2025?
Top categories included electronics, toys, and apparel, benefiting from strategically targeted discounts to gain higher volume sales. Find out about top-selling categories
5. What are the projections for Cyber Monday 2025 online sales?
Cyber Monday 2025 is projected to reach $14.2 billion in online sales according to Adobe, surpassing Black Friday’s record-breaking numbers. Explore projections for Cyber Monday
6. How significant was mobile shopping during Black Friday 2025?
Mobile shopping accounted for more than half of all online sales, showcasing the importance of mobile-first strategies by retailers. Learn about mobile shopping trends
7. How did discount strategies influence sales performance?
Retailers used data-driven insights to offer targeted discounts, sacrificing margins in exchange for higher sales volumes during Black Friday. Discover how discounts drove sales
8. How did shopping habits on Thanksgiving contribute to Black Friday’s success?
Thanksgiving Day spending reached $6.4 billion online, setting the stage for Black Friday's momentum. Multi-day campaigns sustained consumer interest. Explore Thanksgiving shopping contributions
9. What can small businesses learn from Black Friday’s record-breaking sales?
Embracing AI, focusing on mobile optimization, extending sales events, and using data-driven promotions are key takeaways for smaller enterprises. Find tips for small business success during Black Friday
10. How can holiday sales trends in the U.S. be applied to startups in Europe?
European startups can learn from U.S. Black Friday strategies by applying AI technologies, focusing on sustainability, and optimizing for mobile audiences. Discover strategies for European startups
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
