We asked APMA members for their Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 insights…
Impact.com
James Bennie, AVP Customer Success (EMEA)
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Cyber Weekend spend across EMEA +43% YoY
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A major clothing marketplace +30% YoY in spend.
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A leading footwear brand +80% YoY.
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The top-performing brand more than doubled revenue YoY through the channel.
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8 of the top 10 spending brands on the platform grew revenue YoY.
Genie Ventures
Rachel Said, Head of Affiliate
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Earlier advertiser promotions appear to have reduced consumer appetite for Cyber Monday.
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Internal analysis indicated:
→ Black Friday strongest day
→ Sunday weaker, likely due to good weather
→ Cyber Monday less pronounced versus previous years -
Clients who launched very early (late October / Halloween) saw the strongest outcomes but only when paired with trust messaging assuring customers it was the best price.
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Recommended strategy: invest earlier in PPC & Paid Social to build audiences before CPMs rise. Requires patience as early COS is higher, but pays off when consumers pre-decide purchases.
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Affiliate activation example via Linkby + The Independent:
→ Traffic surged 70% in the second half of November
→ 6–9 day click-to-sale window (vs. daily average)
→ ROI of 3 on prospecting-style content
→ Featured in AI Overviews, increasing visibility -
Key theme: Brands that performed best had diversified, joined-up strategies across paid social, PPC, CSS, and transparent affiliate partnerships.
Awin
Richard Towey, Global Content & Communications Manager
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Advertisers shifting promotions earlier appears to have softened Cyber Monday demand.
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Awin network performance:
→ November sales +1.5% YoY
→ Black Friday +3% YoY
→ Cyber Monday –14% YoY -
Cyber Monday’s share of Cyber Weekend sales declined significantly YoY, compared with a +4% increase in 2024.
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Singles Day (11 Nov) saw +31% sales volume YoY, showing consumer attention shifting earlier.
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Pets & pet care +32% — strongest-growing subsector.
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Fewer voucher-driven sales pre-Black Friday as advertisers withheld aggressive discounts.
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Tenancy spend +26% YoY, totalling £23m in the three months pre-November.
→ Average brand spend £4,082
→ Demonstrates brands investing early to secure placements outside pure CPA.
Adtraction
Insights from 1,700+ ecommerce programmes across 12 European markets
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Black Friday still the strongest single day, but sales were more evenly spread across Black Week.
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Sunday showed unusually high shopping activity, indicating wider weekend purchasing.
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November overall saw elevated, steady conversion levels, blurring the edges of “Black Week.”
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Black Week typically yields 3× normal weekly sales volume.
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AOV consistent throughout the day, with only a slight lunchtime peak — showing high-value shopping is continuous.
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CEO Simon Gustafson:
→ Black Week is now part of a longer, fluid November shopping season, not a single peak.
Skimlinks
Angus Quinn, Director of Marketing, EMEA & APAC
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Consumers behaved in a more selective and value-driven way.
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Strongest categories:
→ Clothing & Accessories
→ Furniture & Décor
→ Appliances
→ Children’s categories
→ Christmas/gifting -
High-value baskets concentrated in trusted high-street and department-store brands.
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Home-relaxation & sleep-related purchases surged as shoppers timed big-ticket buys for Cyber Weekend.
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Fastest-growing brands indicate appetite for affordable luxuries and premium giftables:
• Joe & Seph’s
• Lulu Guinness
• DeMellier
• ROKA London
• Spanx -
Signals a shift toward premium, personality-led shopping during peak periods.
Tradedoubler
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UK Cyber Weekend delivered the platform’s strongest performance ever.
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Long-running programmes saw:
→ Order value +28%
→ AOV +9.5% -
Categories dominating spend (~85%): Retail, Electronics, Home & Garden, Fashion.
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Travel saw a surprise surge, confirming Cyber Week is no longer retail-only.
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Demand spread more evenly across the four days:
→ Thanksgiving → Black Friday uplift fell from 40% to 30% YoY. -
Channel dynamics:
• CSS partners grew strongly as shoppers intensified comparison behaviour.
• Influencer & social partners more than doubled YoY.
• Cashback share declined only because other channels grew faster.
• Voucher partners remained stable and important for closing conversions.
Zilch
Key behavioural insights:
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Peak hour: 10am
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Peak minute: 4:46pm
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330 purchases per minute at peak; ~275/min average 9am–9pm.
Retailers with biggest uplift:
Nike, Lego, Temu, Dunelm, Tesco, TikTok Shop, Wayfair, Booking.com, Secret Sales, Bicester Village, AO.com, Tesco Mobile.
Bestselling products:
Beats earbuds, Ring doorbells, Dehumidifiers, Dyson handheld vacuums, Hiking boots, Advent calendars, Electric blankets, Paco Rabanne fragrances, LEGO sets, 32-inch TVs, Kindle.
Payment method trends:
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Fastest growing: Pay over 3 months (+68%)
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Most used: Pay over 6 weeks
In-store uplift:
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Despite UK high-street sales –2%, Zilch in-store retailers achieved +17.5% uplift.
January buying intent:
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79% of Zilch customers say they participate in January sales.
