The early signs are in, with some initial Black Friday statistics in from Nosto, and BFCM 2025 is off to a flying start. UK retailers have seen double-digit year-on-year growth across every major eCommerce metric in the first two days of the shopping weekend.
Consumer confidence looks solid, even against a backdrop of wider economic uncertainty – and shopper behaviour continues to shift.
Black Friday no longer stands alone.
This year, Saturday actually outperformed it across the board:
Sales up 20.23% YoY (vs 15.17% on Black Friday)
Conversion rate up 22.83% (vs 16.21%)
Orders up 20.02% (vs 14.53%)
The message is clear: multi-day deals are working. Shoppers are spreading spend more evenly and showing strong response to weekend-long offers – a tactic that’s now become the standard for UK eCommerce.
Shoppers Arriving Ready to Buy
One of the standout takeaways from this weekend is the quality of traffic. The jump in conversion rates points to high-intent sessions, with buyers showing up primed to purchase. This likely reflects stronger targeting, smarter remarketing, and better use of performance media.
It wasn’t just more people. It was the right people.
Order Volume, Not Basket Size, Drove Growth
Sales and order volume grew in tandem, while average order value held steady:
Black Friday AOV: +0.55%
Saturday AOV: +0.17%
That stability tells us two things. First, retailers didn’t rely on deeper discounts to drive volume. Second, growth came from more checkouts – not bigger baskets. It’s a win for both revenue and margin protection.
Holding the Line on Discounts
Flat AOV also suggests retailers managed to avoid over-discounting. Shoppers were drawn in by perceived value and limited-time offers, not just massive markdowns. That means brands kept hold of their margins while still capturing high demand.
Eyes on Cyber Monday
With Saturday outperforming expectations, momentum is likely to carry through the rest of the weekend. If brands lean into email and SMS remarketing – particularly to re-engage the high volumes from Saturday – Cyber Monday could push BFCM 2025 into record territory.
The Early Verdict
Everything points to BFCM 2025 becoming the most successful peak period since the pandemic-era digital surge. High-intent traffic, disciplined discounting, and a shift toward multi-day performance are all playing in retailers’ favour.
It’s not just about volume – it’s about quality. And this year, UK eCommerce looks to be getting both.
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