Summary

• Black Friday 2025 comes with the added complexity of tariffs and economic uncertainty.  
• Consumers are more price-sensitive, inventory decisions are under scrutiny, and the cost of getting it wrong is higher than ever. 
• Using retail intelligence, we outline four key strategies retailers can use to win. 

Introduction

Black Friday 2025 is happening against a backdrop of economic pressure, from cautious consumer spending to elevated supply chain costs and ongoing tariff challenges. 

To win, retailers need more than instinct; they need real-time, connected, and actionable insights from a retail intelligence solution. 

This technology will allow retailers to: 

1. Identify Trends Worth Investing In

With consumers pulling back on discretionary spending and tightening their wallets, investing in the right trends this Black Friday is more important than ever. 

Using advanced insights, retailers can place smarter, data-backed bets on trends that are both viable and relevant, so they don’t waste time or margin on the wrong styles. 

• Analyze market shifts in real time. With global retail market data, you can understand what products are being launched, restocked, or discounted across key competitors and markets to optimize your assortment. 
• Drill down by category and region. Want to know which types of outerwear are trending in the UK vs. the US? Or which colorways are dominating dresses? Filter data by product type, brand, region, and time frame to surface relevant insights.   
• Spot rising trends. Access real-time insights from customer data, as well as the runway and social media, to identify the trends that are gaining momentum and to invest before competitors catch up.

2. Protect Margins With Smart Promotions

With supply chain costs still elevated and tariffs impacting imported goods, retailers must be surgical with promotions. Shoppers still expect deals, but unnecessary promotions erode margin. 

Avoid blanket sitewide discounts and instead use selective, targeted promotions that drive urgency, while protecting profitability. 

• Access historic and real-time discount data. Understand how deep competitors have discounted in previous Black Fridays and compare that to this year’s activity.
• Leverage a live Tariff Tracker. If you’re facing cost pressures from tariffs, use this feature to stay informed and plan pricing or discounting strategies that work for your business. 
• Pinpoint where to discount, and where to hold. Analyze pricing and sell-through performance to identify which products can sustain full price, and which need support.

3. Merchandise for Real-Time Demand

Consumers will be more selective with purchases this year. The ability to respond in real time to their behavior – not weeks later – is essential to converting interest into revenue.  

• Monitor sell-out rates and replenishment in real time. See which products are flying off the shelves across the market. Use this to prioritize which products to surface on landing pages, emails, or ads.
• Optimize your own site experience. With site merchandising insights, identify which products are underperforming despite visibility (high page views, low conversions), and adjust placement or messaging. 
• Leverage basket analysis. Uncover which items are being purchased together and feature these pairings across your site on product pages or promotions to increase average order value.  

4. Align Teams With Unified Insights

With volatile economic conditions, retailers can’t afford internal misalignment or slow decision-making. With the same view of what’s happening across the market and within their business, retailers can act faster and smarter. 

• Create shared dashboards across teams. With a connected tool, merchandisers, marketers, buyers, and planners can all access the same up-to-date insights so decisions are fast, data-backed, and aligned.
• Run smarter trade meetings. Instead of teams pulling data from spreadsheets or disconnected tools, utilize a live source of truth to align on what’s working, what’s not, and what to shift before peak hits.
• Automate manual reporting. Cut time spent on competitive analysis, promotional roundups, or price audits with real-time data and tech that automates processes and surfaces the insights you need. 

Conclusion  

This Black Friday, guess less and win more with EDITED. By combining real-time market visibility, customer demand signals, and internal performance data, EDITED helps retailers confidently navigate the noise and make decisions that drive both sales and profitability. 

Book a demo and see how EDITED can transform your Black Friday in 2025.