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- Big-picture results: sales, prices and platform hiccups
- How tariffs and timing reshaped holiday demand
- Brooklinen’s brand-first playbook and results
- Tecovas: stretching the holiday window and pushing accessories
- Made In’s international push and value offering
- What shopper behavior tells marketers about timing and urgency
- Notable headlines and trending retail items
- Other recent retail stories we followed
Retail leaders braced for another unpredictable Black Friday and Cyber Monday as tariffs, inflation worries, and shifting shopper habits rewired how brands planned discounts and marketing. This year, many retailers found demand — but not always in the places or on the days they expected.
Big-picture results: sales, prices and platform hiccups
Major platforms reported mixed signals: merchants logged strong totals, but unit activity and pricing told a more complex story.
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- Shopify merchants reported roughly $6.2 billion in Black Friday sales, a jump from the prior year.
- Sales-tracking firm Salesforce estimated U.S. Black Friday receipts near $18 billion, up about 3% year-over-year.
- That same Salesforce snapshot noted average prices rose about 7%, while order volumes slipped ~1%.
- Cyber Monday projections climbed too, with Salesforce eyeing roughly $13.3 billion for the U.S.
- The holiday push wasn’t flawless: an hours-long Shopify outage clouded parts of Cyber Monday traffic.
How tariffs and timing reshaped holiday demand
Retailers entered the season wondering if new tariffs would dampen consumer spending.
Some brands said shoppers still bought in meaningful numbers. But the pattern was different.
- Sales were more evenly distributed across weeks, not concentrated on one peak day.
- Brands leaned on international channels to offset domestic headwinds tied to tariffs.
- Shoppers spent more time researching and comparing offers before checkout.
Brooklinen’s brand-first playbook and results
Brooklinen focused on clarifying its premium positioning and giving customers clear reasons to choose it.
Marketing moves and product refreshes
- Launched a “Best in Bed” campaign highlighting more than 200 awards across products.
- Introduced new items such as a plush towel and relaunched linen sheets.
- Planned Cyber Week with greater lead time and contingency scenarios.
Performance highlights
- Overall Cyber Week results exceeded expectations.
- Bundle sales rose ~15% year-over-year, and now make up over a third of Brooklinen’s business.
- Robes were a standout: a super-plus model earned Oprah’s nod, sustaining demand through November.
- Robes overall saw a lift of about 70% versus last Cyber Week.
Tecovas: stretching the holiday window and pushing accessories
Tecovas used pricing tiers and media placement to turn steady momentum into holiday gains.
Strategy and promotional mix
- The brand offered a sitewide 20% off sale and a targeted “doorbuster” of 40% off two travel and bag items for a short window.
- Broadcast TV ads during key college football games drove in-store and online visits in core markets.
- Early-access deals were reserved for email and SMS subscribers to seed carts before public discounts.
Outcomes and consumer behavior
- Annual sales growth was strong heading into the period, roughly 45% year-over-year.
- Accessories surged, with sales up around 80% versus the prior year at the same point.
- Team observed customers holding items in carts more frequently, using baskets as wish lists while they compared options.
- Sales were more consistent across the week, with growth of roughly 30% through the period rather than a single spike.
Made In’s international push and value offering
Made In adjusted to tariff pressures by expanding overseas reach and emphasizing curated value.
Shifts in channel mix
- International sales accounted for a larger share of holiday revenue.
- November trended stronger than expected, but Black Friday itself was less spiky.
Product and promotion wins
- Made In posted Cyber Week results within about 1% of projections.
- The brand advertised up to 30% off and pushed a complete cookware set at roughly 33% off.
- Sales of the full kitchen cookware set climbed roughly 250% year-over-year.
- New ad placements, like spots during a Paramount+ series, aimed to expand awareness pre-holiday.
Made In also tracked when new customers first discovered the brand. More than half said it had been over six months, underscoring that marketing investments months earlier paid off.
What shopper behavior tells marketers about timing and urgency
Across brands, a clear pattern emerged: urgency is fading and discovery windows are lengthening.
- Deals stretched across November, turning Black Friday into a prolonged shopping season.
- Buyers increasingly treat carts as research tools or wish lists.
- Brands must invest in brand messaging, smarter media buys, and long-term funnel tactics.
Notable headlines and trending retail items
- An intermittent Shopify outage affected some Cyber Monday traffic.
- Teen-focused names like Edikted, Bandy Melville, and Kendra Scott drew big Black Friday visits.
- Skims planned a holiday live-shopping event on TikTok on Dec. 3.
Other recent retail stories we followed
- Brands experimenting with “fake apologies” on Instagram have created a viral, and risky, trend.
- Warehouse teams from Beachwaver, Leatherology, and Weezie shared their Black Friday operations playbooks.
- Nisolo’s new CEO outlined plans to reshape the footwear label’s next chapter.
