Black Friday 2025 drove $11.8 billion in online sales. Cyber Monday hit $14.25 billion. Both broke records.
For many brands, tapping into that early holiday purchasing power is a playbook years in the making. But when it comes to Gen Z, brands planning their Black Friday marketing strategy for 2026 need to rethink the traditional holiday calendar.
According to GWI, 63% of Gen Z shoppers have already begun planning their Black Friday 2026 purchases. Right now. In July.
If your brand is not already in their consideration set, you are already late.
Why Gen Z Shops Differently During Black Friday
Gen Z’s purchase intent heading into Black Friday 2026 is down year-over-year across virtually every category. Their intention to purchase apparel is down 14%. And 67% of Gen Z say that promotional urgency messaging feels “overwhelming” to them (Mintel).
Flash sales. Countdown timers. “Limited time only.” These don’t convert Gen Z; instead, they overwhelm and repel them.
But intent to purchase personal care, skincare, and cosmetics is up 3% year-over-year with this generation heading into Black Friday (GWI). One category is holding while others fall. It’s not a coincidence but rather a signal of what Gen Z actually responds to.
Gen Z’s values are deeply rooted in self-expression and identity. How you take care of your hair, your skin, and your cosmetics feels like a way to express who you are. Products tied to their identity don’t feel like indulgences. They feel like necessities. That’s why health and beauty brands are holding steady during promotional periods while other verticals decline.
When discretionary budgets are tight, spending on just anything feels irresponsible. But a brand they genuinely care about? That’s not a splurge. It’s an extension of themselves, which then becomes a need.
The goal isn’t to catch Gen Z during a sale. It’s to move them from “I want” to “I need” before the sale ever starts.
Over 80% of Gen Z have changed a purchase decision based on brand actions and reputation (GWI). They see consumer goods as a way to express their beliefs and how they see the world. They’re product loyal, sticking to the same types of products in their routines even as they try different brands. And they have an exceptional ability to spot inauthenticity. If a “sale” price is the same price you’ve been running for three months, they’ll know, and they’ll hold it against you.
Win their trust, and they don’t just buy. They come back.
How to Build a Black Friday Marketing Strategy for Gen Z
All of Gen Z’s conversion work needs to happen before the first promotional day kicks off. An effective Black Friday ecommerce strategy starts five to six weeks before promotional events.
Bring aspiration first. Gen Z consumers are already planning for what they want to see on sale. Getting them excited about specific products weeks before the event builds the kind of anticipation that converts, sometimes before the sale even starts, which boosts average order value. Help them get excited for what’s coming. Build desire before you ask them to take action.
Know what triggers them. Gen Z has their own conversion drivers, and they’re different from every other generation’s. Understanding Gen Z consumer behavior is the foundation for building campaigns that resonate. Lean into social discovery, creator-centric strategy, UGC, and entertainment-based marketing. These are the formats that land. TikTok Shop saw a 50% increase in shoppers during Black Friday 2025 compared to 2024, driven mostly by Gen Z shoppers. Social commerce isn’t a side channel for this audience. It’s where they discover, validate, and decide.
Test before the pressure hits. Launch creative testing now. Figure out what resonates with your Gen Z audience while you still have time to be proactive. The brands that win Black Friday aren’t making reactive decisions in November. They already know what works, and have optimized to that.
Highlight flexible payment options. Trust is the entry fee with Gen Z. Promotional discounts need to be genuine. And offering buy-now-pay-later options signals you understand their financial reality. Klarna volume was up 45% year-over-year during Black Friday 2025. PayPal was up 23%. Flexibility is a form of care, and mentioning these options in your pre-promotional creative can convert a Gen Z shopper before the sale even opens.
Plan for the hangover. Even when a Gen Z purchase feels justified, they don’t have more to spend afterward. In 2025, Amazon saw a 30% drop in sales in the ten days following Prime Day. Expect a similar lull after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Adjust media spend. But keep building the relationship. The Gen Z shoppers who bought from you in November are the ones worth nurturing for next year.
Why Early Black Friday Marketing Drives Better Results
One retail brand with a predominantly Gen Z customer base built its entire strategy around two moments in the calendar: a brand-aligned spring event and Black Friday/Cyber Monday, the only two times the brand went on sale.
The approach was meticulous. Core styles and color drops were tied to long-term value. Early access programs created earned excitement. Hype cycles built into the weeks before each moment drove planned shopping behavior rather than impulse. Aspiration came first to build momentum for the brand, and the sale came second.
The results from Black Friday/Cyber Monday:
- 50% lower cost per acquisition
- 61% lower customer acquisition cost
- 669% increase in new customers
- 585% increase in scaled conversions
They didn’t outspend the competition. They out-planned them, starting earlier and building the kind of relationship with Gen Z shoppers that made the sale feel like a reward and a reflection of their identity, not a simple transaction.
Build Trust Before Black Friday to Increase Conversions
If consumers know you, like you, and care about you, the chances of you staying in their consideration set are higher. And Gen Z has a very specific path to care.
That path runs through identity and trust, not discounts and countdown timers. It’s built over weeks, not activated in a single campaign or single promotional moment. By 2030, Gen Z will make up 17% of retail spending in the U.S. (Thomson Reuters). The brands planting seeds now are the ones who will earn that care, and by extension – conversion.
Black Friday starts now.
Wpromote’s Care Index tracks exactly where your brand’s relationship with consumers stands and what it’s worth in revenue. Ready to build your Gen Z strategy before Black Friday?
