Black Friday 2021 – no time to waste!

The last quarter of 2021 is already here and that means the approach of the biggest shopping events – Black Friday and Cyber Monday!   

What is it about?

Black Friday is the biggest retail sales day in the United States, which happens the day following the Thanksgiving Day holiday on the last Thursday in November. It is often regarded as the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. Cyber Monday, the Monday after Black Friday, is a 24-hour online shopping event that was created by retailers to encourage people to do their shopping online and is now seen as an extension of the Black Friday sales. 

We’re going to show you exactly what this holiday season means to affiliate marketers and why it’s important to start planning your activities early.

Shopping extravaganza

According to Adobe Digital Insights, in the U.S. in 2020 total eCommerce sales over the entire Thanksgiving weekend amounted to $34.4 billion, with Cyber Monday alone accounting for $10.8 billion of that number. This year according to BlackFriday Portal, the total spending is predicted to be over $11.8 billion.

When exactly are Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2021? 

It’s especially easy for Americans to remember the exact date as both events come during and right after the Thanksgiving weekend. That means that Black Friday 2021 falls on 26 November. Cyber Monday follows right on its heels just three days later on Monday 29 November.  

Those are the “technical” dates at least, and it’s well worth preparing for. Retailers usually  start taking advantage of early promotional tactics to win over customers long before Thanksgiving weekend. 

Many marketers and retailers begin promoting their sales at least a month or so before Black Friday, it’s so-called “Black November”.  All in all, the sooner you start, the better you do.

Please take these dates into account when planning activities:

Warm up period: 20th Nov.-24th Nov.(5 days）

On sale period: 25th Nov.-29th Nov.(5 days)

The stretch between November 20 and November 29, which accounts for the main discounts, is still extremely famous for the buying activity and profitability for affiliates:

How much money is made over the BFCM weekend? (2020 facts & statistics)

Admitad Affiliate has calculated which businesses tend to profit the most during this period, where orders come from, and which affiliates are expected to earn the most. Online sales of brands and marketplaces are expected to jump more than 60% during the sale. 

Here are the affiliates who, according to Admitad Affiliate, attracted the most sales on the last year’s Black Friday (which means they made the most profits):

The top verticals that proved high demand during the 2020 BFCM weekend and the Q4 shopping season as a whole can be seen in the graph below. If you haven’t already, you should start looking for affiliate programs that have offers allowing you to promote similar inventory now and get ahead of the holiday shopping season because you do not want to miss this opportunity.

Wrapping it Up

This year Black Friday and Cyber Monday are predicted to exceed last year’s records. Start up early, and the results won’t disappoint you.

Don’t forget, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are big days for affiliate marketing, but they also can be seen as a warm-up before Christmas and New Year shopping. After Black Friday people will still be hunting for gifts for loved ones. Some companies run extended Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals which run for as long as a week after the actual date. And then it comes time for Christmas and New Years’ sales. 

Now let’s dive into our fantastic Black Friday offers and see which of them are going to smash your affiliate goals this year!