India’s Black Friday gets bigger as brands start early and spend smarter

With consumer sentiment stabilising and India’s retail calendar becoming more crowded than ever, brands are reshaping how they approach Black Friday - starting earlier, spending more strategically and leaning heavily on data and AI-driven precision.

Once a Western retail import, Black Friday has now firmly embedded itself in India’s shopping culture, cutting across e-commerce, fashion, beauty, electronics, travel and even fintech. But what truly sets this year apart is the shift in how brands are planning, targeting and executing their Black Friday playbooks.

As this shift takes shape, consumer interest is rising just as sharply. According to the YouGov report, Black Friday has seen a sharp surge in interest among urban Indians, with likely participation climbing from 33 per cent to 70 per cent, underscoring its growing importance as a major shopping event in India. The report further notes that 41 per cent of urban Indians are likely to make purchases during Black Friday 2025.

For many brands, Black Friday is no longer a weekend activity. E-commerce platforms and D2C players kicked off teaser drops and gated offers as early as mid-November. Marketers say the objective is to capture consumer intent before competitors flood the market. 

Amazon noted that strong festive demand has set the stage for an even bigger Black Friday edition this year.

Saurabh Srivastava, Vice President, Amazon India, shared, “The success of Amazon Great Indian Festival 2025 demonstrated the strong appetite Indian customers have for great deals on their favorite brands. Building on those insights and the excellent response to last year's inaugural Black Friday sale, we are excited to bring the second edition to Amazon.in, just ahead of the winter and holiday season. We have worked closely with sellers, brands and banking partners to curate top deals and exciting new launches across electronics, home, fashion, beauty and everyday essentials. Customers can discover these through engaging formats like New Deal Drops, Customers' Most Loved, Top 100, Influencer Favorites and Doorbuster Deals. We are also making shopping seamless with AI-powered tools like Rufus, Lens AI and AI Review Highlights. The recent GST reforms will make shopping even more affordable for customers, especially in categories like large appliances, fashion and everyday essentials. We remain committed to delivering exceptional value, fast deliveries and a great shopping experience across all categories."

Tata CLiQ, the omnichannel e-commerce platform, has launched its annual Black Friday Sale across Tata CLiQ Fashion, Tata CLiQ Luxury, and Tata CLiQ Palette, running from November 20 to November 30, 2025. Electronics major Croma has also kicked off its Black Friday Sale, which will be live from November 22 to November 30.

Sumit Puri, VP – Marketing & Central Operations, Tata CLiQ, said Black Friday is one of the platform’s key and most awaited sale events, featuring some of its best deals. Consumers can get 50-85 per cent off on Tata CLiQ Fashion and up to 50 per cent off on Tata CLiQ Luxury across top global and Indian brands. 

“Our approach to the Black Friday Sale has always been curated offers. Over the years, our analytics and customer-behaviour mapping have revealed the brands and categories which the customers shop the most. We’ve leveraged this insight to curate the most exciting offers on the products and categories they truly prefer, ensuring a more personalised and rewarding shopping experience,” he added.  

Black Friday has also grown into a major shopping period in India for Myntra, with demand rising by roughly 25 per cent year on year, driven largely by shoppers from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. A Myntra spokesperson told e4m, “Black Friday has quickly emerged as one of the biggest H2 shopping moments for Indian consumers, with brands across fashion, beauty, home and lifestyle categories rolling out highly attractive offers.” They added that Black Friday on Myntra is further boosted by strong participation from leading D2C and global brands, offering shoppers thousands of styles and compelling deals.

Croma’s sales have also demonstrated how a metro-centric concept can evolve into a nationwide retail moment, resonating strongly across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. 

An Infiniti Retail Ltd spokesperson said, “At Croma, we are proud to have pioneered Black Friday in the consumer electronics space, and each year we have seen growing customer interest beyond the traditional festive cycles.” 

The brand noted a clear shift in customer behavior, with shoppers expanding beyond smartphones and laptops to show strong interest across multiple categories. Backed by a 360-degree campaign, extended store hours, and strong digital engagement, the Black Friday experience was designed to be convenient, inclusive, and engaging for all.

Keyur Dhami, SVP - Customer Success (Key Accounts) & CoE, WebEngage further shed light on how the discount structure really works. According to him, budgets are rising, more brands are joining in, and teams are prioritising Black Friday campaigns. With consumers now expecting deals, the event is on track to become a mainstream retail fixture in India. He added that brands are becoming more cautious, maintaining floor prices as they prioritise profitability. Black Friday discounts often mirror other sale periods, with certain products never dropping below set thresholds.

“Brands have also become smarter with segmentation. They identify early adopters, discount seekers, and regular shoppers, and then tailor communication accordingly,” Dhami explained, adding that new launches are targeted to early adopters, while discount-driven shoppers receive sale messages first. Loyalty rewards support this approach, and discounting is often used more for performance marketing and user acquisition than for existing customers.

Stone Sapphire India, manufactures and distributes children’s art supplies, stationery, toys and homeware. It owns the Skoodle brand and holds licenses for Disney, Marvel, Peppa Pig, Barbie, Mattel and more. “From our customer portfolio lens, Black Friday budgets in 2025 have seen a moderate but intentional increase versus last year. Rather than fueling blanket deep discounting, this additional spend is being channeled into more curated, value-driven offers,” said Prasenjeet Bagchi, Senior GM Marketing, SSIPL.

The brand observes a clear shift from pure discount-chasing to more value-led Black Friday shopping, with customers now favouring trusted, durable and development-focused products. Their Black Friday push centres on Corelle dinner sets, Winfun toys, and Skoodle toys and stationery, categories that offer lasting utility and purpose. Discounts remain, but the emphasis is on quality and long-term value rather than the lowest price.

Brands across formats, from D2C players like NEWME to retail-led brands such as Inc.5, are also gaining strong momentum during Black Friday. Both brands agree that Black Friday has become an important period in their marketing calendar, from planning seasonal pushes to driving new customer acquisition.

“Over the years, our approach has stayed consistent with our core values; offering strong, transparent deals across our range,” said Rozmin Virji, Director at Inc.5. He added that they offer sitewide deals like Buy 1 Get 1 and flat 50 percent off, rather than limiting discounts to select categories, to ensure customers perceive real value.

For NEWME, Black Friday remains a core event, growing in scale each year. What began as a discount-led sale has become a high-energy, full-funnel moment that consumers now look forward to. Sumit Jasoria, Co-founder & CEO, NEWME said that the brand is running a sitewide Buy 1 Get 1, supported by flash deals and exclusive early-access perks for registered shoppers to maximise value during Black Friday.

Media mix

Brands are prioritising performance marketing this year, with a strong push toward video formats and social platforms. While retail media remains important, these channels are quickly emerging as key drivers during major sales.

Puri highlighted, “For the Black Friday sale promotions, our key marketing channels include performance marketing to drive high-intent traffic, CRM campaigns to engage and reactivate our existing customer base with personalised communication, and robust upper-funnel initiatives to build awareness and consideration ahead of the sale.” They are heavily leveraging social media to amplify the campaign. For Tata CLiQ Luxury, this includes a Black Friday film featuring Twinkle Khanna, offering a playful “masterclass” on embracing Black Friday temptations.

Myntra’s Black Friday marketing spans performance-led campaigns, video formats and creator-driven content, including Myntra’s Ultimate Glam Clan, to drive discovery and purchase intent. Inc.5, meanwhile is taking a mixed approach, combining online channels such as Meta and Google with offline visibility across malls and high-street locations.

NEWME is focusing on Instagram and YouTube while also tapping emerging platforms like meme pages, Snapchat and Reddit, which has become a key Black Friday hub for deal-seeking users. “Reddit, in particular, has become a Black Friday hotspot, with users actively hunting for deals and sharing recommendations, making it an important part of our strategy this year,” stated Jasoria.

Meanwhile, retail media is also seeing a substantial allocation of budgets. Bagchi said, “brands are clearly moving more budget towards retail media networks during the Black Friday period in 2025. Retail media now sits at the core of our performance and sales strategy because it reaches consumers at the digital point of purchase on retailer sites and apps, when intent is highest.”

This allows for better attribution, real-time optimisation and stronger ROAS. Brands are increasing spends not just on the event days but also in the lead-up, using retail media to secure visibility, shape baskets and leverage first-party data for precise targeting and conversion.

AI at focus

With competition intensifying, AI is emerging as a central lever for brands by powering sharper targeting, faster optimisation and personalised shopping experiences. 

According to the YouGov report, consumers are preparing to spend significantly more at this year’s mega sales, with half of respondents expecting to increase their spending compared to only 9 percent who expect to cut back. The report also highlights strong interest in AI-assisted shopping, with 77 percent of Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers saying they will use AI tools to navigate deals, and many from Gen X and older even willing to let AI handle most of their holiday shopping.

Dhami explained the best way for brands to integrate AI. The deeper value lies in AI and machine learning models used for segmentation and derived attributes. “Platforms help brands understand who their early adopters, loyalists, and discount seekers are, and then position communication accordingly,” he explained. 

As these shifts converge, a clearer picture of India’s evolving Black Friday emerges.

Black Friday’s rise in India shows how quickly global retail moments adapt to local behaviour. What began as a discount-led weekend is now a strategic battleground powered by performance marketing, creators, retail media and curated value. As brands prioritise intent-driven spending and consumers become more selective, Black Friday is solidifying into a high-stakes fixture in India’s retail calendar. The winners will be those who treat it not just as a sale, but as a long-term driver of relevance and loyalty.