Black Friday 2025 encounters a more cautious consumer trying to survive the Golden Quarter

Even though we’ve been talking about it for weeks Black Fridaythe discount day imported from the American tradition officially starts this November 28 and will last until December 1 with the so-called Cyber ​​Monday.

This year the ‘Black Friday’ comes in a context in which Spanish consumers are seeing how the inflation is experiencing a slight rebound compared to a year ago – the general CPI stood at 3.1% in October compared to 1.8% in the same month of 2024 – although the situation of some basic products in the shopping basket that have skyrocketed in cost, such as eggs, beef and coffee, is of particular concern.

“At a time when the world is on the verge of a recession, gripped by distrust in the markets, slowing down investments and with an economic and geopolitical future that is more than uncertain, this year the consumer will look much more at the price before buying or, simply, will give up having the latest of the latest, always more expensive,” explains the report Black Friday 2025 published by OBS Business School, an institution belonging to the Planeta Formación y Universidades education network, and directed by Professor Eduardo Irastorza. The document further anticipates that “There will be few who will advance their Christmas shopping and keep your gifts in the back of the closet until Christmas Eve.”

And saving becomes a priority before facing the heaviest spending time of the year, known as Golden Quarterperiod from November to January and which coincides with the Black Fridaythe Christmas campaign and the January sales.

According to data from the report ‘Consumption in the Golden Quarter 2025′, prepared by KPMG and Appinio, Spaniards will spend an average of 969 euros in these months, which represents 1.6% less compared to 985 euros last year. Only in the Black Fridaythe average expenditure will be 278 euros – two euros less than in 2024 -, according to the latest edition of the study on the spending intention of Spaniards on this date carried out by the Cetelem Observatory.

Not in vain, as the report states, this promotional period is presented to the majority of Spaniards as the beginning of the Christmas shopping campaign. According to the data managed by the Aecoc Shopperview platform, belonging to the association of large consumer companies, Up to 62% of Spaniards assure that they will buy a product in it Black Friday.

The data from this study shows that 51% of buyers will take advantage of offers and discounts more than in previous years to save on their purchases, while half (50%) will anticipate their Christmas shopping to benefit from promotions.

Clothing, footwear and accessories lead the preferences

The AECOC Shopperview report also reveals that 44% of consumers will take advantage of the sales of this promotional campaign to purchase new products recently launched on the market. Regarding the most searched categories, “clothing, footwear and accessories lead purchasing preferences, with 50% of mentions”. Next, “are computer, telephony and household appliances (40%), gifts in general (34%), and food, beverage, drugstore, perfumery and personal care products (24%).”

Other categories with a notable presence in this campaign are “travel (19%), leisure, shows and culture (17%), toys (14%)as well as furniture and decorative items (11%), while transportation (cars, motorcycles, bicycles or scooters) only gather 3% of the mentions.”

Discounts of up to 30% on seasonal items

Traditionally, most of the items offered for sale on ‘Black Friday’ came from other seasons, that is: shops They tried to sell before stocks earring with attractive discounts than the new ones of the year, where the sales were much lower. This reality, however, is changing. “The issue of giving way to stocks on Black Friday It is increasingly relative. There are already many commercial formulas to get the stocks throughout the year, especially through the canal on-line“, agree various expert sources consulted by 20 minutes

Although consumer expectations are always high during this sales period, The reality is that discounts usually do not exceed 30% on new season items. “The large discounts of 50 or 70% that we can see will only be seen on items that want to be liquidated,” say the same sources.

Consumer Affairs launches the “largest campaign” to detect fraud

On the other hand, to guarantee that current legislation regarding discounts in electronic commerce is complied with, the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030has launched “the largest fraud monitoring and surveillance campaign” for this Black Friday.

For this campaign, the General Directorate of Consumer Affairs will carry out a “massive monitoring” of prices and products to detect false discounts and, new this year, it will also investigate other “dark patterns”, such as Drip pricing, sales with a countdown or custom pricing.

“The law in this country will be enforced, no matter how large and powerful the companies involved in these practices are”stressed the minister of the sector, Pablo Bustinduy, who recalled that last year they ended up sanctioning seven large companies with fines of up to 350,000 euros for unfair commercial practices with consumers that represent a violation of the Article 47 of the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users.

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