In November’s Big Furniture Group magazine, we kept the Black Friday conversation going through an exclusive insight from Furnilytics, where they analysed the promotional period and what it means for furniture retailers here in the UK.

This analysis looks at how consumer interest has developed, how early campaigns are now starting, and how different retailers used Black Friday in 2025 to compete for attention, traffic and big-ticket furniture purchases.

In a nutshell, and in the UK, Google search interest for Black Friday furniture was around 19% higher in 2025 than in 2021, despite general furniture search interest being slightly lower over the same period. This shows that the event still has plenty of appetite in the furnishings sector and leads nicely on this month’s theme of how to make the most out of Black Friday.

You may already have your Black Friday promotions in place and a plan of action to utilise the event. Great stuff! But if not, this month is all about preparing for the questions you may get asked during Black Friday from savvy shoppers looking to separate genuine furniture bargains from inflated “up to” discounts and hidden fees.

Let’s explore some examples.

“Is this the standard, regular-grade product, or was it manufactured specifically for the Black Friday sale?”

This question is probably the most likely as shoppers hunting for genuine bargains look for a good deal and not one that’s specifically labelled just for Black Friday. There’s a good reason as to why consumers may ask this too. It’s not uncommon to see that some manufacturers produce lower-cost, modified versions of popular furniture or mattresses just for holiday sales events. So, make sure you can answer this question with authority and showcase genuine savings or deals.

“What is the total, out-the-door price including delivery, assembly and any mandatory extras?”

A deep discount on a sofa can be quickly eaten up by expensive two-man delivery, white-glove setup fees, or required mattress protectors for beds. Make sure you are transparent from the get-go and it will save any potential blockers when completing the sale. You may even be offering a ‘free delivery’ promotion during Black Friday – if so, make sure all the details are easy to digest and understand.

“Does the Black Friday price come with the same full warranty as it does the rest of the year?”

Another interesting one. Make sure discounted or promotional stock isn’t carrying a shortened warranty or a “final sale, no returns” policy. Again, be transparent from the beginning to build trust. If sale products have a different warranty or return policy, don’t hide it. It will only come back to bite you.

“Is this item currently in stock for immediate delivery, or is it on backorder?”

A pretty standard question, but big sales often lead to long wait times, and you need to know if your furniture will arrive in days or several months.

“Do you offer a price match guarantee if this drops lower before Cyber Monday or Christmas?”

Some UK retailers run rolling discounts or drop prices further right before Boxing Day. If this is part of your promotional strategy, then again, be transparent and clear on the price periods. Otherwise, a complain to the ASA could be followed and you don’t want that press!

“What are the exact frame materials, cushion fillings, and fabric grades?”

This is also an interesting one as “Up to 50% off” tags often apply to lower-end fabrics or engineered wood/bonded leather rather than solid hardwood and high-density foam. Again, transparency is the keyword here. Share the knowledge and educate the consumer of what’s in the product and they will love you for it.

So, now you’re briefed with some questions that you may face during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Make sure staff are trained for these too – you wouldn’t want a customer feeling a lack of confidence in your responses.

To conclude this month’s blog, I’ve taken a look a what numbers are expected to be achieved during the event. According to YouGov’s Great Britain BFCM 2026 report, it looks at who will shop, how much they plan to spend, and where AI fits in the path to purchase.

Key findings from the report include that 31% of Gen Z and Millennials are likely to shop during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, with planned AI use for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) likely, which has doubled since last year (34% vs 19%).

Furthermore, 47% of likely BFCM shoppers say that knowing if discounts are genuine is a difficult part of the sales events. Following this, BFCM AI shoppers and considerers both ranked finding the best price as their top use case for using AI.

Almost half of AI shoppers (48%) are concerned about biased or sponsored recommendations, this also holds true for AI considers (45%). The report also highlights AI usage in the UK compared to 15+ other countries, which AI assistants are most likely to be used by shoppers during these sales events, and many more insights around the evolving research and purchase journey impacting how Brits spend money during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

Finally, according to Adobe’s UK figures, purchasing through mobile was at 61.5% of online holiday spend in 2025, worth £16.5bn, so most of your Black Friday revenue will be taken on a phone. This brings the attention back to the final point of last month’s blog around text marketing and how RetailSystem’s FurnitureTexts can help.

Industry data consistently shows that text messages achieve around a 98% open rate, with over 90% being read within the first three minutes of arriving on a customer’s phone. Coupled with the intention of shopping via mobile as stated above, text marketing could play an even more pivotal role during Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year.

Want to explore text marketing? Find out more here: https://www.retailsystem.com/uk/features/text-marketing/