Black Friday 2025: what it is, when it falls and why millions of people await it every year

Black Friday is the day of discounts par excellence, what millions of consumers await to shop at low prices. Born as tradition in the United States, today it has become a global phenomenon that involves both physical stores and large e-commerce platforms. Its popularity is linked to a unique combination of factors: often really convenient offers, the approach of the Christmas holidays and the ability of the big brands to transform it into a cultural as well as commercial event.

In recent years, Black Friday has stopped being only an opportunity to buy technology, electronics or fashion at lower prices: today it covers practically every sector, from beauty to home products, from household appliances to books. Amazon, in particular, played a central role in bringing Black Friday to Italian and European consumers’ habits, with a time and discounts system that are renewed every year.

It is not just a matter of “doing business”: Black Friday is also a time when millions of people decide to anticipate Christmas gifts, taking advantage of the falls to reduce the expenses in view of the holidays.

The question that many ask themselves is: when is Black Friday 2025? The date to be marked on the calendar is Friday 28 November 2025. As per tradition, the event falls the day after the Thanksgiving Day, the American thanksgiving party that is celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of November.

Black Friday is not an isolated event: in fact there is Cyber ​​Monday, scheduled for Monday 1 December 2025, entirely dedicated to discounts on electronics and on the digital world. More and more often, however, the boundaries between the two moments overlap and the promotions begin well before the weekend.

Knowing the date of Black Friday 2025 is useful not only for consumers but also to companies, which plan months earlier their promotional campaigns. For customers, however, it becomes an opportunity to organize a wish list and evaluate which products to buy by taking advantage of the discounts.

Originally Black Friday lasted a single day, precisely on Friday after the thanks. Over the years, however, its duration has progressively extended. Today the question is no longer alone “when it is Black Friday 2025”, but also how long does Black Friday last?.

The first transformations came with the introduction of Cyber ​​Monday, which added a second moment of discounts concentrated on digital.

Then the great retailers started to extend the times: a week, ten days, until they reach a whole month of promotions. It is the so -called “Black November”, in which the offers already begin in the first days of November and intensify the official date approaching.

Amazon is among the platforms that have pushed most in this direction, with dedicated days such as the “early offers of Black Friday 2025”. This approach has also changed the purchasing habits: consumers no longer wait only for Friday, but keep an eye on promotions throughout the month so as not to miss opportunities.

But where does the name Black Friday from? The origin is linked to the United States and there are different interpretations. The most accredited dates back to the sixties in Philadelphia, when the police began to talk about “black Friday” to describe chaotic traffic and overcrowding of the roads that followed the thanksgiving party.

Another explanation refers to the budgets of the shops: traditionally, commercial activities marked the losses in red and the profits in black. After Thanksgiving, the wave of purchases finally brought “black” accounts, from which the expression Black Friday.

From the United States, the custom has spread progressively all over the world, including Italy, where it has landed above all thanks to e-commerce. Today, even if it is not linked to a local holiday, it is an appointment expected as much as elsewhere, a symbol of shopping and convenience.

The operation of Black Friday has changed with the evolution of e-commerce. Today, platforms like Amazon offer lightning offers, valid only for a few hours, and offers of the day, which remain active while stocks last. Then there are entire categories of products with prolonged discounts, from technology to small appliances, to the articles for personal care and toys.

Consumers are preparing in advance: many create wishlists to monitor price drops, use comparators online or activate notifications so as not to lose the discounts. This dynamic has made Black Friday a digital and interactive event, which requires precise strategies to really get the best business.

Physical shops have also adopted similar logic, proposing time discounts and special promotions. The result is that the event is no longer just a “shopping day”, but a real commercial marathon that affects very different sectors.

Black Friday is not without criticism: there are those who accuse him of fueling consumerism and those who raise doubts about the environmental impact of shipments and returns.

At the same time, however, it represents a huge economic opportunity for companies and customers.

Looking to the future, Black Friday is likely to become more and more a “diluted” phenomenon, with offers distributed over several weeks and growing attention to sustainability. Some brands are already focusing on ethical discounts or initiatives that bind consumption to solidarity and environmental responsibilities projects.

However, a global tradition will remain, capable of marking the symbolic beginning of the Christmas shopping season. And, year after year, it will continue to be one of the most awaited dates of the commercial calendar.