Black Friday didn’t reward discounts.
It rewarded tech.
A few numbers from 2025 tell the story:
- $11.8B spent online in the US (+9% YoY)
- 80%+ of UK spend happened digitally
- Average UK spend per shopper rose 13%
- AI-driven retail traffic surged again
Fewer shoppers. Higher expectations. No tolerance for broken systems.
Why tech separated winners from the rest:
- Platforms that scaled without falling over
- Data that replaced guessing with certainty
- AI that removed friction and boosted conversion
- Omnichannel that actually worked end-to-end
Black Friday isn’t a day anymore. It’s a stress test.
And in 2025 it proved one thing:
Retailers aren’t competing on price – they’re competing on infrastructure.
Looking ahead to 2026, this becomes even more critical.
That’s why Channel Builders Group’s ecosystem of technology partners is focused on helping retailers build resilient, scalable platforms that don’t just survive peak – they win through it.
If your stack held this year, great.
If not, 2026 is coming fast.