{"id":32877,"date":"2026-11-05T10:07:21","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T10:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=32877"},"modified":"2026-11-05T10:17:36","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T10:17:36","slug":"black-friday-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/black-friday-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Black Friday 2026 actually worth it for my small retail business?"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--standard\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIs Black Friday 2026 actually worth it for my small retail business?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBlack Friday might only be feasible if your margin, stock, and capacity can take the strain. Here&#8217;s the five-question test to find out for your retail business.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-8 col-lg-4 entry-header__image\">\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"entry-header__thumbnail js-hero-section\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/AdobeStock_2160430536-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"entry-header__thumbnail-image\" alt=\"Is Black Friday worth it for my small retail business?\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/AdobeStock_2160430536-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/AdobeStock_2160430536-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/AdobeStock_2160430536-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/AdobeStock_2160430536-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/AdobeStock_2160430536-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" \/>\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-11-05T10:07:21+00:00\">5 November, 2026<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Is Black Friday 2026 actually worth it for my small retail business?\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/black-friday-2026\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__icon social-share-button__icon--share\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon\" focusable=\"false\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewbox=\"0 0 1024 1024\"><path d=\"M768 106.5q-62 0-105.5 44t-43.5 105q0 10 2.5 18.5a268 268 0 0 1 4.5 17.5l-256 128q-21-26-50-41.5t-64-15.5q-62 0-105.5 44t-43.5 105q0 62 43.5 106t105.5 44q35 0 64-16t50-41l256 128q-2 9-4.5 17.5t-2.5 17.5q0 62 43.5 106t105.5 44 105.5-44 43.5-106q0-61-43.5-105t-105.5-44q-35 0-64 15.5t-50 41.5l-256-128q2-9 4.5-17.5t2.5-18.5q0-9-2.5-17.5a268 268 0 0 1-4.5-17.5l256-128q21 25 50 41t64 16q62 0 105.5-44t43.5-106q0-61-43.5-105t-105.5-44m0 64q36 0 60.5 25t24.5 60q0 36-24.5 61t-60.5 25-60.5-25-24.5-61q0-35 24.5-60t60.5-25m-512 256q36 0 60.5 25t24.5 60q0 36-24.5 61t-60.5 25-60.5-25-24.5-61q0-35 24.5-60t60.5-25m512 256q36 0 60.5 25t24.5 60q0 36-24.5 61t-60.5 25-60.5-25-24.5-61q0-35 24.5-60t60.5-25\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__icon social-share-button__icon--copy\" hidden>\n\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"svg-icon\" focusable=\"false\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" viewbox=\"0 0 1024 1024\"><path d=\"M698 85.5q-45 0-88.5 17.5T531 154.5l-430 431q-3 2-4.5 4.5t-3.5 5.5q-1 3-1.5 6t-.5 6q0 4 .5 7t1.5 6 3 5.5a54 54 0 0 0 4 4.5q3 3 5.5 4.5t5.5 2.5q3 2 6 2.5t6 .5 6.5-1 6.5-2 5.5-3a54 54 0 0 0 4.5-4l430-431q51-50 122-50t121 50q51 51 51 122t-51 121l-406 406q-26 27-62.5 27t-63.5-27q-26-26-26-62.5t26-62.5l328-328q3-2 4.5-4.5t3.5-5.5q1-3 1.5-6t.5-6q0-4-.5-7t-1.5-6-3-5.5a54 54 0 0 0-4-4.5q-3-3-5.5-4.5t-5.5-2.5q-3-2-6-2.5t-6-.5-6.5 1-6.5 2-5.5 3a54 54 0 0 0-4.5 4l-328 328q-44 44-44 107.5t44 108.5q45 44 108.5 44t107.5-44l406-407q35-34 52-77 17-44 17-89t-17-89q-17-43-52-78-34-34-77.5-51.5T698 85.5\" \/><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/keirthomasbryant\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair.jpg 760w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Keir Thomas-Bryant<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<section id=\"key-takeaways\" class=\"wp-block-sage-key-takeaways\"><div class=\"sage-key-takeaways__inner\"><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-h-3-font-size\">Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Short answer: <strong>Yes, if you have 50%+ gross margin, surplus, or fast-moving stock and spare hands<\/strong>; perhaps not, if any one of those is missing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A <strong>20% discount on a 50% margin<\/strong> product means <strong>you need 67% more sales just to stand still<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>You don&#8217;t have to discount at all<\/strong>. Bundles, loyalty-only offers, gift-with-purchase, and free delivery thresholds often beat a blanket price cut but can be marketed in the same way.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Black Friday is 27 November 2026<\/strong> and <strong>Cyber Monday is 30 November 2026<\/strong>. But many businesses start way before these dates to eke out the maximum value from the seasonality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Black Friday is worth it for your small retail business if you can say yes to three things: your gross margin can absorb a discount and still leave profit, you&#8217;ve got stock you actually want to shift, and you have the people and systems to handle a spike without wrecking December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That might sound cautious, but the numbers back it up. In November 2025, UK retail sales volumes rose 11.9% before seasonal adjustment, which the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ons.gov.uk\/businessindustryandtrade\/retailindustry\/bulletins\/retailsales\/november2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ONS Retail Sales report<\/a> described as a fairly typical Black Friday effect, yet after adjustment volumes actually fell 0.1%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For 2026, a survey of over 4,000 shoppers by Omnisend reports that UK Black Friday and Cyber Monday spending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/11\/black-friday-discount\/\">could drop 32% to \u00a3<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/11\/black-friday-discount\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">9.9bn<\/a>, with the average shopper&#8217;s budget <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omnisend.com\/resources\/reports\/bfcm-2026-spending-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">falling from \u00a3390 to \u00a3267<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shoppers are still planning to take part, but their expected budgets are smaller. That&#8217;s a trap for a small retailer who discounts first and does the maths later. So let&#8217;s do the maths first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just a reminder that this article is for general information only. It isn&#8217;t legal, tax, or financial advice, so check anything that affects your business with a qualified professional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s what we cover:<\/p>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#h-start-here-the-5-question-black-friday-decision-test\" data-level=\"2\">Start here: The 5-question Black Friday decision test<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-decision-table-should-you-run-a-black-friday-sale\" data-level=\"2\">The decision table: Should you run a Black Friday sale?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-margin-capacity-what-a-black-friday-discount-really-costs-you\" data-level=\"2\">Margin capacity: What a Black Friday discount really costs you<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-stock-position-what-you-ve-got-and-what-it-s-doing\" data-level=\"2\">Stock position: What you&#8217;ve got and what it&#8217;s doing<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-operational-capacity-can-your-team-and-systems-cope\" data-level=\"2\">Operational capacity: Can your team and systems cope?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-alternatives-to-discounting-that-still-pull-in-buyers\" data-level=\"2\">Alternatives to discounting that still pull in buyers<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-final-thoughts\" data-level=\"2\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-black-friday-2026-faqs\" data-level=\"2\">Black Friday 2026 FAQs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Black Friday and Cyber Monday checklist<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-05d6d44c-a929-4170-bea5-483a549c0f43\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free checklist<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-728756403_super-2-1064x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-728756403_super-2-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-start-here-the-5-question-black-friday-decision-test\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Start here: The 5-question Black Friday decision test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s easy to want to copy what the big chains are doing but their economics aren&#8217;t yours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Answer these five questions honestly and you&#8217;ll know whether Black Friday belongs in your plan this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pro tip<\/strong>: Use our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/margin-calculator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">margin calculator<\/a>, if you need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Can my margin take it? <\/strong>Work out your gross margin on the lines you&#8217;d discount. If it&#8217;s under 40%, a meaningful discount (20% or more) leaves you selling at close to cost once delivery, payment fees and returns are counted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Do I have stock I need to move? <\/strong>Slow sellers, seasonal lines, end-of-range items, and surplus from an over-order are perfect Black Friday candidates. Your best-selling core lines usually aren&#8217;t, because you&#8217;d sell them anyway at full price.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Can I fulfil a spike without breaking December?<\/strong> If your orders doubled for four days, could you pick, pack, ship, and answer customer emails without delays? For a shop, could you staff the floor and the till?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Will this bring me customers I can keep? <\/strong>A discount that recruits a first-time buyer who comes back in January is an investment. One that just rewards bargain hunters who never return is a cost.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Is there something better I could do with the same money?<\/strong> Every pound\/Euro\/dollar of discount is a pound\/Euro\/dollar you could spend on a gift-with-purchase, a loyalty perk, a free delivery threshold or simply a stronger December.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three or more clear yeses on the first four questions (and a no on the fifth) means go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anything less, and you should look seriously at the alternatives section below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-sage-container is-constrained\"><div class=\"sage-container__inner\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This article is just one part of our dedicated 2026 Black Friday\/Cyber Monday coverage here at Sage Advice. See also: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/black-friday-discounting-worked-examples\/\">How much can I afford to discount on Black Friday 2026? (Worked examples included)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/black-friday-uk-2025-2026-11-expert-tips-to-sell-more\/\">Black Friday 2026: 11 expert tips to sell more<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/how-to-nail-your-black-friday-reporting\/\">How to nail your Black Friday reporting<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/cart-abandonment-close-crucial-sales\/\">Cart abandonment: How to close crucial sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/black-friday-how-retailers-can-prepare\/\">Black Friday: How your business can prepare for the biggest one yet<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-decision-table-should-you-run-a-black-friday-sale\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The decision table: Should you run a Black Friday sale?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use this as a quick reference. Find the row that best describes your business and read across.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-first-column\"><table><thead><tr><th><\/th><th>Gross margin<\/th><th>Stock position<\/th><th>Operational capacity<\/th><th>Verdict<\/th><th>What to do instead or as well<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Healthy margin, surplus stock, spare hands<\/td><td>50%+<\/td><td>Surplus or slow-moving lines<\/td><td>Can handle 2x orders for 4 days<\/td><td><strong>Yes, run a targeted sale<\/strong><\/td><td>Discount the surplus only, protect core lines<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Healthy margin, lean stock<\/td><td>50%+<\/td><td>Tight, mostly core sellers<\/td><td>Comfortable<\/td><td><strong>Yes, but don&#8217;t discount<\/strong><\/td><td>Bundles, gift-with-purchase, early access for subscribers<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Thin margin, surplus stock<\/td><td>30-40%<\/td><td>Surplus you need to clear<\/td><td>Comfortable<\/td><td><strong>Qualified yes<\/strong><\/td><td>Small discounts (10-15%) on surplus only, or bundle surplus with full-price items<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Thin margin, lean stock<\/td><td>Under 40%<\/td><td>Tight<\/td><td>Comfortable<\/td><td><strong>No<\/strong><\/td><td>Loyalty rewards, free delivery threshold, content and email to warm up December<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Any margin, stretched team<\/td><td>Any<\/td><td>Any<\/td><td>Already at capacity<\/td><td><strong>No<\/strong><\/td><td>Extend your Christmas trading window instead; prioritise service<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Any margin, customers you can retain<\/td><td>Any<\/td><td>Any<\/td><td>Comfortable<\/td><td><strong>Yes, as acquisition<\/strong><\/td><td>Set a first-order offer with a follow-up plan, measure repeat rate in January<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key takeaway from the table is that it&#8217;s rarely margin alone, stock alone or capacity alone that decides it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s the combination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A great margin won&#8217;t save you if your team&#8217;s already at breaking point, and spare capacity doesn&#8217;t help if the discount wipes out your profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-margin-capacity-what-a-black-friday-discount-really-costs-you\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Margin capacity: What a Black Friday discount really costs you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A discount doesn&#8217;t just reduce your revenue by the percentage you knock off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It reduces your profit by far more, because your costs don&#8217;t move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This catches a lot of people out, so let&#8217;s look at an example: You have a product that sells for \u00a3100 with a cost of \u00a350, so you have a 50% gross margin. Knock 20% off and you sell it for \u00a380. Your cost is still \u00a350, so you now make \u00a330 instead of \u00a350. That&#8217;s a 40% drop in gross profit per unit from a 20% discount. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And to make the same total gross profit as before, you&#8217;d need to sell 67% more units. Not 20% more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That can be a big ask if you&#8217;re a small retailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s how that break-even volume uplift plays out across different gross margins:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-first-column\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Gross margin<\/th><th>10% discount needs<\/th><th>15% discount needs<\/th><th>20% discount needs<\/th><th>30% discount needs<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>60%<\/td><td>20% more sales<\/td><td>33% more sales<\/td><td>50% more sales<\/td><td>100% more sales<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>50%<\/td><td>25% more sales<\/td><td>43% more sales<\/td><td>67% more sales<\/td><td>150% more sales<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>40%<\/td><td>33% more sales<\/td><td>60% more sales<\/td><td>100% more sales<\/td><td>300% more sales<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>30%<\/td><td>50% more sales<\/td><td>100% more sales<\/td><td>200% more sales<\/td><td>Zero gross profit, so loss on every unit after costs<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The formula, if you want to plug it into a spreadsheet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Required uplift = discount \u00f7 (margin \u2212 discount)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So 20 \u00f7 (50 \u2212 20) = 67%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that&#8217;s before the costs that pile on during a promotion: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Higher ad costs (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lloydsbank.com\/business\/resource-centre\/insight\/black-friday-revenue-strategies.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lloyds Bank&#8217;s research<\/a> suggests Q4 advertising costs spike by 25 to 66%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More returns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More customer service time<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payment processing fees that don&#8217;t shrink just because your price did<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And it can get even more uncomfortable for anyone hoping deeper discounts will do the heavy lifting: <a href=\"https:\/\/nielseniq.com\/global\/en\/news-center\/2025\/uk-black-friday-sees-sales-slump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NielsenIQ found<\/a> the share of items sold with a 15%+ price cut rose from 45% in 2024 to 50% in 2025, yet tech sales value still fell 4.5% and volumes dropped 3.3%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deeper discounts didn&#8217;t buy more demand. They just bought less profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what can be done?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only discount lines where margin is 50% or higher, cap discounts at the level your break-even table says you can realistically hit, and work out your all-in cost per order (product, packaging, postage, payment fees, expected returns) before you set a single price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-stock-position-what-you-ve-got-and-what-it-s-doing\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stock position: What you&#8217;ve got and what it&#8217;s doing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your stock tells you what kind of Black Friday you should have, if any. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We would suggest you look at three things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Surplus and slow movers<\/strong>. This is the stock Black Friday was made for. If you&#8217;ve got lines that haven&#8217;t shifted since summer, seasonal items that&#8217;ll be dead by January, or surplus from an over-order, a discount turns a future write-down into cash now. That&#8217;s a genuinely good trade, even at a thinner margin, because the alternative is worse.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Core sellers<\/strong>. These are the lines people buy from you at full price all year. Discounting them on Black Friday mostly means giving money away to customers who&#8217;d have paid full price anyway, or pulling December sales forward into November at a lower price. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.which.co.uk\/policy-and-insight\/article\/dont-believe-the-hype-most-black-friday-deals-the-same-price-or-cheaper-at-other-times-of-the-year-which-finds-a3TbD5x5KADs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Which? magazine found<\/a> that of 175 tech and health products it tracked, 83% were cheaper or the same price on at least one occasion outside the Black Friday window. Shoppers have noticed. You don&#8217;t need to join in on your best lines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stock you don&#8217;t have yet<\/strong>. If you&#8217;d need to buy in extra stock specifically for Black Friday, be careful. You&#8217;re tying up cash in November on the hope of a spike that, as 2025 appears to show, may not arrive. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/12\/black-friday-budget-brc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BRC-KPMG data<\/a> showed non-food sales grew just 0.1% year on year in November 2025, with in-store non-food actually down 0.3%. Only buy in if you can sell it through at full price in December if Black Friday disappoints.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, where is the actual demand? If you&#8217;re deciding what to feature, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/11\/black-friday-discount\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Omnisend&#8217;s 2026 research<\/a> says clothing and accessories lead planned purchases at 39%, followed by technology at 36.5%, toys and games at 31.2%, beauty and self-care at 24.2% and food and drink at 18.2%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Specialist food, gifting, and beauty retailers in particular have room to present clear value without a store-wide price cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Run a quick stock report split into surplus, core, and seasonal. Discount only the first column. Feature the second at full price with added value. Decide on the third based on whether it&#8217;ll still sell in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-operational-capacity-can-your-team-and-systems-cope\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Operational capacity: Can your team and systems cope?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Black Friday that goes wrong operationally costs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Late deliveries, unanswered emails, and stock showing as available when it isn&#8217;t will cost you the exact customers you were trying to win\u2014and right before Christmas, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ask yourself what happens to your logistics if orders double for four days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For online sellers: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Can you pick and pack in time to hit your promised delivery dates? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does your courier have the capacity and the cut-off times you need? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Does your stock sync between your website and any marketplaces, so you don&#8217;t oversell? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Who&#8217;s answering the &#8220;where&#8217;s my order&#8221; messages, and how fast?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For bricks-and-mortar shops\/high street:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Can you staff the floor and the till without paying overtime that eats the margin? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have you got enough card terminals and float? <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Is the shop laid out so you can serve more people at once? <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/report\/uk-black-friday-market-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mintel&#8217;s 2026 UK Black Friday report<\/a> notes that free gifts motivate 30% of shoppers to choose a store over online, and flags rewards as a key opportunity for small, local retailers, so there&#8217;s real upside if the shop can cope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then there&#8217;s the December question. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A small team that runs flat out over Black Friday weekend starts the busiest month of the year already tired. For a lot of independent retailers, December is where the year is made and it can make much more sense to protect it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then there&#8217;s the fact that Black Friday isn&#8217;t a day any more. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/11\/black-friday-discount\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">28.3% of UK shoppers<\/a> say they&#8217;re starting festive shopping earlier than usual, and the typical UK promotional window now runs from the Monday before Black Friday through to the Tuesday after Cyber Monday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you do take part, plan for a 10-day stretch, not a 24-hour sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you decide to dive in, set a maximum order volume you can fulfil properly, and design your offer so it can&#8217;t blow past it (limited stock, limited time, limited to your email list). Confirm courier cut-offs in writing. Write your customer service templates now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And decide who gets the Monday off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-alternatives-to-discounting-that-still-pull-in-buyers\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alternatives to discounting that still pull in buyers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Shoppers are turning up regardless on Black Friday. Think about your own behaviour, or that of your family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The share who say they&#8217;ll buy nothing on Black Friday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/11\/black-friday-discount\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fell from 29.8% to 24.8% for 2026<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, the traffic is already there. You simply don&#8217;t have to buy it with a price cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Try the following suggestions instead, individually or combined:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Bundles<\/strong>. Pair a slow mover with a bestseller and price the bundle so it feels like a deal while your blended margin holds up. You clear stock and lift average order value at the same time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gift with purchase<\/strong>. A low-cost extra (a sample, an accessory, a branded item) that feels generous but costs you far less than 20% off. Works especially well in-store, where it&#8217;s a proven reason to choose a shop over a website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Loyalty-only or subscriber-only access<\/strong>. Give your existing customers first dibs or an exclusive offer. It rewards the people most likely to come back and costs you nothing in paid acquisition. Someone who has bought from you before is a far better starting point than a cold audience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Free delivery threshold<\/strong>. Set it just above your current average order value. Shoppers add one more item to qualify, your basket size grows, and the cost of the delivery is often less than the extra margin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Buy more, save more<\/strong>. Tiered offers (spend \u00a375, get \u00a310 off; spend \u00a3150, get \u00a325 off) lift basket size and protect margin on single-item orders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Go the other way entirely<\/strong>. Some brands opt out publicly and run a &#8220;no sale&#8221; message about fair pricing all year round, or donate a portion of the weekend&#8217;s takings. For an independent with a loyal community, this can earn more goodwill (and press) than a 20% code ever would.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Extend December instead<\/strong>. If your capacity is the constraint, skip the November spike and run a calm, well-staffed, well-stocked Christmas with early-bird perks for your list. You&#8217;ll sell at full price to people who want to buy from you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whichever route you take, work out what each mechanic costs you before it goes live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A larger order isn&#8217;t necessarily better if the margin has disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-final-thoughts\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Black Friday isn&#8217;t mandatory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s a tool, and like any tool it&#8217;s only worth deploying if it fits the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2025 figures tell a clear story of more discounting, more traffic\u2014and less money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026 forecasts say more shoppers with smaller budgets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a small retailer, that&#8217;s not a reason to panic, and it&#8217;s not a reason to slash prices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s a reason to be deliberate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Run the five-question test. Check your margin, your stock and your capacity, and be honest about all three. If you pass, go in with a targeted offer on the stock you actually want to shift, and keep your core lines at full price. If you don&#8217;t, choose one of the no-discount alternatives, or sit it out and have the best December you&#8217;ve ever had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Final takeaway advice? Discount only what you need to move, only if the margin covers it, only at a volume you can fulfil. For everything else, add value instead of cutting price.<\/p>\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-sage-faq\">\n\t\n<h2 id=\"h-black-friday-2026-faqs\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Black Friday 2026 FAQs<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-items\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-bec75acc\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-is-black-friday-worth-it-for-a-small-business\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is Black Friday worth it for a small business?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, if your gross margin is 50% or more on the lines you&#8217;d discount, you have surplus stock you want to clear, and you can fulfil roughly double your normal orders without hurting December. If any one of those is missing, a no-discount alternative such as bundles or loyalty-only offers is usually the better call.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-35dd6664\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-how-much-should-a-small-retailer-discount-on-black-friday\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much should a small retailer discount on Black Friday?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As little as gets attention. For a 50% margin product, a 20% discount means you need 67% more sales just to break even on profit, so 10 to 15% on surplus lines is a sensible ceiling for most small retailers. And perhaps it isn&#8217;t wise to discount core bestsellers that sell at full price all year.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-5221e58d\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-should-i-discount-my-bestsellers-on-black-friday\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should I discount my bestsellers on Black Friday?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Probably not. Discounting bestsellers mostly gives money away to customers who&#8217;d have paid full price, or pulls December sales into November at a lower margin. Keep core lines at full price and add value instead: a gift with purchase, a bundle, or free delivery above a threshold.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-1d14776c\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-what-can-i-do-instead-of-a-black-friday-discount\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What can I do instead of a Black Friday discount?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bundles that pair slow movers with bestsellers, gift-with-purchase offers, subscriber or loyalty-only early access, a free delivery threshold set just above your average order, tiered spend-and-save offers, or a public &#8220;no sale&#8221; stance on fair pricing. Each protects margin better than a blanket percentage off.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-d794fbc3\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-when-is-black-friday-2026-in-the-uk\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is Black Friday 2026 in the UK?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Black Friday 2026 falls on Friday 27 November, with Cyber Monday on Monday 30 November. The typical UK promotional window now runs around 10 days, from the Monday before Black Friday through to the Tuesday after Cyber Monday, so plan your offer and your staffing for the full stretch rather than a single day.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-sage-faq-item\" id=\"faq-item-41cf140c\">\n\t<div class=\"faq-item-question\">\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h-how-do-i-work-out-if-a-black-friday-discount-will-make-money\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I work out if a Black Friday discount will make money?<\/h3>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"faq-item-answer\">\n\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use the break-even formula: required sales uplift = discount \u00f7 (gross margin \u2212 discount). A 20% discount on a 40% margin product needs 100% more sales to match your normal profit. Then add in extra costs such as delivery, returns, payment fees and higher Q4 advertising before deciding.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Black Friday and Cyber Monday checklist<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Download your free Black Friday and Cyber Monday Checklist to help your business get ready for the busy sales period.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-05d6d44c-a929-4170-bea5-483a549c0f43\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download your free checklist<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-728756403_super-2-1064x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-728756403_super-2-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/business-costs\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness costs\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/business-finances\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness finances\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/retail\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRetail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-25485 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-growth-customers category-money-matters tag-retail business_type-small-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-608166817-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Women in a shop environment working on Black Friday promotions\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-608166817-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-608166817-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-608166817-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-11-05T09:03:08+00:00\">5 November, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/black-friday-uk-2025-2026-11-expert-tips-to-sell-more\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBlack Friday 2026: 11 expert tips to sell more\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tRead our guide for a high-performing Black Friday across online stores, Vinted, high-street shops, and market stalls. Get a clear checklist plus a plan for the holiday season.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-32860 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-trends-insights tag-business-costs tag-ecommerce tag-inventory tag-retail business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/black-friday-discounting-worked-examples\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/online-seller-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"How much can I afford to discount on Black Friday?\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/online-seller-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/online-seller-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/online-seller-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-11-04T14:38:32+00:00\">4 November, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">13 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow much can I afford to discount on Black Friday 2026? (Worked examples included)\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-32783 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-bookkeeping tag-business-finances tag-cash-flow tag-freelancers tag-tax business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/allowable-expenses-for-creative-freelancers-what-can-you-claim\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/12\/AdobeStock_2236210925-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/12\/AdobeStock_2236210925-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/12\/AdobeStock_2236210925-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/12\/AdobeStock_2236210925-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-11-03T17:04:56+00:00\">3 November, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAllowable expenses for creative freelancers: What can you claim?\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-32789 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-bookkeeping tag-business-costs tag-business-finances tag-freelancers tag-tax business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/freelancer-tax-amount\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_2059781250-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_2059781250-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_2059781250-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/AdobeStock_2059781250-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-11-03T17:03:50+00:00\">3 November, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow much should a freelancer put aside for tax?\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-32716 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations tag-bookkeeping tag-business-costs tag-business-finances tag-business-performance tag-business-support tag-freelancers tag-payments tag-work-life-balance business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/client-invoice-payment-creative-freelancers\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/doubtful-friend-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/doubtful-friend-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/doubtful-friend-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/10\/doubtful-friend-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-11-02T14:28:00+00:00\">2 November, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tYour client still hasn\u2019t paid your freelance invoice. Now what?\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Black Friday might only be feasible if your margin, stock, and capacity can take the strain. Here&#8217;s the five-question test to find out for your retail business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":32878,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_sage_video":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"6","sage_membership_post_content_type":"","sage_membership_post_featured_video_id":"","sage_membership_post_video_type":"","sage_membership_post_featured_video_duration":"","post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,114],"tags":[197,135,162],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[57],"persona":[73,75],"imagine_tag":[79,86,108],"coauthors":[369],"class_list":["post-32877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","category-trends-insights","tag-business-costs","tag-business-finances","tag-retail","business_type-small-business","industry-ecommerce"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Keir Thomas-Bryant","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/11\/AdobeStock_2160430536.jpg","imagine_tags":{"79":"Business management","86":"Ecommerce","108":"Retail"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32877"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32919,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32877\/revisions\/32919"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/32878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32877"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=32877"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=32877"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=32877"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=32877"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=32877"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=32877"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=32877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}