Black Friday continues to be the biggest retail event in the U.S., and 2025 is shaping up to break new records. In 2024, Americans spent an astounding $17.5 billion in one day, averaging $674 per shopper. More than 152 million consumers made purchases, with top categories including electronics, apparel, and cosmetics.
For brands, this means opportunity but also fierce competition. Discounts alone won’t cut through the noise. Success depends on strategies that connect with the right shoppers, in the right place, at the right time.
Why Consumer Insights Drive Success
To maximize ROI, marketers need to go beyond demographics and uncover real-world consumer behaviors. Data-driven insights help brands:
- Identify where target shoppers spend time, both online and offline.
- Understand which competitors they also consider.
- Uncover lifestyle affinities and purchase motivations.
By leveraging tools like Locala’s Audience Explorer, marketers can design personalized Black Friday campaigns that outperform generic mass messaging.
Black Friday Power Shoppers: Who They Are and How to Reach Them
Different types of shoppers dominate Black Friday. Knowing their motivations is essential to crafting compelling offers and creative.
1. Bargain Hunters: The Deal Seekers
- Profile: Aged 18–55, both male and female.
- Behavior: Compare prices online and in-store, use coupon apps, follow brands for flash sales.
- Best Strategies:
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- Highlight “limited-time” deals in mobile and DOOH ads.
- Use retargeting to follow them across devices with updated offers.
2. Holiday Shoppers: The Gift Givers
- Profile: Aged 25–65, primarily female.
- Behavior: Plan ahead, value holiday traditions, and subscribe to newsletters for festive deals.
- Best Strategies:
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- Use warm, holiday-themed creative that highlights gifting moments.
- Optimize mobile experiences for quick browsing and purchasing.
- Deliver localized DOOH ads near shopping centers and malls.
3. Tech Enthusiasts
- Profile: Early adopters, brand-conscious, often higher-income.
- Behavior: Research-driven, eager to test the latest gadgets.
- Best Strategies:
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- Create interactive in-ad video experiences to showcase product features.
- Use geo-targeted campaigns around tech stores.
- Highlight exclusivity and innovation to drive urgency.
By tailoring messaging and offers to each segment, brands can increase conversion rates and maximize ad spend efficiency.
How Locala Powers Black Friday Success
Locala helps marketers connect with shoppers by turning real-world behavior into actionable strategies. Using Insights AI, Locala analyzes store-level behavior to craft campaigns that resonate with shoppers in specific locations.
By leveraging Dynamic Commerce Areas to target high-affinity consumers precisely, Locala uncovers fresh brand insights such as foot traffic trends and cross-visitation patterns to identify dedicated customers, brand switchers, and the most promising prospects. This behavior-first approach helps brands align their methods with actual shopper trends and outmaneuver the competition.
To take these insights a step further, Locala’s Omni Planner combines online and offline data on one platform, making it easier to view the full consumer journey, build hyper-local media plans, and benchmark performance against competitors. From planning to activation, Omni Planner helps brands turn insights into action quickly and effectively.
Omni-Channel Campaigns: The Winning Mix
Consumers don’t shop in silos, and neither should your marketing. A strong Black Friday 2025 marketing strategy requires a balanced mix of channels:
DOOH
- Broad reach, especially in high-traffic areas like shopping centers.
- Captures attention at moments of intent (near stores).
Mobile & Desktop Display
- Precision targeting with localized creative.
- Interactive formats like swipeable carousels and in-ad video to drive engagement.
Locala helps brands discover their winning media mix with advanced AI-driven solutions like the Panel Optimizer. The Panel Optimizer transforms DOOH planning with real-time data-driven scoring. Identify who your audience is, where they will be, and the best times to reach them, maximizing impact and minimizing wasted spend.
How Locala Boosted Site Visits for a Tech Retailer
A leading European tech retailer used this approach to transition into e-commerce during Black Friday. By blending DOOH, display, and SMS campaigns with real-time adjustments, they achieved:
The takeaway: Omni-channel campaigns rooted in local data drive tangible results.
Ready to turn insights into impact this Black Friday?
This Black Friday, brands that harness localized insights, omni-channel execution, and data-driven optimization will rise above the noise and reap greater rewards.
Want to see how localized strategies can boost your brand this Black Friday? Request a demo today.