Black Friday lasts only a few days, but the growth window opens weeks earlier, and the impact on consumer awareness and consideration of your brand can run for months. For many of our advertisers, BFCM is the most important swing of the year. We analyzed a large sample of BFCM 2025 advertiser data to find practical answers to five questions: how to grow, when to start, which customers to prioritize, when to judge performance, and how to keep the momentum going.

1. BFCM revenue grew 30% year over year, and more purchases, not higher AOV, drove the growth.

The growth came from more buyers, not bigger orders. Among ecommerce advertisers measured in both years, BFCM checkout volume grew 44.7% from 2024 to 2025, while revenue grew 30.7%. Winning Black Friday, at least in this data, comes down to activating more in-market buyers, not lifting order values.

Plan for more purchases, not higher AOV. To grow checkout volume, expand reach and size budgets to support demand at peak. A broader channel mix can extend reach when it adds audiences your existing channels do not already cover. Let's set a new record in 2026.

2. Many AppLovin advertisers more than doubled BFCM spend without sacrificing performance

AppLovin advertisers of every size scaled BFCM spend without losing efficiency. Midsize advertisers saw median spend and checkout lifts of 36% and 42%, and large-scale advertisers saw 124% and 141%. Established advertisers scaled hardest, with spend up 151% against a 134% checkout lift.

Table 1. Business size is defined by annual checkout volume. Changes reflect each advertiser’s average daily BFCM results compared to their average daily results during the evergreen period.

3. Demand accelerated one week before BFCM. Start scaling early to capture it.

Demand builds well before Black Friday. In 2025, checkout volume was already 1.6x the evergreen baseline in the week before BFCM, then rose to 3.1x during the event. Shoppers discover products, compare options, and wait for the offer that gives them a reason to buy.

Scaling early builds familiarity and consideration while campaigns learn. By the time the strongest offers land, budgets, inventory, and delivery are ready to convert peak demand.

Scaling earlier paid off. Advertisers that reached twice their October spend two to three weeks before BFCM saw a median AppLovin D7 attributed revenue lift of 576%, nearly double the 296% for those that hit the same threshold one week out or during Thanksgiving week. Preparation should begin weeks before Thanksgiving.

This is directional, not causal: early scalers may also have anticipated stronger demand. Even so, starting earlier gives AppLovin campaigns more time to learn, expand delivery, and build reach before demand peaks.

If you are new to AppLovin, launch in October to give the model time to learn and creatives time to gather signals. Once campaigns clear the learning phase, start scaling in early November ahead of BFCM.

If you are an existing advertiser, begin scaling in early November. Aim to reach roughly twice your October spend by mid-November, and let performance stabilize after each budget or creative change.

Your 2026 BFCM action plan

• Plan for more purchases, not higher AOV. Use the business size benchmarks to set a scalable BFCM budget.
• Start early. If AppLovin is new to your plan, launch in October. If campaigns are already live, begin scaling in early November once performance has stabilized, and align budget and inventory with the expected demand peak.
• Next, explore The AppLovin BFCM Creative Playbook: Video Length, Endcards, and Testing for guidance on building a stronger BFCM creative strategy.