Black Friday: What It Is, History, Importance, Example

What Is Black Friday?

By Keith Noonan – Updated Oct 8, 2025 at 2:40 AM EST

Key Points

Black Friday marks a crucial sales day, often determining U.S. retailers' annual profit.
A rise in Black Friday shoppers suggests strong consumer confidence and spending.
Declines in Black Friday sales can indicate wider economic worries and reduced consumer spending.

Retail is a tough industry, and businesses in the space often have to find ways to prosper even in the face of razor-thin margins. Seasonal shopping trends can shape business and stock performances for retailers, and sales results across relatively small windows of time can make the difference between success and failure. Of all the days on the calendar, Black Friday is undeniably one of the most important for U.S. retail companies.

Loading paragraph...

A shopping with the words Black Friday printed on it — Image source: Getty Images

Loading image...

Loading paragraph...

Best Consumer Discretionary Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in Them

When people have a little extra cash, they indulge in offerings from companies such as these.

Artificial Intelligence: How AI Is Changing the Retail Industry

Learn how artificial intelligence is impacting the retail industry today.

Top Commercial Real Estate Stocks

Commercial real estate stocks offer opportunities to get involved with some of the most interesting businesses in the world.

6 Things to Know About Investing in Commercial Real Estate

Knowing commercial real estate investing best practices can help ensure success.

Loading hub_pages...

Loading paragraph...

Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday takes place the Monday following Thanksgiving when online retailers offer sales, discounts, and special promotions.

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw some encouraging engagement and spending increases in 2022, rising costs due to inflation meant that the spending growth couldn't be taken at face value as a healthy economic indicator. An increasing number of people in the U.S. also turned to buy now, pay later services, which suggests that some shoppers were feeling strapped for cash but didn't want to forego holiday deals.

Loading paragraph...

About the Author

Keith Noonan is a contributing writer at The Motley Fool covering technology, consumer goods, and other sectors. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Boston College.

TMFNoons

Keith Noonan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Adobe. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.