Cyber Monday outpaces Black Friday as peak for UK online orders

Cyber Monday was the busiest day for UK online retail activity during the peak trading period, surpassing Black Friday in order volumes, according to fulfilment provider fulfilmentcrowd. Analysis of 91 trading days from 1 November to 31 January showed that shoppers increasingly delayed purchases until Cyber Monday, which accounted for 42% of Black Friday weekend sales.

Cyber weekend dynamics

Data indicates a marked shift in purchase behaviour surrounding Black Friday. Black Friday itself captured 30% of the weekend's orders, while Cyber Saturday and Cyber Sunday represented 8.5% and 19.5% respectively. Cyber Monday led with the remaining 42%, a figure that was 40% higher than that for Black Friday.

Order levels on the Saturday preceding Black Friday weekend were notably low, resulting in a 659% week-on-week surge for Cyber Saturday when the promotional period began. Other increases included 56.6% on Black Friday, 45.3% on Cyber Sunday, and 35.6% on Cyber Monday.

"Interestingly, our data also shows that the busiest day of UK peak trading wasn't Black Friday itself, but Cyber Monday, showing that UK shoppers delayed big purchases until the final moment of the BF weekend. Plus, it was Cyber Saturday that saw the largest week-on-week order increase (+659%) of the four BF weekend dates," said Lee Thompson, CEO, fulfilmentcrowd.

Order patterns

The run-up to mid-December remained active for retailers. Mondays emerged as dominant for online transactions, accounting for eight out of the top ten order volume dates in the period studied. Monday 2 December, which was Cyber Monday, saw the highest number of orders. Other high-volume days included 9 December, 16 December, and several Mondays in January.

Black Friday was the eleventh-busiest day, while Cyber Sunday and Cyber Saturday did not feature in the top ten, ranking 35th and 75th respectively. This further demonstrates the gradual shift of order concentration from the initial Black Friday spike to the days leading up to Christmas.

Returns and post-peak

Return volumes, according to the data, increased before Christmas following Black Friday, with customers sending back items well before the holiday. Insights suggest that early purchases during Black Friday drive this early return activity.

After Christmas, online order volumes dropped by 83% on Boxing Day. However, the post-Christmas sales period then prompted a marked rebound. Order volumes surged by 811% during New Year sales in comparison to Boxing Day, according to fulfilmentcrowd figures. A smaller proportion of shoppers continued to place orders on Christmas Day, accounting for just 0.03% of total transactions in the period.

Retail strategies

Many UK retailers depend on the peak sales window, with up to 32% of annual revenue generated between November and January. During the same period in 2024, online Black Friday sales reached GBP £1.12 billion, data from fulfilmentcrowd showed. Overall, daily order averages rose by 42% over Black Friday weekend compared to the daily average across the full peak season.

Persistent demand through early and mid-December, alongside the rebound in January, is shaping how retailers prepare for future peaks. Thompson said order volumes, shipping delays, stockouts, and returns from previous seasons should all inform strategy and forecasts for handling the next peak.

"Analyse order volumes, shipping delays, stockouts, and returns from your last peak season - use these insights to adjust forecasts, optimise your inventory levels, and improve your operational workflows with your fulfilment partner. Using the latest tools in your fulfilment platform - such as demand forecasting and inventory planning software - can help significantly with this," said Thompson.

Thompson also advocates for transparent information sharing between retailers and fulfilment partners on expected volume, product mix, and promotional calendars to bolster preparedness. "Historical sales data and growth trends also help your provider prepare resources accordingly. Using forecasting tools can help you anticipate demand by leveraging historical data from your previous peak periods," said Thompson.