Retail newsletters, every market · figures to 13 November
Black Friday 2026, as it lands in inboxes
We read the newsletters brands in the UK, the US and elsewhere send their subscribers, every day. Here is how the Black Friday run-up is going: who has started, how early, and how deep the discounts go.
of the brands we follow have mentioned Black Friday so far.
+9 pts on last weekBlack Friday is in
Black Friday Sneak Peek: Up to 60% Off
What’s Hot This Week? Black Friday Deals You Won’t Want to Miss! 😉
SHADES OF WHITE — The season's defining hue
30% Off? Yes, Please.
🩸 Dark Holiday Bundle: Buy Any 2 Ugly Sweaters, Save $13 + Ship Free
Early. Black. Friday! 1000s of 👢, 30% off!
20% off your first order
The Black Friday Edit is here
Welcome To Kitsch!
Our Early Black Friday deals are on! Shop up to 30% off + Earn 2x Rewards!
Friday the 13th brought the discounts early
$20 Denim and more 😲This week in Black Friday
- 20% of the brands we follow have mentioned Black Friday in a newsletter, up from 11% a week ago.
- Baby & Toddler is furthest ahead at 40%; Charity & Non-Profit is furthest behind at 1%.
- The typical Black Friday headline is 40% off, and 41% of emails say “up to”.
- The emoji of the season so far is 🖤, in 5% of Black Friday subject lines.
The season’s records so far
Updated every hour. Each one is a real email.
Earliest start
9 OctBannerBuzz started 49 days before the day
“⏰ 24 Hours Left: 25% OFF Everything 📢”
Deepest discount
90%Light in the Box up to 90% off
“Flash Sale: Up to 90% OFF Ends Soon.”
Busiest this week
18Sur La Table sent 18 Black Friday emails in seven days
Latest: “December classes are filling up; book today!”
Still holding out
140Goggles4u has sent 140 newsletters this season without a word about Black Friday
Clothing Accessories
Who has started
Share of the brands we follow in each sector that have mentioned Black Friday, and Christmas, in at least one newsletter this season. Pick a sector to see its own page.
| Sector | Black Friday | Christmas |
|---|---|---|
| Baby & Toddler+10 pts on last week | ||
| Home & Living+14 pts on last week | ||
| Luggage & Bags+20 pts on last week | ||
| Adult & Relationships+18 pts on last week | ||
| Vehicles & Parts+16 pts on last week | ||
| Electronics+14 pts on last week | ||
| Toys & Games+15 pts on last week | ||
| Sports+14 pts on last week | ||
| Health & Beauty+12 pts on last week | ||
| Building & Trade Supplies+14 pts on last week | ||
| Clothing Accessories+12 pts on last week | ||
| Clothing+13 pts on last week | ||
| Retail & Marketplaces+7 pts on last week | ||
| Hobbies & Crafts+10 pts on last week | ||
| Manufacturing & Industrial+7 pts on last week | ||
| Animals & Pet Supplies+12 pts on last week | ||
| Travel & Hospitality+7 pts on last week | ||
| Media+5 pts on last week | ||
| Smoking & Vaping+7 pts on last week | ||
| Beverages+6 pts on last week | ||
| Business Services+3 pts on last week | ||
| Education+7 pts on last week | ||
| Software & Internet+3 pts on last week | ||
| Gifts, Cards & Lifestyle+7 pts on last week | ||
| Food+5 pts on last week | ||
| Entertainment+1 pts on last week | ||
| Dining & Food Services+1 pts on last week | ||
| Leisure Attractions+2 pts on last week | ||
| Charity & Non-Profit |
Leisure Attractions is the clearest split: 4% have mentioned Black Friday, but 68% are already emailing about Christmas.
How the run-up is building
Week by week since the start of October, across every market. A lighter column is a week that isn’t over yet.
See the figures
| Week of | Brands started | Emails mentioning it |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep | 0% | 0% |
| 5 Oct | under 1% | under 1% |
| 12 Oct | under 1% | under 1% |
| 19 Oct | 1% | 1% |
| 26 Oct | 4% | 5% |
| 2 Nov | 12% | 12% |
| 9 Nov (so far) | 20% | 20% |
How deep the discounts go
The biggest percentage off named in each Black Friday email.
The typical headline discount: half of Black Friday emails lead with more, half with less.
- Under 20%9%
- 20 to 29%19%
- 30 to 39%18%
- 40 to 49%11%
- 50% or more42%
- 41% say “up to”, so the headline figure is the best case, not the usual one
- 26% carry a discount code
- 38% offer free delivery
| Sector | Typical headline | Say “up to” | 50% or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software & Internet | 85% | 17% | 84% |
| Adult & Relationships | 70% | 44% | 69% |
| Business Services | 60% | 64% | 82% |
| Hobbies & Crafts | 50% | 41% | 63% |
| Media | 50% | 16% | 57% |
| Retail & Marketplaces | 50% | 47% | 55% |
| Sports | 50% | 36% | 51% |
| Building & Trade Supplies | 47% | 45% | 50% |
| Clothing | 40% | 44% | 49% |
| Clothing Accessories | 40% | 48% | 43% |
| Home & Living | 40% | 49% | 41% |
| Luggage & Bags | 40% | 67% | 22% |
| Animals & Pet Supplies | 30% | 41% | 23% |
| Baby & Toddler | 30% | 37% | 20% |
| Beverages | 30% | 26% | 35% |
| Electronics | 30% | 42% | 29% |
| Food | 30% | 38% | 19% |
| Health & Beauty | 30% | 34% | 30% |
| Travel & Hospitality | 30% | 57% | 11% |
| Vehicles & Parts | 30% | 38% | 30% |
| Manufacturing & Industrial | 25% | 25% | 27% |
| Toys & Games | 20% | 12% | 7% |
What the subject lines say
Share of Black Friday emails whose subject line uses each word or phrase, and the emoji they reach for.
- “Early”
- “VIP”, “early access” or “members”
- “Ends”, “last chance” or “final hours”
- “Extended”
- 5%of subject lines use 🖤
- 3%of subject lines use 👀
- 3%of subject lines use 🔥
- 3%of subject lines use ✨
- 3%of subject lines use 🚨
Using these figures
Share the infographic
One picture with this week’s figures: the share that have started, who is ahead, the typical discount and the emoji of the season. It is redrawn every hour, so it always matches this page.
Download the infographic (PNG)
Embed it in an article
<a href="https://pulsedaq.com/insights/black-friday-2026/global"><img src="https://pulsedaq.com/insights/black-friday-2026/infographic.png?market=global" alt="20% of the brands we follow have mentioned Black Friday in a newsletter, up from 11% a week ago. Source: PulseDAQ" width="540" height="675"></a>
The picture links back to this page, so readers can see the latest figures.
Cite them
PulseDAQ, “Black Friday 2026 in retail newsletters”, figures to 13 November 2026, https://pulsedaq.com/insights/black-friday-2026/global/week/2026-11-09
The link is this week’s dated copy, so it keeps showing the figures you quoted.
Embed the live chart
<iframe src="https://pulsedaq.com/insights/black-friday-2026/embed/sectors?market=global" title="Black Friday 2026 in retail newsletters" width="100%" height="640" style="border:0"></iframe>
It updates itself every hour and links back here.
Writing about it?
We can send you the figures for a sector or market, or talk you through how we count. Get in touch.
Earlier weeks: 2 Nov
How we count
A brand counts as having mentioned Black Friday once one of its newsletters names it, in the subject line or the email itself. Shares are of the brands we follow that have sent us a newsletter since the start of October, and only sectors where we follow enough brands to say are shown. Discounts use the largest percentage off named in each email. The emails shown are real newsletters, as subscribers received them. The figures are worked out from every newsletter we receive, not a survey, and this page updates every hour until Christmas.
Last updated 13 November 2026, 23:10.