Black Friday is emerging as India’s fastest-rising year-end retail moment. Brands across categories reveal why 2025 could be the biggest edition yet
The great Indian retail consumer gears up to shop its heart out at the Black Friday sales that begin on 28 November. Although Black Friday originated in the US as the shopping day after Thanksgiving, its journey into India has been surprisingly swift and impactful.
What started as a niche, digital-only sale roughly a decade ago has now become a mainstream moment embraced by ecommerce giants, D2C labels, malls, and even airport retail. For Indian consumers—especially millennials and Gen Z—Black Friday has transformed into a window for global-style shopping, premium purchases, and self-indulgence rather than festival gifting.
The numbers tell a compelling story. Last year, major platforms recorded a 24 per cent year-on-year surge in GMV, alongside higher order volumes across categories including beauty, electronics, home goods and fashion. With rising awareness, global retail alignment and the power of social media amplification, Black Friday 2025 is expected to outperform last year—potentially growing 30–40 per cent in metros and Tier 1 cities, according to early industry estimates.
K-Beauty, Fashion, Baby Care — India’s New Black Friday Playbook
Beauty brands say Black Friday is no longer a discount event but a structural opportunity. Mini Sood Banerjee, Deputy Director & Head of Marketing, Etude, Amorepacific India, notes that Black Friday 2024 drove significant brand gains, particularly through rising consumer interest in K-beauty. She explains that innovative formulations, gentle textures and skin-loving ingredients have shifted K-beauty from a trend to an everyday essential. Etude’s new launches across lips and skincare reflected this transition, drawing in new shoppers from metros and emerging markets alike.
Looking ahead to 2025, she says brands are planning with far sharper intent: clearing festive-season inventory, increasing average order values through curated bundles, and amplifying visibility for new collections. With stronger consumer awareness and platform support, she believes Black Friday is steadily becoming one of India’s key retail moments, soon to stand alongside legacy sale events.
Similarly, kindlife Founder & CEO Radhika Ghai highlights that Black Friday 2024 marked a behavioural shift rather than a seasonal spike. She observes that Indian shoppers—especially Tier 2/3 women and young working professionals—showed a willingness to “trade up,” purchasing premium fragrances, Korean and Japanese beauty, and regimen-based kits. AOVs rose 18–22 per cent, while the period from January to March saw a 12–15 per cent rise in repeat purchases from customers acquired during Black Friday.
For 2025, she says the strategic focus is on post-festive inventory clearing, boosting cart values through bundled offerings, and leveraging lower CACs to bring first-time customers into premium beauty ecosystems. She adds that while Black Friday will not replace Diwali, it has already become the most important global-style sale in India for digital-first brands.
Talking about impact on beauty brands, Anmol Sahai Mathur, Vice President of Marketing Mars Cosmetics said, “Black Friday has turned into a strong discovery moment for beauty in India. We saw a tremendous spike in new shoppers, strongly led by Gen Z and young working professionals who actively explore high-value deals. The net impact was a clear expansion of our consumer base, with strengthened repeat potential.”
On the sale for 2025, Mathur said, “Black Friday is rapidly becoming a must-win retail window for younger beauty consumers. The year-on-year momentum is building, and its contribution to online beauty growth is becoming structurally important.”
Echoing similar sentiments, Mubashshir Syed, Operation Manager, Maliao Cosmetics said, “Black Friday’s ~24 per cent YoY GMV surge translated into clear, measurable gains across categories. Beauty brands saw higher conversions and strong trials from new shoppers, driven by bundles and impulse-led purchases. The brands during Black Friday 2025 will mainly concentrate on selling their products that are left over after the holidays, raising average order value through curated bundles, and new value-conscious customers will be lured. The retailers will be rolling out extended campaigns, omnichannel deals, and deeper discounting in order to maximize the number of conversions and consequently get both online and in-store traffic.”
Beauty-tech and styling brand Ikonic Professional echoes these trends. Director Rayed Merchant notes that the brand saw meaningful gains of 10–15 per cent last year, particularly in styling tools such as straighteners and dryers. For 2025, Ikonic is emphasising value-led offers and customer acquisition over deep discounting, using Black Friday to drive both engagement and visibility.
Indulgeo Essentials’ founder Supriya Malik also shares that Black Friday is now one of the most impactful year-end windows for beauty, delivering 20–35 per cent higher order volumes and strong traction for gifting SKUs. For 2025, she says brands are using the period to onboard first-time shoppers, increase AOVs through curated sets, and re-engage dormant customers with value-led offers.
Fashion: Strong Sell-Through, New Customers, and Tiered Discount Models
Across fashion, Black Friday acts as a bridge between Diwali and winter—often helping brands manage inventory and boost sell-through.
KAZO’s Director, Siddhant Aggarwal, notes that the sale window falls perfectly after Diwali but before peak winter demand, making it ideal for accelerating sell-through of non-winter styles. KAZO is targeting a 20–25 per cent sell-through during the period, supported by offers like in-store tiered discounts and website-wide deals of up to 50 per cent. For 2025, he anticipates 20–25 per cent growth, faster inventory rotations, and a wave of first-time customers who can be retargeted in December.
At Salty, Co-founder Kanishka Garg offers a candid view. He shares that while the brand skipped Black Friday last year, 2025 is approached with a purpose-driven strategy. Their key goals include increasing GMV and AOV through value-protective offers such as “Buy 4 for 999” and “Buy 7 for 1299,” which create a sense of savings without compromising unit economics. Black Friday, he says, is also an opportunity to attract new customers who prioritise smart, value-driven choices over pure discounts.
Gen Z-focused fashion brand NEWME has seen some of its biggest gains from Black Friday historically. Founder Sumit Jasoria notes that last year delivered strong double-digit GMV growth, increased first-time Gen Z shoppers, higher basket sizes and robust store footfalls. For 2025, NEWME is using sharper merchandising, B1G1 deals and trend-led capsule drops to drive AOV and widen its shopper base across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Based on early signals, he expects demand to scale 3–4X across online and offline.
On fashion, Jaiwant Singh Dhingra, Director – Marketing & Business Development, Numero Uno said, “Black Friday energises both Numero Uno and our customers. It lets us boost post-festive sales, showcase our innovative winter range, and engage a wider audience. With strong demand and a Flat 25 per cent Off on two or more garments, we expect solid growth and an even better response this year.”
Prem Dewan, Retail Head at OSL Luxury Collections said, “We are introducing a special 50 per cent discount on bundle offers on select merchandise (T&C apply). The campaign will be promoted extensively across our own and our mall partners’ social media platforms, supported by WhatsApp broadcasts and personalised outreach to our loyal customers.”
Rozmin Virji, Director, Inc.5, said, “the brand was among the first in Indian footwear to adopt Black Friday, offering B1G1 across the entire store.” CEO Rajesh Kadam adds, ”the event now grows through word-of-mouth, with customers eagerly awaiting new launches and curated edits each year.”
Jewellery: Offers Galore During Festive Season
Fashion jewellery brand Estele, represented by spokesperson Priyanka Noria, is offering flat 50 per cent off and free earrings on purchases above Rs 4,000. The goal, she says, is to make fashionable and high-quality jewellery more accessible while delighting shoppers with meaningful gifting incentives.
Rupesh Jain, Co-Founder, Lucira, said Black Friday is becoming a high-intent shopping moment in India, especially for self-purchase and first-time luxury buyers. “While festive events remain stronger for jewellery, Black Friday now drives serious consideration and conversions, supported by Lucira’s major diamond and making-charge offers.”
Vidushi Jain, Co-Founder, Attrangi shared, “This year, we’re focusing on curated festive sets, value bundles, and limited-edition designs to create excitement. With growing traction among urban, digital-first buyers, Black Friday 2025 could rival traditional festive sales—and we’re excited to participate again.”
Electronics, Home & Kitchen, Malls: High-Intent Shoppers Fuel Premium Buying
In electronics and home goods, brands see Black Friday as an opportunity to convert pent-up festive demand and attract younger, first-time buyers.
Wonderchef’s CEO and Founder, Ravi Saxena, explains that the brand witnessed strong traction last Black Friday from younger metro consumers. He believes the event is now a discovery-driven window for premium home appliances rather than a discount-heavy one. For 2025, Wonderchef is using the period to lift AOV through smart bundling and expand penetration across D2C, marketplaces, and quick commerce. While Black Friday is smaller in scale than Diwali, he notes that growth is significantly higher—30–35 per cent year-on-year—making it a strong challenger in premium categories.
Nishank Joshi, Chief Marketing Officer, Nexus Select Malls said that Malls too have geared up big for Black Friday. ““Black Friday has become one of India’s biggest retail moments, evolving into a full shopping week. Traditionally, categories like electronics and beauty used to take lead, but now we’re witnessing a wider acceptance across segments like fast-fashion, accessories etc as well. While it’s still early to confirm the total number of participating brands this year, I am confident that the participation will surpass last year’s numbers.”
He added, “For Nexus Select Malls, it brings a strong November surge. With bigger giveaways, 2X reward points and wider category participation, we expect double-digit growth across all 19 malls this year.”
Mindful Purchases Drive Growth
For many brands, the shift from impulsive to considered buying is evident. Aditya Dhawan, CMO of Baby Forest, says Black Friday has become a key sales lever in an otherwise quiet window between Diwali and Christmas. At Baby Forest, the focus is on value-led experiences, omnichannel engagement and repeat-driven behaviour rather than impulse discounts. Offerings include flat 50 per cent off on their Poshaak cotton apparel collection and strong deals on winter favourites such as the Khilta Mukhra Face Cream and Pashmina Blanket. He sees the period as a bridge for loyal customers to restock essentials while discovering new launches.
For Rabitat, co-founder Sumit Suneja says parents are choosing products that seamlessly integrate into daily life—durable lunchboxes, leak-proof bottles and BPA-free materials designed for kids’ safety. Rabitat is offering up to 40 per cent off on bestsellers, using Black Friday as a chance to emphasise the brand’s commitment to good design and child-safe materials rather than purely attractive pricing.
Yashesh Mukhi, Founder of Chupps, says “brands are using Black Friday 2025 to clear festive stock, lift order values, and pull in new customers while intent is high. Chupps is taking a different approach with its “Black Out” sale — flat prices at Rs 699, Rs 799 and Rs 899 on already fair-priced products. Instead of joining discount wars, the brand aims to stay honest on pricing while still giving shoppers a strong reason to buy now.”
Travel Retail, Luggage & Accessories: Rising Airport Footfalls Boost Sales
Travel retail has emerged as an unexpected winner. A spokesperson for Ospree Duty Free shared that Black Friday 2024 generated strong momentum in spirits, perfumes, travel-exclusive sets and limited-edition products. Fashion alone saw a 184 per cent year-on-year jump during the period. Travellers spent more per visit, and 57 per cent of shoppers last year were first-time or infrequent flyers. For 2025, Ospree is focusing on curated bundles and value-driven offerings rather than deep markdowns, expecting performance on par with major domestic festivals.
Premium travel-gear brand EUME sees Black Friday as one of the most strategically important weekends of the year. Co-founder Pranay Parekh explains that the timing aligns with heavy year-end travel—holidays, destination weddings and festive breaks—naturally boosting demand for luggage and accessories. Instead of deep discounts, EUME focuses on value-led bundles and curated combos to protect its premium positioning. Last year, the brand saw strong incremental spikes, and for 2025, it anticipates a 50–60 per cent uptick over business-as-usual performance.
Watches & Accessories: Digital Discovery and New Markets
For watch retailer Just In Time, CEO Ronak Shah says Black Friday has become one of the brand’s most important sale periods. The event is key for showcasing international watch brands, testing demand for new labels, and reaching customers in cities where the brand has no physical stores. Black Friday, he explains, deepens engagement with existing customers while expanding the brand’s digital footprint among value-seeking shoppers exploring premium timepieces.
A New Cultural Moment for Urban Shoppers
Across categories—from beauty to travel gear—one theme stands out: Black Friday is shifting from a global trend to a distinctly Indian retail moment. Young shoppers, especially in metros and Tier 1 cities, see it as a chance to shop for themselves rather than for gifting, helping drive higher AOVs and premium category growth.
According to Ankit Agrawal, Director, Mysore Deep Perfumery House (MDPH) and Zed Black, “Our participation in the Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale and Amazon’s Great Indian Festival Sale played a major role in accelerating our online growth. During these events, all leading marketplaces actively promoted our products especially our incense sticks range which significantly boosted our performance through August, September, October, and the Diwali period. At the peak, we recorded over 2,500 orders per day across platforms.”
Inventory, Discovery, Acquisition — The New Retail Trinity
Brands across categories cite the same core advantages that include efficient post-festive inventory clearing without brand dilution, higher AOV through bundles, curated kits and upsells, lower CAC, enabling cost-efficient first-time customer acquisition, premium category acceleration, especially in beauty, electronics and home appliances and Stronger loyalty loops, with November purchases often leading to January replenishment. Sarbajit Das, Founder and CEO of Sundew Solutions, said that this Black Friday should focus on more than just inventory clearance. “Our mission is to help businesses establish Digital Trust. By investing in a personalised digital presence, our exclusive offer this season is valued at USD15,999 for just USD 5,999. Brands can create a lasting competitive advantage that extends beyond the holiday rush. This strategic upgrade not only boosts leads but also positions businesses for sustained growth.”
