Black Friday prep is happening earlier than ever for shoppers this year. Your customers are already looking for deals online and increasingly on social media. According to a Q3 2026 Sprout Social Pulse Survey, 78% of users plan to use social as much or more than they did last year to help them find and purchase gifts this year.

Social media is now tied with physical stores for gift purchase discovery, with 46% of customers marking them as top choices. As customers face increasing economic pressure this year, many are using social media to research the best deals. If you want to make the most of Black Friday on social media, start planning your strategy now. Customers are eager for ideas well before November.

In this guide, we walk through how to build effective Black Friday social media campaigns this Q4.

Spurred by the growth of online shopping and social commerce, Black Friday has become a multi-day event, including Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. According to the data, customers are thinking about their holiday shopping differently this year, and ecommerce is a key part of their plans.

More than half of respondents (69%) to the Q3 2026 pulse survey said they’re concerned about rising prices due to tariffs. Over a third (36%) are planning to shop earlier to specifically avoid tariff-related price jumps, and 56% are planning to reduce their holiday spending overall due to economic conditions.

For brands, that means competition is higher and earning customer trust will take more legwork.

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