Checkout.com reported $5.2 billion in ecommerce processing over the 2025 Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend, up 62% year on year across its network. Its December 11 analysis also detailed market-specific spending changes and consumer plans for Christmas gifts. [S01]
The comparison period changes the meaning
The overall network figure uses a year-on-year comparison. The category analysis below compares Black Friday with the final Friday of October, so the two growth measures should not be read as interchangeable. [S01]
Selected UK online spending changes on Black Friday 2025
Change relative to the final Friday of October, in Checkout.com’s reported domestic transaction data.
%
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
Provider network data, not total UK retail. Domestic online transactions only; cross-border and merchant-initiated transactions excluded. Categories are not parts of a single total.
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| Category | Spending change |
|---|---|
| Electronics and appliances | 303% |
| Online department stores | 190% |
| Interior furnishings | 101% |
| Retail | 82% |
| Online clothing | 38% |
The company also reported survey findings that 47% of British respondents planned to begin Christmas gift shopping before December, while 41% were prioritising close friends and family. Survey intentions and observed payment records are separate evidence sets. [S01]
What the data can tell gifting merchants
The figures offer a view of payment activity at participating merchants, with explicit restrictions on geography and transaction type. They do not establish total gift-card sales or a gift-card-specific growth rate.
The comparison with an ordinary October Friday captures a seasonal spending change, not necessarily annual market growth. A merchant comparing its own results should match the period and transaction definition before drawing a conclusion.
For a gifting business, the operational question is when demand reaches checkout and whether the payment process remains usable during peaks. Strong network growth does not by itself show which products sold, what customers ultimately kept or whether a particular promotion generated profitable incremental sales.
Geography changes the benchmark too. In the provider's retail category, the same Friday-to-Friday comparison produced an 82% spending increase in the UK, 61% in the UAE and 30% in the US. These are changes within three domestic network samples, not relative market sizes or evidence that a gifting promotion would achieve those returns. [S01]
Retail spending change across domestic network samples
Black Friday 2025 versus the final Friday of October 2025.
percent
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
Different domestic merchant samples, with unknown transaction counts and cohort stability. These are prior-month comparisons, not annual growth, gift-card demand or incremental campaign profit. Cross-border and merchant-initiated payments are excluded.
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| Category | Reported percentage |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 82 percent |
| United Arab Emirates | 61 percent |
| United States | 30 percent |
In this article
Suzie Elis
Suzie Elis covers gift card products, digital gifting and distribution for Gift Card News.