The currency of Black Friday shifts from being the appeal of promotions to becoming consumer trust.

According to the study Black Friday 2025, conducted by consultancy Gauge in partnership with agency W3haus, the official event week is expected to generate R$ 13.6 billion in Brazil, a growth of 16.5% compared to 2024. Despite the positive numbers, experts warn that the date no longer carries the same emotional and symbolic impact as in previous years.

For Flavia Mardegan, a sales and consumer behavior specialist, the term “Black Friday” has become so frequently used by retailers that it has lost part of its mobilization power.

“What was once an anticipated date with a sense of urgency has become a concept spread throughout the entire year. Today we have “Black Week,” “Black Month,” and even promotions called “Black Friday Warm-up.” This dilutes the perception of opportunity and wears down consumer interest,” she assesses.

Created in the United States as a specific clearance sale to offload stock and boost commerce, Black Friday arrived in Brazil in 2010 surrounded by distrust. The Brazilian consumer, accustomed to generic promotions, saw the date as a marketing ploy. “In the beginning, the challenge was to prove that the discounts were real. Later, we had the problem of the so-called “Black Fraud,” when many companies manipulated prices, further compromising trust,” recalls Flavia.

Fifteen years later, the scenario is different, and so is the consumer. They research, compare, and only buy if they believe they are getting a good deal.

“Black Friday has ceased to be about price and has become about trust. The consumer has learned to do the math, track price history, and no longer falls into traps,” explains the specialist.

Flavia further observes that the indiscriminate use of the term “Black” as a synonym for permanent clearance has ended up trivializing the value of the date.

“Retail has stretched the concept so much that the customer no longer sees a special moment. By using this hook for clearance sales during various periods of the year and turning the entire month of November into a promotion month, commerce loses the sense of urgency and the power to mobilize the consumer through scarcity,” she points out.

For her, the challenge for brands in 2025 is to rebuild the credibility of Black Friday, positioning it less as a race for discounts and more as an opportunity for relationship and transparency.

“Today, the customer wants clarity, wants to be respected. What fosters loyalty is not the lowest price, but the trust that they are buying something truly advantageous. And this trust is the new asset of retail,” she concludes.