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Short answer: launch around November 11, 2026, and keep your offers running until at least December 7. Black Friday is on November 27, but the season starts about two weeks earlier and ends about a week later.
Key takeaways
- Bundle sales started rising on November 12, 2025, 16 days before Black Friday.
- 44% of the season's bundle sales came before the weekend. Only 31% came on it.
- The week after Cyber Monday was still at 3.4x a normal week.
- Fresh offers sell well, but late launches miss the run-up.
What the daily data shows
We looked at every day of bundle sales in MBC Bundles stores from November 1 to December 7, 2025. The first ten days were flat. From November 12, sales climbed almost every day until Black Friday.
Black Friday was the biggest day, at about nine times a normal November day. Saturday, Sunday and Cyber Monday were also far above normal.
The weekend is only part of the season
If you only plan for the four-day weekend, you plan for less than a third of the season.
From November 12 to December 8, 2025, 44% of bundle sales came in the 16 days before the weekend, 31% came on the weekend, and 24% came in the week after.
Weekly numbers show the same pattern. Sales were 1.7x normal two weeks before Black Friday and 2.2x normal the week before. After Cyber Monday, they were still 3.4x normal.
Most stores launch too late
The busiest weeks for merchants to create new bundles were the weeks of November 17 and November 24. By then, shoppers had been buying for a week or more. Stores that launched on Black Friday morning missed the whole run-up.
Fresh offers still worked. Bundles made in the last two weeks before Black Friday sold well over the weekend itself. So the lesson is not "only build early". It is: build fresh offers for Black Friday, and have them live before the run-up starts.
Why shoppers start early
- Gift planning. Shoppers buying for several people start their lists early and buy when they see a good offer.
- Early deals from big retailers. Large stores now run "Black Friday week" or month-long offers, which trains shoppers to look early.
- Shipping worries. Shoppers who want gifts on time buy before the rush.
Your 2026 launch plan
Before November 11: build and schedule
Build your offers in October. In MBC Bundles, open Bundle active period, set a Start date of November 11, and turn on Set end date and time for December 7. The bundle saves as Scheduled and goes live at the start time.
November 11 to 26: run your early offer
Go live with an "early Black Friday" offer. A countdown timer tells shoppers the offer will not last. Choose Follow end date and time set for bundle so the timer counts down to your end date.
November 27 to 30: the peak
Do not edit live bundles during the weekend. Changes on the busiest days carry the most risk. Watch the numbers instead.
December 1 to 7: keep going
Leave your offers on. Change the title from "Black Friday" to a gift message if you like. The week after Cyber Monday still made up about a quarter of the season.
Want help building your Black Friday bundles?
Our team will look at your products and set up your BFCM offers with you. Open MBC Bundles and start a live chat, or email support@mbc-bundles.com.
Methodology and sources
MBC Bundles data: bundle-attributed orders across MBC Bundles stores, converted to USD at the time of order. BFCM weekend = November 28 to December 1, 2025. Where we compare types of stores or bundles, we exclude the three largest stores so that no single store skews the result, or we use the median. Results vary by catalogue, traffic and offer. Bundle creation timing based on bundles created October 1 to November 27, 2025.
