Insights to help you win during your busiest sales weeks

About a third* of all consumer spending happens between early November and just after the holiday season. This time can make or break your sales success.

You need to be prepared to maximize your sales during the year’s key promotional events. To outsmart your competitors, grow your market share and drive brand loyalty.

In our Peak Season Hub you’ll find reliable, up-to-date insights into all aspects of the shopping process – market developments, shopping behavior, pricing and promotion strategy, and consumer trends.

Check back regularly for new articles, or simply subscribe to get the latest insights sent directly to your inbox.

Infographic: Black Friday 2021
White paper: Winning the Peak Season 2021
White paper: Pricing and promotion in 2021
Insights article: Planning Black Friday 2021
Video: Top three planning tips
for Black Friday 2021
  • Key facts, figures and trends

    In another unusual year, how were Black Friday sales impacted and what changed from 2020?

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    In our infographic, you’ll find insights on:

    • How Black Friday sales performed in 2021
    • How performance compared to 2020
    • Which products and categories were most in demand
    • How online retail fared versus in-store shopping
    • How market conditions impacted discounting levels this year
    • And more…

     

    Read the infographic now
  • Ready, steady, go!

    Get set to conquer the competition during Peak Season 2021

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    Based on critical, up-to-date consumer and market insights this white paper helps you to validate your strategies against the latest developments and stay informed and ready to tackle this high-risk, high-reward Q4.

    It identifies four keys to Peak Season 2021 success

    • Understand and prepare for volatility – how will the market shape up?
    • Have your finger on the pulse of today's shopper – how has their behavior been altered by the pandemic?
    • Make sure that you have the right product portfolio – where exactly does demand lie?
    • Continually refine your Peak Season strategies with intelligent, real-time data.

     

    Read the white paper now

  • Six steps to success in Q4

    Perfect your pricing and promotions strategy this peak season

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    Make sure you follow our six steps to success this peak season to have the maximum chance of being consumers’ brand, product, or retailer of choice:

    • Perfect pricing in the corona virus era
    • Choose less aggressive promotions
    • Focus on availability so you can meet demand
    • Know when consumers will pay more for premium products
    • Adapt to changed online and offline pricing dynamics
    • Respond fast using the latest market intelligence

    Read the white paper now

  • Plan for Black Friday sales success

    Our five guidelines for peak week sales planning and portfolio management

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    This five-minute read covers:

    • How to plan for each of the three weeks of the seasonal event
    • Ways to capitalize on the increasing importance of e-commerce
    • How to perfect pricing and avoid unecessary price drops
    • Which products to concentrate on
    • Methods to differentiate your offer through enhancing the online sales experience

     

    Read the article

  • How to plan Black Friday 2021

    GfK’s strategic insights expert shares key learnings from the past 12 months

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    Our expert Norbert Herzog discusses key trends he has observed unfold, and ways to address them. Get answers based on GfK’s unique evidence-based perspective on this crucial time for manufacturers and retailers.

    • Despite COVID-19, how can sales planning be successful?
    • What is most likely going to happen next Black Friday?
    • What is the must-do for this year’s planning?

     

    Watch now

Learn more about what's happening in your local market

Our local teams are on the pulse of how Black Friday impacts consumers in their markets. Ready for a deep dive into your target market? Check out the latest (partly in local language)

Black Friday 2021 Germany

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Black Friday 2021 France

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Black Friday 2021 UK

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Black Friday 2021 Italy

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Black Friday 2020 Global

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Peak Season Report 2020

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Black Friday 2020 Brazil

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Black Friday 2020 France

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Black Friday 2020 UK

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Black Friday 2020 Germany

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Black Friday 2020 Hungary

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Black Friday 2020 Netherlands

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Black Friday 2020 Spain

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Our solutions deliver robust market intelligence now and into the future

Insights for our peak season content come from a range of GfK products, all of which can help you power your business strategies and tactical decisions during these peak weeks and beyond. Learn more to find the solutions that are right for you: 

GfK Peak Season Insights Hub
GfK Market Intelligence: Sales Tracking 

Knowing what to promote, to whom, at what price, on what channels and when is vital to success. Short-term decision-making requires up-to-date market intelligence reports. GfK’s Weekly Market Intelligence gives you the foundation you need to stay on top of the volatility. 

Learn more
GfK Peak Season Insights Hub
GfK Market Intelligence: Supply Chain 

Monitor your entire supply chain, including which products are sold to each point-of-sale channel and at what price in the distribution market, down to a single SKU-level in one click. Benchmark your performance against competitors, maximize your sales impact, and measure channel ROI.

Learn more
GfK Peak Season Insights Hub
GfK Daily Pricing Monitor


GfK Daily Pricing Monitor is a fully-automated global price monitoring and analysis suite that covers all propositions within the telecoms sector. It gives leading manufacturers, mobile network operations and retailers always-on insights and the opportunity take full control of pricing and proposition decisions. 

Learn more
GfK Peak Season Insights Hub
GfK Consumer Life

Get robust and stable customer insights and segmentations based on values, lifestyle, buying behavior, future world outlook and concerns, and affinity for tech. Available in a variety of formats, including syndicated reports, 24/7 online data access, consulting services tailored to your custom questions, and more.

Learn more