Website speed becomes top Black Friday focus, survey reveals.

Survey Highlights Growing Divide in Black Friday Cyber Monday Preparations Between Larger and Smaller Merchants

A recent survey conducted by WooCommerce has unveiled a significant divide in how businesses are preparing for the Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) shopping event. The research indicates that larger merchants, particularly those generating over $1 million annually, are investing heavily in sophisticated preparation strategies, while smaller businesses often lag behind. This gap, termed the "preparation gap," is widening as larger stores adopt advanced technologies and methods to maximize their sales during this critical period. However, smaller businesses still have opportunities to bridge this gap and compete effectively.

The survey, which involved 249 merchants and 12 certified WooCommerce agencies, presents two distinct realities in BFCM readiness. For many businesses, particularly those generating significant revenue, the holiday season can account for up to 50% of their annual sales volume. However, the approaches to capitalizing on this vary widely based on the size and revenue of the business.

The Tale of Two Black Fridays

Tamara Niesen, Chief Marketing Officer at Woo, describes the situation as "a tale of two Black Fridays." Larger merchants are focusing on optimizing their website performance, implementing sophisticated payment options, and planning long-term strategies. In contrast, smaller businesses often concentrate on traditional methods such as inventory stocking. Niesen emphasizes that while resources are a factor, awareness and access to the right strategies are equally important. WooCommerce aims to democratize these insights, enabling all merchants to compete effectively during this crucial sales period.

Payment Sophistication and Its Impact

One of the most noticeable disparities is in the area of payment options. Larger stores, those making over $1 million annually, are three to four times more likely to offer "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) services. Specifically, 66.7% of merchants in the $10-50 million revenue range offer BNPL options, compared to only 14.8% of smaller stores with revenues under $250,000. Additionally, express checkout options like Apple Pay and Google Pay are available in 75% of larger stores, whereas only 40% of smaller merchants offer these services.

This sophistication in payment options has significant business implications. As BNPL services gain popularity, with 79% of purchases projected to be made on mobile devices by 2024, businesses that offer these options are likely to attract more customers and increase their sales volume.

Evolving Strategies for BFCM Preparation

The survey reveals a shift in priorities for BFCM preparation strategies. Website performance optimization has overtaken inventory management as the top priority for many merchants. In 2024, inventory management was the number one priority, but now 33.4% of merchants prioritize optimizing their website performance. This change indicates a growing awareness among merchants that site performance can significantly impact their sales during the busiest shopping period of the year.

However, this evolution is not uniform across all businesses. Larger merchants are leading the charge towards performance-first strategies, while smaller businesses often remain focused on traditional inventory-centric approaches.

Timing and Advanced Preparation

The preparation gap is also evident in timing. About 40% of stores making over $250,000 prepare for BFCM one to three months in advance. In contrast, smaller merchants tend to adopt more reactive approaches. This extended preparation period allows larger businesses to develop comprehensive strategies across various areas, including site optimization, payment integration, security enhancements, and marketing campaigns.

The Importance of Mobile Optimization

Another critical area highlighted by the survey is mobile optimization. Mobile devices accounted for 54.5% of holiday spending in 2024, yet desktop shopping maintained higher conversion rates. This "two-device dilemma" presents a challenge for smaller merchants, who may lack the resources to develop nuanced strategies for optimizing both mobile and desktop shopping experiences effectively.

Innovative Approaches: Subscription Models

Interestingly, 30% of surveyed merchants are shifting towards subscription models specifically for BFCM 2025. This move represents a departure from traditional discount strategies in favor of recurring revenue approaches. These innovations are primarily driven by larger, more established businesses with the resources to experiment with new models.

Bridging the Gap: Resources for Smaller Merchants

For merchants looking to bridge the preparation gap, WooCommerce has published a blog post titled 2025 Black Friday Trends: Top Strategies for Peak Selling Season. This guide offers actionable strategies for performance optimization, payment integration, security hardening, and advanced preparation techniques that have traditionally been accessible mainly to larger merchants.

The 2025 merchant survey was distributed to WooCommerce merchants through email, social media, and targeted outreach, receiving 249 responses. This provided a 95% confidence level with a margin of error of ±6.07%. Additionally, a separate qualitative survey was conducted with 12 certified WooCommerce agencies to gather in-depth insights on industry trends and best practices.

About WooCommerce

WooCommerce is the company behind the popular open-source ecommerce platform that powers over 4 million online stores. Built on WordPress, WooCommerce offers unlimited extensibility and flexibility for store owners and builders. The company is fully distributed, with employees worldwide, and is committed to empowering success for merchants, developers, and anyone involved in ecommerce.

In conclusion, while larger merchants are currently more prepared for BFCM due to their resources and advanced strategies, smaller businesses have the potential to close this gap by adopting similar strategies and taking advantage of resources like those provided by WooCommerce. With the right preparation and tools, businesses of all sizes can succeed during BFCM and the holiday season.

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