Introduction
Black Friday is no longer just a day of deals – it’s a season of opportunity. In 2025, UK shoppers are expected to spend big again, but standing out in a crowded market requires more than slashed prices.
If your brand wants to cut through the noise, Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising could be your most powerful asset.
OOH Is Where Buyers Are – In the Real World
Despite the rise of online shopping, 63% of UK shoppers plan to buy in-store this Black Friday. Even more, 69% visit stores for inspiration before purchasing online, blending physical and digital journeys (PwC).
📍OOH media placed in high-footfall retail zones gives your brand visibility at critical decision points – just before the moment of purchase.
While digital ads often disappear into the scroll, OOH lives where people are actually making buying decisions – on the high street, near retail parks, at train stations, or in shopping centres. These touchpoints are often the last moment of influence before purchase, making OOH uniquely positioned to capture intent and convert it into action.
Black Friday 2025: What Shoppers Want
According to recent data (Statista):
🛍️ £7.1 billion was spent during Black Friday 2024
👀 76% of UK adults intend to shop the event in 2025
The top product categories are:
👟 Clothing & Footwear (84%)
🔌 Electronics (82%)
💄 Beauty & Fragrance (75%)
These categories over-index in physical shopping, making OOH placements near relevant retailers highly effective.
Why Timing (and Visibility) Matter
Shoppers don’t wait for Black Friday itself—they plan ahead:
📅 54% plan electronics purchases weeks in advance
👗 38% consider clothing buys just a week before
That means brands must build mental availability early. OOH does this better than almost any other channel by placing your message into shoppers’ everyday environments.
The lead-up to Black Friday is crowded with messaging – email, social, paid search, influencers. But most of that lives in a private feed or inbox. OOH earns visibility in the shared public space, building mental availability with scale and repetition across daily routines
OOH Delivers Massive Reach & Real Results
OOH advertising reaches 95% of UK adults weekly (IPA TouchPoints). It’s:
🛑 Unskippable and unblockable – ideal in a world of digital fatigue
✅ Proven to drive action – especially when placed near point of sale
🧠 Key to reaching light buyers – a driver of long-term brand growth (WARC)
OOH’s trust factor also plays a role: research shows consumers perceive brands on public display- like billboards – as more credible and established. In an era of ad fatigue and fake reviews, being visible in the real world brings a psychological edge that digital often can’t replicate.
Add to this the rise of programmatic DOOH, which allows brands to trigger content based on time, weather, footfall, or even sports scores—and suddenly OOH isn’t just big, it’s smart.
Know Your Shopper. Meet Them in the Moment
Black Friday shoppers fall into key personas:
| Persona | What They Need | Where OOH Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 🎁 Gift Gurus | Plan early, shop thoughtfully | Target beauty/fashion zones |
| 💸 Big Spenders | Buy big-ticket tech | Digital billboards near retail parks |
| 🕒 Last-Minute Legends | Seek inspiration late | High-traffic city centre formats |
| 🛍️ Aisle Explorers | Browse before buying | Posters near shopping districts |
With smart planning, you can use OOH to tailor messaging by audience, location, and timing.
Pairing audience personas with location-based insight can unlock smarter planning. For example, if Gift Gurus are planning early, start with early-week placements in commuter corridors. If Last-Minute Legends are more active on Friday itself, invest in retail proximity media during the final 48 hours.
Ready to Win Black Friday 2025?
Brands that win this Black Friday will think beyond the screen – and back to the street. OOH puts your campaign where it matters most: in front of people, at the right place, and at the right time.
