Email best practices
For email marketers, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period is more than just a sales opportunity; it’s the ultimate deliverability stress test. With Adobe reporting a massive $137.4 billion in revenue during November 2025 (a 7.2% YoY increase), the pressure to reach the inbox is immense.
However, success isn’t measured by promotional sends alone. The real challenge lies in ensuring critical transactional messages – like order confirmations and shipping alerts – are delivered instantly. At a time when consumers depend on email for these crucial updates, did brands truly deliver? We analyzed our own sending data to reveal the full story behind this make-or-break period.
Each year, Sinch surveys thousands of consumers to better understand how they want to engage with brands during the peak shopping season. And, like previous years, our 2025 survey of 3,180 consumers confirmed a powerful and consistent trend: email remains the undisputed channel for both promotional offers and critical transactional updates.
But did brand strategies actually align with this clear consumer preference?
To answer that question, we analyzed billions of emails sent through the Sinch Mailgun and Sinch Mailjet platforms during the pivotal month of November. By comparing what customers want with what brands actually did, we’ve uncovered critical insights into their holiday communication strategies.
Here’s what our analysis revealed:
And the verdict is in! For holiday shopping, the inbox continues to reign supreme. Our 2025 pre-holiday survey confirmed that over half of consumers (56.5%) prefer email for Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions, while an overwhelming 73.9% depend on it for crucial transactional updates.
Brands are clearly listening. An analysis of sending data from Sinch Mailgun and Sinch Mailjet reveals that email volume steadily climbed throughout November, hitting its peak during Cyber Week as Sinch’s email platform delivered 20.4 billion emails as promotional campaigns ramped up ahead of the main sales events. Volumes also rose 30% YoY during Black Friday alone showing a clear alignment between consumer expectations and business strategy, again placing email at the heart of the holiday shopping experience.
With inboxes overflowing during Black Friday, the biggest question for marketers is do our emails actually get noticed?
Our data delivers a clear “yes.” Engagement levels during the holiday rush remained just as strong as any other time of year, proving that consumers aren’t experiencing email fatigue – they are actively hunting for deals.
Even at its peak, average open rates held steady at 13% (excluding bots). This demonstrates that a well-targeted campaign will always cut through the noise. However, getting noticed requires more than just a great offer. It demands flawless execution.
During this hyper-competitive period, adhering to email deliverability best practices is non-negotiable. It’s what ensures your messages land in the inbox, ready to be opened. This data underscores a critical reality: to win during peak season, you need an email infrastructure that can scale under pressure without compromising on world-class delivery.
The single-day shopping holiday is officially a thing of the past. Today’s consumers expect deals much sooner – with 45.9% wanting promotions at least full month before Black Friday – and brands are adapting by transforming the traditional weekend sprint into a month-long engagement marathon.
The data tells a clear story. We saw a 32% year-over-year surge in email volume this November, with the most significant growth happening the week before Cyber Week as early-bird deals dropped. This sustained campaign approach drove a staggering 27 billion customer interactions across all channels during Black Friday week alone.
This intense activity wasn’t just on one channel. Brands orchestrated their outreach across email, messaging, and voice, proving that the key to holiday success is no longer a two-day burst but sustained, multi-channel momentum all month long.
In today’s retail landscape, relying on a single channel is a losing strategy. Our 2025 consumer survey revealed that nearly 77.9% of customers expect to hear from brands across multiple channels during major shopping events.
Brands are clearly getting the message. This Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Sinch powered an incredible 27 billion interactions across SMS, MMS, RCS, WhatsApp, email, and voice, proving that a truly integrated omnichannel approach is the new standard.
SMS proved essential for cutting through the noise with time-sensitive offers. Sinch delivered 3.4 billion SMS messages globally during the BFCM weekend, cementing its role as the go-to channel for last-minute deals and high-priority alerts.
And when the stakes are high, nothing replaces human conversation. For complex or sensitive issues, customers overwhelmingly turn to the phone for real-time support. This was proven on Black Friday alone, where Sinch handled 3.2 billion minutes of voice traffic. This underscores the vital role of voice for urgent customer care and service escalation when it matters most.
Emails delivered during the week of Black Friday
SMS messages delivered duringthe week of Black Friday
Minutes of voice traffic during Black Friday week
We may be nearing the end of 2025, but the peak sending season is far from over – there are still some key moments on the horizon and consumers have high expectations.
While BFCM 2025 set new records, the holiday season continues to present both opportunities and challenges for email senders. Success during this period requires a combination of the right sending partner, excellent email expertise, and a close eye on performance.
At Sinch Mailjet, we’re proud to offer the support you need to ensure your emails hit the inbox. Our easy-to-use email solution enables senders to design, send, and track impactful email campaigns that drive sales and engagement – whether they’re sending thousands or billions of messages.
Want to learn more about what makes Mailjet a great solution for holiday season sending? Check out our full suite of email marketing features and get the expert guidance you need to ensure your emails reach the inbox!
