How to cash in on the Golden Quarter of Halloween, Black Friday and Christmas

We’re entering what retailers call the Golden Quarter[1], the final three months of the calendar year which are packed with consumers’ favourite holidays and celebrations.

Coming hot on the heels of the Back to School boon for retailers, there’s a string of occasions that carry the sector into the new year:

By planning ahead for these events in 2026 and beyond, you can cash in on the substantial value that they generate on an annual basis – which is growing year by year.

Putting a value on the Golden Quarter

All of these holidays add up to a significant increase in consumer spending.[2] Over the past five years, the final third of the year has seen an average retail spend rise of:

The year-on-year trend is upwards too. December 2024 alone saw UK retail sales worth nearly £60 billion, completing a Golden Quarter worth £142.7 billion.

In comparison, retail spend in December 2023 stood at £57.3 billion and Q4 2023 spending reached £141.9 billion. In the last pre-pandemic year, December 2019 saw spend of £52.8 billion to complete a quarter worth just under £124 billion.

Do Brits buy on Black Friday?

Black Friday is traditionally an American event – the day after Thanksgiving, when US consumers typically take to the shopping malls to start their Christmas shopping.[3] It’s associated with a slew of special offers, which can lead to stampedes as shoppers race to grab the best deals in-store.

Online shopping surges the following week, and this spike in ecommerce sales is known as Cyber Monday.[4] But with no Thanksgiving celebrations in the UK, do consumers still follow this pattern?

Research by PwC in 2024 found that younger UK consumers in particular are more likely to shop for bargains in the Black Friday sales.[5] Nearly three quarters (72%) of 25 to 34-year-olds were considering a purchase in last year’s promotions.

Cyber Monday is also important – and arguably even more so, as PwC found two thirds of spending over the period is online for home delivery, along with another 12% of click-and-collect orders placed online.

The research predicted that UK Black Friday spending in 2024 would increase by 17% per person, and by 37% overall, from £5.2 billion in 2023 to £7.1 billion in 2024.

The Cost of Living and the Golden Quarter

The cost of living crisis in recent years has put household finances under pressure, but far from cutting back, consumers are instead planning their seasonal spending with this at the front of their mind.[6]

Future Research found that UK shoppers are spreading their purchases over multiple months in advance of Christmas and the other Golden Quarter holidays.

In a survey conducted in 2024[7], the analyst found that:

Black Friday plays a key role in this, allowing consumers to look for a variety of promotions on products they need or want in the run-up to Christmas.

In November 2024, a survey by Nationwide revealed that less than a quarter (24%) of consumers had a fixed budget in mind for Black Friday, while more than half (52%) were willing to overspend for the right item.[8]

This highlights the power of the Golden Quarter, which is not just a string of isolated events, but a coherent roadmap for the retail sector from Back to School right through to Boxing Day sales.

How to plan for the Golden Quarter

With consumers spreading their Golden Quarter spending earlier into the year, it’s never too soon to start planning your next campaign. MRM will be working with clients on campaigns for 2026 throughout the remainder of 2025.

BIRA, the British Independent Retailers Association, said: “The run-up to Christmas is a great opportunity for high-street businesses to make the most of the increased demand.

“Taking time to plan will enable you to relax with peace of mind that you have given your business a huge boost for your Golden Quarter.”[9]

Getting your strategy in place early allows you to schedule your promotions and messaging for maximum impact. It accounts for lead times in getting promotional packaging printed, repacking products and/or assembling seasonal subscription boxes and gift hampers.

Crucially, it also allows you to be proactive, putting in place the kinds of promotions you want to focus on, instead of scrambling to keep up with the surge in shopping when it’s already too late to properly capitalise on it.

Adopt a proactive approach to 2026

Guidance from the Giftware Association further stresses the need for proactive planning: “Too often, businesses find themselves in a reactive mode, responding to challenges as they arise rather than planning ahead.

“This is especially true during the Golden Quarter. Proactive planning is essential to navigate this crucial period successfully.”[10]

If you are in reactive mode for Golden Quarter 2025, give your business the benefit of a switch to proactive mode for 2026 – and do it as soon as possible.

How MRM can help

MRM’s software platforms, such as Lodestone, can start collecting customer data and coordinating promotions including loyalty schemes, coupons, on-pack promotions and redeemable cashback, among many others.

This gives you the solid foundation you need to identify what works for your customers, so that by the summer, you are ready to launch a comprehensive Golden Quarter campaign that maximises your revenues throughout the latter half of 2026.

For more information or to discuss your experiences of Golden Quarter 2025 and how they can inform your strategy going forward, contact MRM today to speak to one of our marketing executives.

[1] https://bira.co.uk/resources/getting-ahead-for-the-golden-quarter/

[2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/287867/retail-sales-total-value-monthly-great-britain-gb/

[3] https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/black-friday

[4] https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/cyber-monday

[5] https://www.pwc.co.uk/press-room/press-releases/research-commentary/2024/uk-consumers-set-to-splurge-p7-1billion-treating-themselves-this.html

[6] https://futureplc.com/research/future-research-uk-black-friday-and-christmas-retail-sales/

[7] https://futureplc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Web_-Christmas-Sales-2024-The-Lens-Future-UK-1.pdf

[8] https://www.nationwide.co.uk/media/news/black-friday-set-to-break-records-again-as-brits-use-sales-to-get-a-headstart-on-christmas

[9] https://bira.co.uk/resources/getting-ahead-for-the-golden-quarter/

[10] https://www.giftwareassociation.org/news-and-articles/the-golden-quarter-a-time-for-proactive-strategy-not-reactive-survival