Black Week 2025: A Strong Week for Email Marketing

Black Week has once again proven to be the most demanding period of the year for email marketing.

As brands competed for attention in crowded inboxes, the Apsis platform handled significant volumes while maintaining fast delivery speeds. Here's a closer look at what we observed across our platform during this year's biggest shopping event.

When Marketers Hit Send: The Black Week Heat Map

Our heat map reveals clear patterns in how marketers approached Black Week this year. Activity kicked off on November 24th with strong morning sends, peaking at 1.5 million emails at 10:00. The momentum built steadily throughout the week.

November 25th saw consistent activity from morning through evening, with notable peaks at 11:00 (1.4M) and again in the late afternoon and evening hours. As we moved into November 26th and 27th, the pattern shifted: marketers began scheduling larger campaigns, with sends reaching 1.7 million on the evening of November 27th.

Black Friday itself (November 28th) brought substantial morning sends, with 1.6 million emails going out at 08:00 as brands aimed to capture early shoppers. The momentum continued through Cyber Weekend, culminating in December 1st's strong morning surge of 1.9 million emails at 08:00.

Speed That Delivers Results

When millions of emails need to reach inboxes simultaneously, every second counts. Our infrastructure handled the demand well:

57.1% of all emails were delivered in under 10 seconds, and 41.1% arrived within 10 seconds to 1 minute. That means 98.2% of Black Week emails reached their destination in under a minute.

Only 1.8% took between 1-5 minutes, and virtually none experienced delays beyond 5 minutes. With a median delay of just 6.1 seconds, our platform ensured that time-sensitive promotions and flash sale announcements landed in inboxes when they needed to.

Our Top Senders Went Big

The scale of Black Week campaigns this year was notable. Our top three senders by recipient volume demonstrate the ambition of this year's campaigns:

The leading sender reached 5.4 million recipients during the week, followed by campaigns targeting 3.4 million and 3.3 million recipients respectively. These numbers reflect the trust major brands place in our platform to deliver at scale.

Peak Moments: When Email Volume Hit Its Highest

Three moments stood out as the peaks of Black Week activity:

#1: December 1st at 8:00 AM — 1.9 million emails Cyber Monday morning saw the week's highest single-hour volume as brands launched their final wave of promotions.

#2: November 27th at 7:00 PM — 1.7 million emails The evening before Black Friday proved to be a critical moment, with marketers sending last-minute teasers and early-access offers.

#3: November 28th at 8:00 AM — 1.6 million emails Black Friday morning kicked off with a substantial surge as the main event began.

Key Insights for Marketers

Black Week 2025 reinforced several key insights for email marketers. Morning hours, particularly around 8-10 am, continue to be prime sending times, capturing consumers as they start their day. However, the strong performance of evening sends on November 27th suggests that pre-event communications are becoming increasingly important for building anticipation.

The data also shows that marketers are thinking beyond Black Friday itself. The transition to Cyber Monday saw even higher volumes, indicating that the entire week has become a sustained campaign opportunity rather than a single-day event.

Looking Ahead

As we reflect on another successful Black Week, we're pleased that the Apsis platform delivered billions of emails with speed and reliability when it mattered most. Our infrastructure handled peak loads without compromising on delivery times, ensuring that every promotional email and flash sale announcement reached its intended recipient.

To all the marketers who trusted Apsis during the busiest week of the year: thank you. We're already preparing for next year's Black Week and look forward to supporting your campaigns once again.

Want to see how Apsis can power your next campaign? Get in touch with our team to learn more about our email marketing platform.