Thuiswinkel.org reports that iDEAL, the nr 1 online payment in the Netherlands, for the first time since 2016, recorded a decrease in the number of transactions on Black Friday. On Friday, 29 November, 5.82 million transactions were processed—a drop of 18.4% compared to the 7.13 million transactions recorded on Black Friday 2023. However, Black Friday Week in 2024 showed significant growth, with a 12.3% increase in total transactions. Given the close proximity of the holidays this year, spreading out purchases proved beneficial.
Black Week continues to grow
The days leading up to Black Friday have now become just as important as Black Friday itself. Between Friday, 22 November, and Thursday, 28 November, iDEAL processed a total of 36.25 million payments—a 27% increase compared to the same period last year (28.57 million in 2023). The total number of transactions for Black Friday Week, including Black Friday 2023, had already been surpassed in 2024 before Black Friday even began (36.25 million vs. 35.70 million). This highlights that retailers are spreading their Black Friday discounts over multiple days and that consumers are taking advantage of this trend.
This year, there are only a few days between Black Friday, Sinterklaas, and Cyber Monday. “Our call to start preparations early and spread out promotions has worked well,” says Marlene ten Ham, General Director of Thuiswinkel.org. This approach reduces logistical pressure and ensures consumers aren’t caught off guard. Additionally, delivery companies prepared earlier for the holiday rush by hiring extra staff, scheduling additional delivery days, and scaling up with the use of parcel lockers.
Black Friday sees more online activity, less in physical stores
The number of in-store debit card transactions on Black Friday reached nearly 19 million, a 5% decrease compared to Black Friday last year. The total amount spent in stores via debit cards also dropped to nearly €560 million, according to Betaalvereniging Nederland. This represents a 10% decline compared to Black Friday 2023.
Over the entire week, fewer in-store debit transactions occurred than during a typical week. In total, there were 108.3 million debit transactions, 5% fewer than in a normal week in October. However, spending was higher, with the total amount spent rising by 5% to over €2.9 billion compared to a standard week.
Cyber Monday slightly less popular
The three days following Black Friday showed a slight decline in transaction numbers compared to last year (-0.94%). On Cyber Monday this year, 5.1 million transactions were processed, slightly fewer than the 5.12 million transactions recorded in 2023.
Global spending according to Stripe
During Black Friday, 465 million transactions were processed worldwide, amounting to over $31 billion. More than 209 million payment cards and digital wallets, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, were used. The average spending per wallet was $121, a 4.3% increase compared to last year. Cities like Seattle, New York, London, and Los Angeles recorded the highest revenues. Cross-border transactions accounted for $3.2 billion, with 43 million transactions. The top currencies used were the US dollar, British pound, and euro. Furthermore, 428,000 crypto transactions were conducted across 36 markets, according to Stripe data.
