Cyber Week 2025 delivered one of the most intriguing ad performance profiles we have seen in years. Across nearly every channel that we manage, engagement was up. Clicks, impressions, and mid-funnel actions like add-to-cart climbed meaningfully. Yet, unlike previous holiday cycles, higher engagement did not immediately translate into higher revenue numbers.
It has, however, set the stage for record revenue during the holiday shopping days since Cyber Week.
Here’s what happened, why it matters, and how growth-minded DTC brands should be adjusting as we enter the final stretch of the holiday season.
Engagement was the Highest We’ve Seen in Recent Years and It Cost Less to Drive
Shoppers were more active than ever across paid search, paid social and retail marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart and Target during Cyber Week 2025. Clicks and impressions grew faster than ad spend as cost-per-clicks decreased year over year and engaged sessions rose across nearly every category. Consumers were searching and product-comparing at levels that exceeded last year, and our clients were able to attract this traffic at lower CPCs.
This aligns with broader market trends. NRF reported that the Cyber 5 weekend drew a record 202.9 million shoppers across in-store and online channels, with online traffic up 9% year over year.
The bottom line is that Cyber Week was defined by very active consumers which is a promising signal for continued revenue opportunities in the weeks to follow.
Conversions Were Nuanced: What We Saw Across Clients
Despite strong traffic and higher sales volume year over year, total revenue fell short of expectations during Cyber Week 2025 itself. Conversion rates across most categories were lower than last year, and average order values also declined. Many brands saw meaningful increases in add-to-carts, product views, and return sessions without a corresponding lift in completed orders.
Shoppers seemed ready to buy, but they didn’t see deals compelling enough to finish the purchase.
Cyber Monday Overtook Black Friday for the First Time Since 2022
For the first time in two years, Cyber Monday revenue numbers exceeded Black Friday when it came to online sales across our client base. Consumers were more intentional with their timing, waiting to see whether deeper offers would emerge. Many DTC brands held their best bundles and threshold deals for Monday to avoid early sellouts.
Cyber Monday became the largest online shopping day ever, hitting $14.25 billion in spend, with mobile accounting for over half of the purchases made that day, and buy-now-pay-later adoption surpassing $1 billion. This suggests that consumers were looking for convenience, flexibility and compelling offers before committing this year.
Big-Box Retailers Put Serious Pressure on DTC Brands This Year and It Showed
Large retailers outpaced smaller or online-only DTC competitors, a trend that was also reflected in our client base. Amazon revenue outperformed direct-to-site sales for many of our brands. Marketplace conversion rates held steadier than DTC and category-wide volume spikes on Amazon mirrored broader trends in engagement and conversion comparisons.
Brands with wide SKU depth, Prime-eligibility inventory, fast shipping, and robust platform-native deals performed best. The more your experience mirrored big-box retailers, the stronger your performance.
How the K-Shaped Economy Influenced Shopper Behavior During Cyber Week 2025
Reporting from CNN and other news outlets shows a widening divide in how higher-income and lower-to-middle-income consumers are spending during the holidays. Higher-income shoppers continued, or even ramped up, spending on premium items, while price-sensitive segments pulled back or focused on deeper discounts.
This trend aligns closely with what we observed across our clients. Brands with higher AOVs or more affluent customer bases generally performed stronger during Cyber Week. Meanwhile, clients serving more budget-conscious audiences saw solid engagement but weaker conversions. Many of the shoppers who did purchase in that group gravitated toward lower priced items than in years past.
In short, the split in spending power is directly influencing who converts most effectively and which brands must work harder to turn traffic into sales.
Post-Cyber Week Revenue Is Up and We Know Why
Revenue has surged in the days following Cyber Week 2025 for many of our clients, reflecting broader trends.
Shoppers who added items to their carts during the peak week finally converted, likely realizing that deeper discounts weren’t coming.
Deferred conversions are turning into real revenue, highlighting a clear opportunity for brands that can act quickly.
What DTC Leaders Should Do With These Insights
The remainder of December presents a strong opportunity to capture this deferred demand.
Winning strategies include:
- Focusing on post-Cyber remarketing to cart abandoners and product viewers
- Reinforcing value through bundles, extended shipping thresholds and messaging around availability
- Optimizing product detail pages and checkout flows since mobile and buy-now-pay-later options are dominating current shopping behavior
- Timing campaigns around shipping cutoffs
- Benchmarking performance against category peers rather than YoY performance given the huge influence of large retailers this year
Crushing the Rest of 2025 and What These Insights Mean Going Into 2026
Cyber Week 2025 highlighted a key lesson. Engagement alone isn’t enough. Consumers were active and interested, but selective, and competitive pressures were unusually intense. Brands that paired sharp merchandising with frictionless buying experiences were the ones that succeeded.
The good news is that the holiday shopping momentum remains strong. This is especially true among high-intent shoppers who hesitated during the peak shopping week. Winning Q4 and beyond isn’t about the deepest discount. It’s about the clearest value, the least friction and meeting your customers where and when they are ready.
If you want to dive deeper into what these insights mean for your brand, book a meeting with one of our experts today.
