Strategic excellence drives record Black November and Black Friday results: TDMC’s pure-play e-commerce clients generate over R144m in SA digital commerce surge.
As South Africa’s e-commerce landscape reached new heights during Black Friday 2025, TDMC (The Digital Media Collective) has released exclusive performance data and a collective 18.7% growth from a control group of 46 key e-commerce clients. The data reveals how a sophisticated digital strategy, robust preparation, technical excellence, and customer-centric practises drove exceptional results during the country’s biggest online shopping period.
The agency manages a portfolio of over 130 e-commerce businesses and drew data from direct-to-consumer brands selected specifically for their complete participation in the entire Black Friday period. “Our control group across a variety of categories offers an excellent snapshot of the South African e-commerce consumer’s behaviour over this period,” says TDMC Media director, Caleb Shepard.
Across the control group that featured a selection of retailers (including fashion, sport and leisure, home, pets, kids and babies, footwear, food and nutrition categories), online revenue over the Black Friday weekend (including Cyber Monday) totalled R41,7m, an 18,7% percent growth year-on-year. An additional R6,9m was generated in just 96 hours compared to the same cohort in 2024. Black November as a whole was a strong performer for the control group. “From 1 November to 1 December 2025, these e-commerce businesses’ total revenue was R144,6m, indicating a 5,4% growth and R7,4m more in sales compared to 2024,” says Shepard.
With TDMC’s verified expertise in the exact platforms that power modern e-commerce in South Africa and the world, the agency’s depth of knowledge translated directly into robust performance statistics. Shepard notes: “Our data across the control group shows an average return on ad spend for the month of November (ROAS – return on ad spend) of 11 while Black Friday Cyber Monday weekend was 19.”
“The R6,9m increase wasn’t accidental, it is the result of months of preparation, rigorous testing, and a customer-first approach to the entire Black Friday experience. While the market grew significantly, our control group outperformed by focusing on a longer lead strategy over short-term tactics,” says Shepard.
These results come against a backdrop of unprecedented growth in South African digital commerce. Platform Peach Payments reported a 93% increase in rand value processed from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, compared to 2024. Shoprite Checkers’ Sixty60 platform ran early Black Friday promotions from 20 to 23 November, culminating in its highest-ever daily orders on 22 November, with 7,5 million products picked and delivered during the promotional period.
Real value and wild card wins
“The ‘Black Friday’ of old – where everything hinged on a single frantic day, is gone. Smart brands now orchestrate a month-long narrative, building anticipation, rewarding early shoppers, and maintaining momentum through Cyber Monday. Our control group embraced this shift and for the brands and e-commerce outfits that leaned into suggested best practises throughout the year, we saw major growth and wins,” says Shepard.
TDMC’s control group focused on genuine value with meaningful discounts, reflecting a fundamental shift from impulsive splurging to strategic shopping. “There is a narrative that Black Friday has been diluted into a meaningless month-long event, but our data proves otherwise – for brands that executed precise, high-impact campaigns, the ‘spike’ was more powerful than ever,” he says. “On Black Friday alone, we saw retailers in our portfolio generate in excess of R7m in online revenue in a day – accounting for more than 35% of their total online revenue for the entire month – while others had stand out transactions, one recording over R330,000 in a single transaction.”
TDMC also saw incredible success with alternative value models. “One of our Home & Living brands grew revenue by 84% year-on-year, not by slashing prices, but by utilising a ‘Value Add’ strategy (a free gift with purchase). This proves that South African consumers still value brand equity over cheap prices," said Shepard.
'Spray and pray' campaigns were purposefully avoided by the agency. In the Sport & Leisure category for example, early-month campaigns drove R3,4m in extra revenue before Black Friday itself. In the Home & Living category, advertising spend was limited until the weekend itself, capturing a 23% revenue surge for clients, when customer intent was at its highest.
The numbers don't lie
Shepard shares some key additional take outs from TDMC’s Black November and Black Friday period, explaining the control group of 46 is an excellent reflection of direct-to-consumer retailers in South Africa with the data revealing just how powerful brand strength and customer loyalty can be.
“While many retailers struggled to hit targets in a tough economy, one of our key clients in the outdoor fashion sector crushed their goal. Through highly efficient ad spend, they achieved 248% of their monthly revenue target, banking nearly R1,7m online,” says Shepard. To lend authentic authority and trust to the brand, TDMC introduced a dedicated influencer strategy alongside their tactical campaigns. This combination of social proof and performance marketing proved potent, correlating with a 40% year-on-year revenue jump and over R1,6m in new value.
TDMC proved that that digital isn’t just for new brands, increasing revenue for an iconic South African heritage brand by 114% over Black Friday weekend. “R144 million in revenue over one month represents real, owned customer connections that are nurtured long before a peak period – that’s what excites us because there is so much potential and opportunity there for our clients,” says Shepard.
After a tough year in retail, Black November and Black Friday Weekend represent a welcome surge in spend – and a sense of achievement for both discount hungry customers and sales-focused retailers. For an agency like TDMC, solely focused on optimising customer experience and e-commerce results, it is an indicator of opportunities.
“We are seeing a maturation in the local market. It’s no longer just about who has the biggest red sticker. Our data shows that success in 2025 came from strategic brand equity – building mental availability long before the sale begins,” says Shepard. “This isn’t an overnight tactic, it’s a year-round investment. By establishing that trust early, we earned the right to capitalise during peak periods, allowing us to pivot to aggressive performance marketing and convert demand that we had already nurtured.”
