Black Friday is emerging as a meaningful event in business-to-business purchasing, with distributors beginning to adopt promotional strategies once reserved for consumer retail. New data from the 2025 DHL eCommerce Trends Report shows that 85% of B2B-focused sellers plan to participate in Black Friday this year, a slightly higher rate than among online retailers overall. The report, which surveyed more than 4,000 businesses across 19 countries and 24,000 shoppers in 24 markets, also found that 63% of B2B sellers reported higher Black Friday sales in 2024, and half generated more revenue during that period than during a typical selling window.
That momentum is visible this season as several distributors roll out verifiable holiday promotions. Global Industrial is running one of the most direct campaigns, promoting “Black Friday deals” across its ecommerce site and offering discounts of up to 30% on shelving, storage, material handling equipment, and facility supplies. The company built dedicated landing pages for the event, signaling a coordinated push aimed at business customers replenishing year-end inventory or preparing for first-quarter operations.
MSC Industrial Supply has also joined the seasonal shift, though through a regional effort. Its U.K. division announced that “Black Friday at MSC is officially live,” directing customers to exclusive discounts and publishing formal terms and conditions outlining promotion windows and eligibility. The company routinely uses seasonal marketing in the U.K. market, but this year’s campaign represents one of the few fully structured Black Friday promotions confirmed among major industrial distributors.
Grainger, the largest MRO supplier in North America, has not issued a Black Friday campaign through its own channels. Even so, several reputable coupon and deal platforms are promoting active November discount codes labeled specifically for Black Friday and Cyber Week. While these offers come through third-party affiliates rather than Grainger’s direct marketing, the activity suggests that outside partners are targeting business buyers during the holiday period. Grainger itself has maintained its traditional emphasis on consistent pricing and steady year-round value.
DHL’s research highlights several factors shaping buyer behavior as the seasonal event continues to move into B2B. The report found a persistent trust gap between sellers and buyers: 67% of retailers and business sellers believe customers trust their Black Friday offers, but only half of shoppers say they fully or mostly trust promotional pricing. Younger buyers show greater confidence, with Gen Z respondents expressing significantly more trust in Black Friday deals than older consumers—a dynamic that may gain importance as digital-native professionals assume larger roles in procurement decisions.
Delivery expectations remain a central influence on conversion. DHL reported that 81% of shoppers will abandon purchases if their preferred delivery option is not available. In an industrial context—where orders may involve oversized or heavy goods—reliable logistics, transparent shipping terms and predictable delivery times are increasingly critical to closing sales during peak season.
The report also notes rising influence from digital behavior that once belonged squarely to consumer retail. Two-thirds of shoppers say social-media reviews affect where they buy, and more than half of the report that targeted offers prompt them to spend more. Cross-border interest continues to grow as well, with 62% of shoppers open to buying internationally when pricing and delivery conditions are competitive. For distributors with global reach or export operations, these behaviors expand the potential impact of Black Friday beyond domestic demand.
Taken together, this year’s verified activity and global survey results indicate that Black Friday is becoming part of the industrial buying calendar. The clearest examples come from Global Industrial’s branded promotions, MSC’s structured U.K. rollout and the seasonal surge of Grainger codes circulating across deal platforms. Participation remains uneven, and many U.S. distributors continue to avoid overt discounting tied to Black Friday. But the direction is unmistakable: as B2B buyers adopt digital habits shaped by retail ecommerce, the holiday period is becoming a viable opportunity for distributors to capture incremental demand, influence supplier selection and shape year-end procurement decisions heading into 2026.
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