Black Friday Deals on Home Appliances: Where to position yourself and how to set your price
When it comes to home appliances, Black Friday success depends more on the selection of models than on the size of the discounts. An 8% price reduction may require a 50% increase in sales to maintain the same profit margin.
It's best to act quickly on the models that are actually being compared, maintain the prices of exclusive models, focus on delivery, installation, and trade-ins, and prepare the 30-day policy starting in October.
On Friday evening, a competitor lowered the price of a top-of-the-line washing machine by 40 euros. Should we match the price immediately, across the board?
This article is intended for sales, pricing, and category management teams in the home appliance industry who are preparing for Black Friday.
It shows the cost of an alignment, which models warrant it, and how to prepare for the process so that it doesn't weigh on December.
Why Black Friday Is So Important for Home Appliances
When it comes to home appliances, the same model is available at all retailers under the same manufacturer's part number. Customers can compare it in just a few seconds, whether in-store or online.
Black Friday amplifies this transparency. For a week, every price drop by competitors is visible, shared, and eagerly anticipated by customers who have come specifically to compare prices.
In 2024, 13% of sales of large appliances were made during promotions, one percentage point more than in 2023. The share rises to 22% for small appliances.
(NielsenIQ GfK, Technical Goods Market Report, February 2025)
The market conditions aren't helping: in 2025, sales of major appliances fell by 4.5% in value at constant volume, and their average price dropped from 387 to 372 euros (Gifam, NielsenIQ GfK). Profit margins therefore depend on each individual product.
Our belief:Success on Black Friday for home appliances comes from carefully selecting the right models, not from the depth of the discounts. The general rules for this sales event are outlined in our article “Black Friday: Real Discounts, No Fake Strikethrough Prices.”
The Cost of a Friday Night Lineup
On Friday evening, a competitor lowers the price of a washing machine from 499 to 459 euros. Matching that price might seem insignificant: an 8% drop. But in terms of profit margin, the impact is much greater, as shown in this illustrative example using fictitious figures, excluding taxes.
| Selling price | Margin per device | Sales Required to Maintain the Same Total Margin |
|---|---|---|
| €499 (previous price) | 119 € | Base 100 |
| €459 (price matched) | 79 €, or 34% off | 151, or +51% |
We would have to sell 50 percent more units to regain the same profit margin. But when the entire market aligns, customers find the same price everywhere: the price drop doesn't shift demand—it just makes it cheaper.
This calculation is done before taking action, not after. We explain the reasoning behind it in “Simulating a Promotion Before Launching It ” and in “When to Follow Market Prices.”
Sort the models before the operation
Not all models warrant being included in the lineup. Two questions are enough to classify them: Can the customer compare it to an identical product, and does it account for a significant portion of your sales?
Flagship models—which are sold everywhere and are in high demand—set the price benchmark: this is where you need to act quickly, within known margin limits. Exclusive items and brand-specific products have no direct comparison: their prices hold steady.
This selection process begins in October, with a focused monitoring effort targeting only the models that matter. Identify which competitors’ products to monitor and keep an eye on competitors without damaging your price image.
The total price—what the comparison tool doesn't show
The customer compares the price of a model. He buys a package that includes delivery, installation, trade-in of the old unit, and an extended warranty.
During Black Friday, these services are the most profitable strategy. Offering free shipping and returns often costs less than an additional discount on a model already priced at market value, and this isn't shown on price comparison sites.
However, it is still necessary to know the actual margin for each service, not just that of the device itself. This is what analyzing the margin at the level of the entire sale allows you to do, as discussed in our article on calculating the sales margin.
Preparations for the 30-day rule will begin in October
83% of the products on sale during Black Friday were the same price—or cheaper—at least once outside of the sale, based on 175 home, tech, and health products tracked at 8 British retailers.
(Which?, price tracking from May 2024 to May 2025, published on November 25, 2025)
In France, this flexibility has a legal limit: an advertised discount must be calculated based on the lowest price charged in the previous 30 days. A one-time price reduction in early November therefore reduces the discount that can be advertised on November 27.
The effect works the other way around, too.
The Black Friday price becomes the benchmark for any promotion announced within the following 30 days: a Christmas discount on the same model in mid-December cannot be advertised unless its price is lower than the Black Friday price.
The calculation and its special cases are detailed in the 30-day reference price rule, and all the rules are outlined in our guide to retail price compliance.
After Black Friday: Clearance Sales
Once the peak season has passed, part of the inventory changes status. Models for which a successor has been announced start to lose ground, and every week of waiting eats into the profit margin.
It's best to plan price reductions before the winter sales, taking into account the release date of the new model. Clear out inventory without sacrificing profit margins.
The challenges specific to this sector are outlined on our home appliances page.
Pricing for top deals in high-tech and toys follows different strategies, which we’ve discussed in our articles on Black Friday in high-tech and Black Friday in toys and baby products.
Are you looking to prepare for Black Friday in the home appliances category?
Our experts help you sort through your models, simulate your alignments, and lock in your reference prices.
Let's talk about your Black FridaySee also in this feature
- Pricing in the Retail Sector: What's Changing (and What Isn't)
- B2B Pricing: Why List Prices Are No Longer Enough When Dealing with Segments
- Perceptions of the higher cost of organic products: The real obstacle is the perceived price difference
- Industrial B2B Pricing: When Prices Are Still Negotiated Line by Line
FAQ: Black Friday Deals on Home Appliances
Only for the models that are actually being compared and that account for a significant portion of your sales, and within pre-determined margin limits.
For a washing machine sold for €499 with a profit margin of €119, lowering the price to €459 reduces the profit margin to €79: it would take a 51% increase in sales to make up for the loss.
When the entire market is on the same page, this increase in volume doesn't happen. Exclusive products and brand-specific items, which have no direct comparables, maintain their prices.
The flagship models—sold everywhere and in high demand—that shape the brand's price image.
These are the models customers compare during peak sales periods. Comparable models that don't sell well are monitored without any systematic response. Accessories and niche models, which are rarely compared, don't need deep discounts to sell.
By focusing on the overall price rather than on a further reduction in the price of the device.
Delivery, installation, trade-in of the old appliance, and extended warranty are factors that influence the purchase decision, but they aren't listed on price comparison sites.
Giving them away or offering them at a discount often costs less than providing yet another discount on a model that’s already priced at market value.
The advertised discount must be calculated based on the lowest price charged in the 30 days prior to the discount.
A one-time price drop in early November therefore reduces the discount that can be advertised on Black Friday. Conversely, the Black Friday price becomes the benchmark for any promotion announced within the following 30 days, including a Christmas discount on the same model.
Not always. In the United Kingdom, the consumer organization Which? found that 83% of the products on sale during Black Friday were the same price—or cheaper—at other times of the year.
In France, the 30-day reference price rule limits fake discounts, but prices continue to fluctuate after the sale. For a retailer, the challenge is to avoid committing to a margin during Black Friday that will then be lost.
Plan their price reductions ahead of the winter sales, taking into account the release date of the replacement model.
A model whose successor has been announced loses value every week. Simulating various scenarios for declines in sales, inventory, and margins allows you to choose the timing and extent of markdowns rather than simply having to accept them.
Yes, by focusing our market monitoring on the models that matter, simulating each product lineup before making a decision, and calculating the reference price for each product.
The tool shows, model by model, the actual discount that can be advertised and the remaining margin after price alignment. This allows decisions to be made before Friday evening, within known parameters, rather than in response to each competitor’s price cut.
In the toy industry, Black Friday kicks off the Christmas shopping season, which accounts for more than a third of annual sales. With the 30-day rule, its price becomes the benchmark for nearly all December promotions.
The discount applies only to the toys being compared, not to licensed products or this year's new releases. Baby care—a thoughtful purchase driven by the timing of births—calls for moderate discounts.
In the high-tech sector, Black Friday accounts for a major portion of annual sales and takes place two months after the back-to-school product launches. It is intended to clear out the previous generation of products rather than to sell off the new ones at a discount.
Refurbished products set a ceiling on the price of new items, and some prices are rising due to the cost of components. The advertised discount is always calculated based on the lowest price over the past 30 days.
Reviewing a sale ad involves verifying, prior to publication, its list price, compliance with the no-loss resale threshold, and promotional caps. At the network level, this review can no longer be done manually.
A pricing tool shifts control to the moment the price is set: price history organized by channel, calculated price ranges for each product, and a record of every decision. However, it must natively incorporate French regulations.