Black Friday Tech Deals: manage the price of a product that is becoming obsolete
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.
A smartphone released in September and last year's model are featured side by side in the same Black Friday flyer. The two don't have the same discount.
This article is intended for sales, pricing, and e-commerce departments in the high-tech retail sector.
He explains how to manage Black Friday within the product lifecycle, given the rise of refurbished products and prices that aren't always falling.
A highlight that encapsulates the year in high tech
In the high-tech industry, the fiscal year isn't spread out over twelve months. It's concentrated around a few key events, of which Black Friday is the busiest.
35% of annual sales of technical goods are concentrated in the seven major promotional events, which now span 15 weeks of promotional activity.
(NielsenIQ, The Black Friday Arc, May 13, 2026, global data)
The market, meanwhile, is shrinking: 30.3 billion euros in technical goods in France in 2025, down 1.6 percent, marking the fourth consecutive year of decline (NielsenIQ). Consumer electronics—led by TVs and audio equipment—fell 5.3 percent in value.
In this context, a pricing error during Black Friday results in much higher costs than during a typical week.
The general rules for this sales event are outlined in our article “Black Friday: Real Discounts, No Fake Strikethrough Prices.”
Black Friday falls in the middle of the product lifecycle
High-tech products become outdated quickly. Their product lifecycle is measured in months: launch, maturity, announcement of a successor, and end of production. At each stage, the right price changes.
Black Friday comes two months after the wave of back-to-school product launches. As a result, it brings together products at very different stages of their lifecycle on the same shelf—products that require different purchasing decisions.
| Product Availability on Black Friday | Pricing Decision | Risk to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Launched at the start of the school year | Maintain pricing, ensure availability | Selling a product at a deep discount with no direct competition |
| Previous generation | Clear out inventory before the sales | Keeping inventory that loses value every week |
| End of Run | Last chance before the price drop | Let the refurbisher set the price |
| Accessories and Services | Link them to flagship products | Store them separately |
Our belief:Black Friday should primarily be used to clear out the previous generation of products, not to sell off the new ones at a discount. A product launched in September, with little competition, doesn't need the biggest discount of the year.
The four phases of the product life cycle and their impact on margins—excluding peak seasons—are detailed in our article “High-Tech Pricing: A Short Life Cycle, Margins Determined in Days.”
Refurbished products set a ceiling on new products
High-tech customers no longer just compare retailers. They also compare product conditions: new, refurbished, and used.
22% of smartphones used in France are secondhand; price is the primary factor driving the purchase of refurbished devices for 72% of French people surveyed.
(Kantar, 8th Recommerce Barometer, February 2025)
For the retailer, this creates a de facto ceiling. Once the price difference from the refurbished model exceeds a certain threshold, the new model from the previous generation no longer sells, even on sale.
This cap is monitored in the same way as a competitor's price, as discussed in our article on marketplaces and price monitoring.
When the price goes up instead of down
The cycle is no longer just bearish. Supply shortages of memory components—driven by AI data centers—are driving up the prices of certain devices: products launched since 2024 now cost more than they did at launch (idealo, July 2026).
For Black Friday, the impact is immediate. If a product's price went up in October, the advertised discount is still calculated based on the lowest price over the past 30 days, not on the new price.
A late decision to raise rates can thus make it impossible to display a planned discount. The calculation is detailed in the 30-day reference price rule.
Managing Black Friday Item by Item
If you focus on the lowest price across the entire catalog, you’re letting your competitors set your prices during the busiest week of the year. You should reserve this approach for items that are actually being compared.
The rest is managed based on the product lifecycle: maintaining prices for new products, clearing out the previous generation before sales, and bundling services and accessories with flagship products. Determine when to follow market prices.
Forecasting the volume of each generation over the period helps determine the discount. That is the focus of our article on AI-driven sales forecasting.
After the operation, end-of-line planning begins: clearing out inventory without sacrificing profit margins. The challenges facing the industry are outlined on our high-tech page.
Home appliances and toys each have their own peak sales periods: see Black Friday for home appliances and Black Friday for toys and baby products.
Would you like to manage your high-tech prices during Black Friday?
Our experts help you determine the appropriate discount based on each product's life cycle and ensure your reference prices remain stable.
Let's talk about your Black FridaySee also in this feature
- Pricing in the Retail Sector: What's Changing (and What Isn't)
- Organic Price Schedule: Why a National Standard Is Costing Money
- Pricing in Home Improvement and Gardening: Managing Seasonal Fluctuations Without Eroding Margins
- Pricing in Mass Retail: Fair Price, Price Elasticity, and Actual Margin
FAQ: Black Friday in the Tech Industry
Rarely. A product launched at the start of the school year faces little direct competition in November: the key factor is its availability, not its discount.
The deepest discounts are reserved for the previous generation of products, which must be cleared out before the sales begin. Selling a new product at a deep discount right from its first promotional period reduces the margin on a product that would otherwise have sold, and puts downward pressure on its list price for Christmas.
Because peak periods account for a major portion of annual sales.
According to NielsenIQ, 35% of annual sales of technical goods occur during the seven major promotional periods, which now span 15 weeks.
A pricing error during Black Friday therefore results in much higher sales volumes than during a typical week.
It effectively sets a ceiling on the price of new cars, especially for the previous generation.
In France, 22% of smartphones in use are secondhand. Beyond a certain price gap compared to refurbished models, last year’s new models no longer sell, even on sale. This price gap is monitored as a competitive price indicator: product by product.
No. The strain on memory components, linked to AI data centers, is driving up the price of certain devices.
According to idealo, products launched since 2024 now cost more than they did when they first came out. For Black Friday, a price increase decided in October does not change the reference price: the discount is still calculated based on the lowest price over the past 30 days.
Based on the lowest price charged in the 30 days prior to the discount, not on the current price or the suggested retail price.
A one-time price drop a few days before the sale becomes the benchmark price and reduces the advertised discount. The Black Friday price, in turn, becomes the benchmark for promotions announced over the next 30 days, leading up to Christmas.
For the items that were actually compared, yes, within known margin limits. For the entire catalog, no.
Always going with the lowest price means letting your competitors—and third-party sellers with varying costs—set your prices during the busiest week of the year. The rest of the catalog is managed based on each product’s lifecycle.
Sell them off according to a planned price reduction schedule, before the successor model and the refurbished units cause their value to drop.
Every week of waiting costs profit margin on a discontinued product. By forecasting the volumes for each generation over the period and simulating several price-reduction tiers, you can choose when to lower the price rather than being forced to do so during sales.
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.
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.
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.