November 26, 2025
As we approach one of the biggest retail events of the year, Black Friday on Friday, 28 November 2025, with Cyber Monday following on Monday, 1 December, the pressure (and opportunity) for marketplaces and hospitality platforms is intense.
For any business that handles bookings, payments, Merchant of Record flows or multi-vendor partner ecosystems, this period is a critical moment. Here’s what the latest data shows, and how you can prepare.
Key Statistics for 2025
Here are some of the most compelling and relevant stats from the latest financial institution and consumer data:
These trends underline a dual dynamic: high interest and strong transaction potential, alongside cautious consumer sentiment and delayed spending until major events like Black Friday.
What This Means for Hospitality & Marketplace Platforms
Prepare for High-Volume, Multi-Merchant Flows
Platforms that act as Merchant of Record must ensure their processes for splitting payments, paying out vendors, handling fees and managing refunds can scale seamlessly.
Optimise Checkout Performance & Reduce Friction
With transaction volumes expected to spike, any delay in checkout, payment processing, or mobile UX will cost revenue and increase friction.
Support Complex Booking Models
Hospitality marketplaces often include multi-component bookings (stay + dining + experience). The payment system must support these layered flows, cancellations, and no-shows.
Onboard New Vendors Quickly
Deals often depend on timely offers from hotels, restaurants, and experience providers. Onboarding must be digital, fast, and low friction to capitalise.
Offer Transparent Reporting to Partners
Vendors expect clarity: bookings, fees, payout timing, and settlement status. Transparent dashboards strengthen partner relationships and reduce confusion.
Cyber Week & Beyond
The shopping window has expanded beyond just Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Many retailers launch promotions in early to mid November and continue them into “Cyber Week”. While hospitality platforms may not mirror pure retail, the behaviour matters: early deal-seekers, mobile app usage, cross-device shopping and delayed fulfilment logic will all play a role.
This Black Friday / Cyber Monday period offers a huge opportunity for marketplaces and hospitality platforms, but success depends on operational strength, payment flow readiness and partner management. By aligning onboarding, Merchant of Record flows, split-payout logic and checkout performance, you’re not just aiming for a strong weekend; you’re building a competitive advantage for the year ahead.
How Cardstream Helps Platforms Stay Peak-Ready
During high-demand periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Cardstream’s PayFac-as-a-Service (PFaaS) infrastructure ensures marketplaces and hospitality platforms can scale confidently. Our system is built to handle fast growing transaction volumes, automate complex split-payment flows, and support the full Merchant of Record model without disruption.
With frictionless digital onboarding for new vendors, intelligent routing for payment optimisation, and robust settlement and payout capabilities, platforms can deliver a seamless customer experience even at peak traffic. Whether you’re managing multiple hotels, restaurants, or experience providers, Cardstream ensures payments remain smooth, stable, and fully aligned with your commercial model throughout the busiest season of the year.
Ready to Strengthen Your Payment Infrastructure for Peak Season?
Black Friday and Cyber Monday highlight just how important a resilient, flexible, and scalable payment system is for modern marketplaces and hospitality platforms. If you’re looking to streamline your payment flows, automate partner payouts, and support rapid growth during peak trading periods and beyond, we’re here to help.
Contact our team at sales@cardstream.com to discuss how Cardstream can support your platform.
