Black Friday 2026: Canadians Are All In, but Cyber Monday Has Room to Grow

Canadians have fully adopted Black Friday. Cyber Monday is a different story, and that’s where the opportunity is. 

Black Friday started as an American tradition. Somewhere along the way, Canadians made it theirs. 

In our latest IMI Pulse© reading, from September 2026, 55% of Canadians aged 13 to 64 told us they shop Black Friday. Americans came in at 53%. For all practical purposes, that’s a tie, and it isn’t a one-off. The Canadian number has held steady for four years, moving from 47% in October 2022 to 55% today. 

Then Monday comes along, and the picture changes. 

Canada hasn’t made up its mind about Cyber Monday 

Cyber Monday falls on November 30 this year, and it’s where the two countries go their separate ways. 43% of Canadians shop it, compared with 54% of Americans. That 11-point gap is real, not noise. 

What makes it interesting is that the Canadian number won’t sit still. It was 33% in July 2024, jumped to 47% by March 2025, and sits at 43% today. The U.S. has held steady the whole time. Canadians can clearly get excited about Cyber Monday. They just haven’t made it a habit yet. 

Canada matches the U.S. on Black Friday 

Black Friday started as an American habit. Canada has made it its own. In September 2026, 55% of Canadians and 53% of Americans said they shop it, too close to call. Over the past four years the Canadian share has held steady, between 47% and 55%. 

Cyber Monday is the open door. 43% of Canadians shop it, against 54% of Americans, a difference of 11 points that is clear in the data. The Canadian share has moved up and down, from 33% in July 2024 to 47% in March 2025 and 43% now, while the U.S. share has stayed at about half or a little more. 

Canadians are not choosing between stores and screens, either. In September 2026, 83% said they shop in-store, 78% said they shop online, and 79% said they take time to look for the best price. Deal weekend is an every-channel, compare-everything event. 

Who’s actually showing up 

Looking across six waves of data, about half of Canadians, 51%, shop Black Friday. But participation isn’t evenly spread. Some groups are much more likely to take part than others.Age is one of the clearest differences.

Black Friday is most popular among younger Canadians, with 61% of 25- to 34-year-olds and 59% of 18- to 24-year-olds shopping the event. That compares with 38% of 55- to 64-year-olds. It’s a sizable gap, and it suggests younger shoppers are more likely to see Black Friday as an event worth planning for.

Parents are more likely to get involved, too. Among Canadians with kids under 18 at home, 61% shop Black Friday, compared with 45% of those without. With more people to buy for, waiting for Black Friday deals may simply make more sense.Income also plays a role. Among households earning $100,000 to $199,999, 59% shop Black Friday, compared with 38% of households earning under $30,000.

Gender, meanwhile, makes very little difference. Half of women, 50%, shop Black Friday, compared with 52% of men.

Put it all together and a clearer picture starts to emerge. Black Friday may reach about half of Canadians overall, but the opportunity isn’t the same with every audience. Understanding which customers are more likely to participate can help brands decide who to reach, what message to lead with and how much work the campaign needs to do to get shoppers interested. 

Your customers might already be in deal mode 

This is where it gets useful for brands. Among Canadians who used Nike in the past year, 64% shop Black Friday, compared with the 51% average. That 64% is based on a smaller group, so it’s best used as a guide, but it still points to an important difference: these customers are more likely to arrive already thinking about Black Friday.

For everyday retailers, the picture looks much closer to the average Canadian. It’s 51% for Canadian Tire, 52% for Shoppers Drug Mart and Sobeys, and 53% for Metro.Neither situation is better or worse. They simply call for a different approach.

If your shoppers are already in deal mode, Black Friday is about making sure they can easily find you and your offer. If your shoppers look more like the average Canadian, the job is different: you need to give them a reason to show up in the first place.

Three takeaways:

• Cyber Monday deserves its own plan. Canadians have hit 47% before. There’s room to get back there, and it won’t happen if Monday is treated as an afterthought to Friday. 

• Get to young adults and families early. They’re the core of the weekend, and they’re the ones most likely to be planning before Friday arrives. 

• Make the best price obvious. With 79% of Canadians hunting for deals, the offer that’s easiest to understand is the one that gets picked. 

The bottom line 

Black Friday is settled in Canada. It’s as big here as it is in the U.S., and it’s not going anywhere. Cyber Monday is still up for grabs, and the brands that come out ahead will be the ones that know what kind of shoppers they actually have. That’s what IMI Pulse© is built for: tracking what Canadians do, buy and care about, wave after wave. Want to see how your shoppers stack up? Contact us.