According to the Havas Market barometer, conducted by YouGov on October 6 and 7 among 1,004 French adults, 27% of respondents plan to buy most of their Christmas gifts during Black Friday, which falls on November 27 this year. It is the highest level the survey has recorded since it began: the share was 21% in 2025 and 12% in 2021.
This head start has not erased December shopping. In 2025, 43% of French shoppers said they finished their gifts during the last week before Christmas, according to an OpinionWay study commissioned by Amazon. For brands that sell through retailers, product availability at those retailers, for delivery as well as for in-store pickup, matters across the whole period between Black Friday and Thursday, December 24.
Key takeaway
Black Friday (November 27) and Cyber Monday (November 30) account for a growing share of gift purchases: 27% of French shoppers plan to buy most of theirs then, according to Havas Market. The last week before Christmas nonetheless remains a buying period for 43% of them in 2025, according to a study commissioned by Amazon. Retailer stock is therefore under demand for nearly four weeks, which directly concerns brands whose products are resold there.
Black Friday, the first deadline for Christmas shopping
The average planned gift budget stands at €252, up from €245 in 2025, according to Havas Market. The 3% increase in value is close to inflation, which reached 3.1% in September, E-Commerce Nation notes. Among respondents, 43% plan to spend no more than €200, 39% intend to shop early to keep to their budget and 37% are looking for more promotions. These figures are statements collected in October, not observed sales.
Digital plays a large role in these purchases: 74% of respondents plan to buy at least part of their gifts online, and 58% plan to combine stores and the internet. For research, 66% start with Google and 60% with Amazon. Artificial intelligence is also part of the journey: 39% of respondents have used it or plan to use it for their Christmas shopping, and 26% say they are ready to entrust part of their purchases to it. As a benchmark, Black Friday 2025 ended in France with a 3% rise in the number of online transactions and a rise of about 6% in revenue, according to Criteo.
A last week that stays busy
According to the OpinionWay study carried out for Amazon and published in December 2025, 43% of French shoppers finish buying their gifts in the last week before Christmas, and 19% of those shoppers wait until the last three days. Respondents cite gift ideas that come late (43%) and waiting for promotions (37%). Because Amazon commissioned the study and its sample size is not specified, its results should be read with caution. It also indicates that 72% of respondents turn to Amazon first for a last-minute gift, because of the promise of fast delivery.
The two studies do not cover the same period. Havas Market asks when French shoppers plan to concentrate their purchases: the last week is cited by 8% of them in 2026. The Amazon study measures when they finish their shopping. The two results are compatible: a shopper can do most of the buying in November and complete the list in December. The Amazon study also finds that 76% of respondents have already used an excuse to explain a missing gift, late delivery being the most common.
Home delivery and in-store pickup: different deadlines
In 2025, according to Journal du Geek, Amazon delivered standard orders until December 21 at 9:30 a.m., and until December 23 for Prime members. Fnac set the home delivery deadline at December 19 outside the Paris region and December 20 in the Paris region. Cdiscount accepted small parcels at pickup points until December 18 and home delivery until December 19, with an express option until December 22 at 2 p.m.
In-store pickup ran later in the calendar: Fnac, Darty, Boulanger and Cdiscount allowed customers to collect an order until December 24, generally before 5 p.m. At Fnac, the gap between the last home delivery and the last pickup was four to five days. The 2026 dates have not yet been announced, and because December 24 falls on a Thursday, the calendar will be shifted compared with 2025. In the final days, the availability that matters for a pickup is that of the chosen store, not that of the website.
| Topic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Most gifts bought during Black Friday | 27% (21% in 2025, 12% in 2021) | Havas Market / YouGov, October 2026 |
| Average planned gift budget | €252 (€245 in 2025) | Havas Market / YouGov |
| Buying online, at least in part | 74% | Havas Market / YouGov |
| Gift research started on Google, on Amazon | 66%, 60% | Havas Market / YouGov |
| Gifts finished in the last week | 43% (2025) | OpinionWay for Amazon |
| Amazon as first stop for a last-minute gift | 72% (2025) | OpinionWay for Amazon |
| Fnac in 2025: last home delivery, last in-store pickup | December 19-20, December 24 at 5 p.m. | Journal du Geek |
What shoppers do when a product is out of stock
Recent French data on this point is scarce. The most cited is a survey relayed by E-Commerce Nation, whose author is not specified and which dates from 2021. Faced with an unavailable product, 45% of shoppers look for the same product or an equivalent on a competitor’s website or app, 23% in a competitor’s store, 41% come back to check later, 28% sign up for a back-in-stock alert and 16% buy anyway and wait for delivery. These figures give an order of magnitude, but they do not relate to a Christmas period.
As December 24 approaches, coming back later or waiting for a restock becomes harder to consider. This is a hypothesis, which the survey does not test. Shoppers also have several entry points for comparing options, with research starting on Google for 66% of Havas Market respondents and on Amazon for 60% of them. For the brand, a stockout at one retailer can therefore turn into a sale made at another reseller, and into media budget spent driving traffic to a product that was no longer available.
What brands can track until December 24
Three elements can be tracked before and during the period. The first is stock by retailer rather than on average: items promoted on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are likely to be the first to run out, even though they are also among those last-minute shoppers look for. The second is the distinction between delivery availability and in-store availability: after mid-December, a product may no longer be deliverable in time at one retailer while remaining available for pickup in a nearby store. The third is the consistency of product data, as AI assistants and comparison engines can reuse the information they find, including when it is out of date.
Click2Buy’s Digital Shelf tracks product availability at retailers and detects stockouts, in addition to monitoring price consistency and tracking competitors. It relies on direct retailer partnerships rather than scraping. Over the period, online product availability varies from one reseller to another. Where to Buy, which shows the retailers carrying the product on the brand’s website or in a campaign, complements this tracking on the shopper side.
What to avoid: keeping campaigns running until December 24 that send shoppers to products that cannot be delivered in time at the targeted retailer.
Good practice: track availability by retailer and by receiving method, then redirect campaigns to the resellers that can still deliver or hold the order for pickup before the 24th.
What is the last day to order for delivery before Christmas 2026?
Deadlines depend on each retailer and have not yet been published for 2026. In 2025, Amazon delivered standard orders until December 21 (December 23 for Prime members), Fnac home delivery ran until December 19 or 20, and in-store pickup remained possible until December 24, generally before 5 p.m. In 2026, December 24 falls on a Thursday.
What share of French shoppers plan to buy their gifts on Black Friday?
According to the Havas Market barometer conducted by YouGov on October 6 and 7, 2026 among 1,004 French adults, 27% plan to buy most of their Christmas gifts during Black Friday, versus 21% in 2025. These are stated intentions, not observed sales.
Why does product availability matter at Christmas?
Because gifts must be delivered or collected before December 24. A product that is unavailable in time at a retailer can cost the brand the sale, as the shopper may turn to another reseller, and the media budget spent driving traffic to that product is wasted.
Sources
- E-Commerce Nation, Havas Market Christmas 2026 barometer (in French)
- The Media Leader, Havas Market study on Christmas purchases during Black Friday (in French)
- Siècle Digital, OpinionWay study for Amazon on last-minute purchases (in French)
- Journal du Geek, order deadlines before Christmas 2025 (in French)
- E-Commerce Nation, how French shoppers react to stockouts (in French)
- CB News, Black Friday 2025 review according to Criteo (in French)
Hugo, Marketing at Click2Buy
“Between November 27 and December 24, a product’s availability has to be tracked retailer by retailer.”
