Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November this year, 23 days from today, and the last PwC Ireland survey of 2,000 consumers, published 24 November 2025, found 64% of Black Friday purchases were expected online and 83% of shoppers use the sales for Christmas gifts. For the small Irish businesses that sell or take bookings online, the fortnight ahead is the one to fix the website, the Google listing and the payment page.

Fewer than one in five small firms use AI

Only 18% of small firms use AI in most or some of their business practices, and 31% have not started or looked into it at all, an 11-point rise on the previous year, according to the Small Firms Association's second annual survey, carried out by Amárach Research with 404 companies in April and May 2026 and reported by the Irish Times on 10 August. More than half of firms do not use AI at all.

Among the firms that do, 92% rely only on generic tools such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, and the most common uses are sales and marketing content and administration, each cited by 63%, with 65% using it for file management, ThinkBusiness reported on 11 August. The barriers named by non-users were a lack of technical expertise (31%), time (28%) and money (17%). SFA director David Broderick said owners "simply do not have the hours in the day, technical staff or finances" to deploy it strategically.

€150m for AI and digital skills

Budget 2027, delivered on 6 October, set aside €150m over three years from the National Training Fund for workforce development including AI and digital skills, CIPD Ireland reported on 7 October. The article gives no application process or eligibility criteria yet, so businesses should watch for details from the Department of Enterprise and their Local Enterprise Office.

The SFA had asked that any such money go through existing channels, such as its MentorsWork programme, and that delivery be quick, ThinkBusiness reported.

Black Friday: what shoppers did last year

PwC's 2025 survey found average planned Black Friday spend of €283 per person, down 16% on the year before, with 73% planning to spend the same or less. Electronics (38%) and clothing (35%) topped the lists, 34% said they would buy only what they needed, and a 50% discount was the threshold that most attracted buyers.

PwC partner Ruth McNamee said Irish consumers "continue to show strong interest in Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions". The 2026 survey had not been published as of 4 November; last year's came out three days before the sales.

Online complaints up 34%

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission's helpline took 22,724 contacts in the first half of 2026, with contacts about online purchases up 34%, according to its H1 2026 report published 23 August. Faulty goods and services accounted for 4,577 contacts, with an average spend of €6,473 on the product or service, and almost 6,000 consumers were referred to the Small Claims Court in six months.

Homebuilding and improvements was the third-ranked sector for complaints. CCPC communications director Aoibhín de Búrca said: "It's important that consumers know their rights if they buy something that turns out to be faulty." For a trade or service business, a clear written quote, delivery date and complaints contact on the website is the cheapest way to stay off that list.

The €2,500 Trading Online Voucher

The Local Enterprise Office Trading Online Voucher pays 50% of eligible costs up to €2,500 excluding VAT for businesses with fewer than 10 employees and turnover under €2m, according to the scheme page published by Carlow County Council's Local Enterprise Office. Eligible spend includes e-commerce website development or upgrades, online payment or booking systems, apps and a digital marketing strategy; online advertising is capped at 30% of approved costs.

Brochure-only websites and software unrelated to online trading are not eligible, and applicants must complete a LEO training seminar or webinar before applying. Check your own county's LEO for the next webinar date; each office runs its own schedule.

Google listing before the sales

Before 27 November, a service business should check that its Google Business Profile shows the correct opening hours, service area, phone number and a booking or quote link, and that recent photos of real work are uploaded. Reply to every review, good or bad, and post the Black Friday or Christmas offer as an update on the profile rather than only on social media.

None of this needs a developer, but a web designer can tie the listing, the website and the payment page together in a week. If you take deposits online, test the checkout on a phone, because PwC's figure shows most Black Friday buying is done online.

What it means for you

If you are buying from a small Irish business this Black Friday, pay by card, keep the order confirmation, and remember the CCPC's advice that faulty goods are the trader's responsibility. If you need a website, logo, booking page or social media help, web designers, graphic designers and marketing freelancers near you are listed on Locufy.

For providers: get a quote this week for any website or booking-system work you want finished before 27 November; ask your Local Enterprise Office whether you qualify for the €2,500 voucher, and book the mandatory webinar; and write your Christmas offer in plain figures with a cut-off date so it can go on your Google profile and your listing on the same day.

Key dates

• 27 November 2026: Black Friday
• 30 November 2026: Cyber Monday
• Early December: Christmas bonus double welfare payment (Irish Times Budget guide)
• Late November: PwC Ireland's Black Friday survey usually published (24 November in 2025)
• Local Enterprise Office Trading Online Voucher webinars: check your county LEO for dates

Sources

• PwC Ireland — Irish shoppers embrace Black Friday for Christmas deals
• Irish Times — Fewer than one in five small firms have built AI into their business models, survey finds
• ThinkBusiness — Ireland's AI divide starts with SMEs
• CIPD Ireland — Budget 2027: €150 million for skills
• CCPC — Consumer helpline report H1 2026
• Carlow County Council / Local Enterprise Office — Trading Online Voucher Scheme grant
• Irish Times — When Budget changes kick in and how to claim them

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