#211 Black Friday Is Lying To You (What the Data Actually Says + What It Doesn’t)

DEC 12, 20258 MIN
High Voltage Business Builders Podcast

#211 Black Friday Is Lying To You (What the Data Actually Says + What It Doesn’t)

DEC 12, 20258 MIN

Description

<p>Everyone loves Cyber Week numbers. Big charts. Big screenshots. Big claims.</p><p><br /></p><p>But Cyber Week data lies….</p><p><br /></p><p>When demand is compressed into five days, behavior gets distorted. And if you build your next 90-day strategy on distorted data, you scale the wrong lesson.</p><p><br /></p><p>In this Week in Review, Neil breaks down what the post–Cyber Week data actually reveals, why traffic and revenue spikes mislead sellers every December, and how real operators read the scoreboard differently heading into January and 2026.</p><p><strong>🚀 What should I sell next?</strong> Visit: gpt.caimandata.com to generate data-driven product ideas powered by Caiman Data’s AI engine.</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>TL;DR</strong></p><p><strong>✅ Cyber Week spikes distort behavior. Post-event data tells the truth. </strong></p><p><strong>✅ Traffic growth does not equal buyer intent. Clicks fooled many sellers. </strong></p><p><strong>✅ BNPL inflated AOV but increased refund and cash-flow risk. </strong></p><p><strong>✅ Conversion quality flattened even as sessions rose. </strong></p><p><strong>✅ Operators wait for normalization data before making scaling decisions. </strong></p><p><strong>✅ December rewards control. January exposes poor interpretation.</strong></p><p><strong>📍 Chapters</strong></p><p><strong>00:00 Why Cyber Week data is structurally misleading</strong></p><p><strong>01:35 What Adobe and Salesforce data actually shows</strong></p><p><strong>02:14 Traffic growth versus real buyer intent</strong></p><p><strong>02:52 AOV, Buy Now Pay Later, and hidden cash-flow risk</strong></p><p><strong>03:51 Why traffic was cheap but conversion quality was not</strong></p><p><strong>04:29 What smart brands are watching heading into mid-December</strong></p><p><strong>05:08 Why stabilization beats noise at year-end</strong></p><p><strong>05:29 The operator advantage going into 2026</strong></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Follow Neil:</strong> </p><p>🔗 LinkedIn:<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiltwa/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.linkedin.com/in/neiltwa/</a> </p><p>📸 Instagram:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/neiltwa/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.instagram.com/neiltwa/</a> </p><p>📘 Facebook:<a href="https://www.facebook.com/neiltwa/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.facebook.com/neiltwa/</a> </p><p>🐦 X/Twitter:<a href="https://twitter.com/voltagefba" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://twitter.com/voltagefba</a> </p><p>🎵 TikTok:<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@fbabusinessbuilders" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.tiktok.com/@fbabusinessbuilders</a></p><p><br /></p><p>🎧 <strong>Like This Episode?</strong> </p><p>✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations with real founders </p><p>✅ Share this with a brand owner or marketer in your network</p><p>✅ Drop a review to help others discover the show </p>