Understanding the biggest sales events of the year: Amazon Prime Day vs Black Friday vs Cyber Monday vs Boxing Day

In today’s retail landscape, specific sale events dominate the shopping calendar. In Canada, the biggest sale days are Boxing Day, Black Friday (and its sister Cyber Monday), along with Amazon Prime Day.

Each sales event offers unique opportunities to save on everything from electronics to everyday essentials. For savvy shoppers, understanding the differences between each can go a long way to maximizing savings while also shopping strategically.

Difference between Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Boxing Day and Amazon Prime Day

While each savings event is similar — convince shoppers to buy, buy, buy! — the timing, focus and appeal for each is slightly different. For instance, Amazon Prime Day is a global event but it’s fueled by one online retail giant, Amazon. Compare this to Boxing Day, a sales event that is really only found in Canada and the UK, as well as a few other (but not many!) countires, like Australia and New Zealand..

Knowing what sets each of these sales apart – from exclusive deals for Amazon Prime members to the post-Christmas clearance bonanza – can transform your shopping experience.

To help, here’s a quick breakdown of the biggest shopping events for Canadian shoppers, along with some tips and tricks on how to navigate and plan your purchases with confidence.

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1. Amazon Prime Day

• When: Typically in July (though timing can vary and October dates can also pop up). In 2025, Amazon Prime Day in Canada ran July 15 and 16; Amazon announced another Prime Big Deal Days event held on Oct 7 and 8, 2025, effectively a “fall Prime Day.”
• What: An exclusive shopping event for Amazon Prime members.
• Focus: Discounts primarily on Amazon-branded products (e.g., Echo devices, Fire tablets) and deals across various categories like tech, home goods and fashion.
• Sales Strategy:
  • Heavy emphasis on lightning deals and exclusive Prime member discounts.
  • Encourages Amazon Prime subscriptions.
• Canadian Relevance: Increasingly popular due to the growing number of Amazon Prime users. It competes with summer sales from other retailers. In 2025, Amazon expanded its sales calendar to include both a summer Prime Day in July and a fall Prime Big Deal Days event in October, giving shoppers two major windows for deep discounts.

2. Black Friday

• When: The Friday following American Thanksgiving (late November). This year, Black Friday falls on Nov 28, 2025.
• What: Marks the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.
• Focus: Known for massive in-store and online discounts across all categories, especially big-ticket items like electronics and appliances.
• Sales Strategy:
  • Doorbuster deals to attract crowds.
  • Deep discounts on high-demand products.
• Canadian Relevance: Black Friday has grown in prominence in Canada in recent years, rivaling Boxing Day as the year's top shopping event. Cross-border shopping (physical and online) further boosts its significance. According to the Retail Council of Canada, 2024 Black Friday weekend spending reached $6.1 billion — up 9% year-over-year (1).

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3. Cyber Monday

• When: The Monday following Black Friday. This year, Cyber Monday falls on Dec 1, 2025.
• What: Originally focused on online sales, now an extension of Black Friday.
• Focus: Discounts on tech, electronics and online-only deals.
• Sales Strategy:
  • Online-exclusive offers, often targeting younger, tech-savvy shoppers.
  • Retailers extend Black Friday deals or launch new promotions.
• Canadian Relevance: Popular among Canadian shoppers due to the convenience of online shopping and significant deals from both Canadian and U.S. retailers. Online retailers reported record Canadian e-commerce revenue, up 11% year-over-year in 2024 (2).

4. Boxing Day

• When: December 26th (the day after Christmas).
• What: Traditionally a Canadian and UK retail holiday featuring post-Christmas clearance sales.
• Focus: Discounts on leftover holiday inventory, with deals across electronics, home goods and apparel.
• Sales Strategy:
  • Offers the year's deepest discounts on remaining stock.
  • Attracts shoppers with both in-store and online sales.
• Canadian Relevance: Once the premier shopping day in Canada, it now faces competition from Black Friday and Cyber Monday. However, it remains important for post-Christmas bargain hunters. Still, retail statistics show that Boxing Day continues to decline as shoppers shift to pre-Christmas deals (3). Retail analysts note that more than 60% of Canadians now complete most holiday shopping before Christmas Eve, reducing Boxing Day’s relevance (4).

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Summary

• Best for Amazon Shoppers: Prime Day
• Best for Pre-Holiday Savings: Black Friday and Cyber Monday
• Best for Post-Holiday Deals: Boxing Day

Key differences between Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Boxing Day and Amazon Prime Day

Additional sales events to watch

While most retailers will have their own schedule for sales and clearance, a few sales events have started to increase in popularity over the last few years. The two most prominent events are: Singles Day and Walmart Deals Week (or, if you're in the U.S., Target Circle Week).

Singles Day

• When: November 11
• What: Alibaba-driven this was originally a celebration for single people in China; over the years it has become a massive global online shopping event.
• Focus: Mobile-first e-commerce, gamification, building anticipation, and interactive shopping experiences.
• Sales Strategy:
  • Online exclusives, flash sales and pre-sales (deal windows starting ahead of Nov 11).
  • Retailers bundle deals, use heavy mobile-optimisation, gamified promotions to drive urgency and engagement.
• Canadian Relevance: Growing awareness and participation by Canadian online retailers and cross-border sellers; Canadian brands increasingly align with 11.11 for global reach.

Walmart Deals Week

• When: While formats vary, the current Canadian version ran Oct 2 to 10, 2025 for online deals.
• What: A multi-day online and in-store sales event by Walmart Canada to kick off the holiday shopping season, offering deep discounts across many product categories.
• Focus: Value-driven promotions, broad product categories (tech, home, toys, appliances), strong online convenience, and leveraging Walmart’s everyday low-price image.
• Sales Strategy:
  • Online-first deals spread over several days to capture shoppers early in holiday season.
  • Optimize listings, leverage Walmart Connect ad network, full-funnel advertising, and value messaging to drive conversion.
• Canadian Relevance: Positioned by Walmart Canada as one of the earliest major deal events of the season, helping Canadian shoppers check off holiday lists while staying domestic.

Bottom line

Whether you're hunting for holiday gifts, upgrading your gadgets, or snagging off-season bargains, these sales events offer something special for every shopper.

Article sources

Retail Council of Canada (1, 2); Angus Reid Institute (3, 4)