Competitor prices before Black Friday: when to react and when not to

There are three weeks left until Black Friday (Friday, 27 November 2026), and in this period many store owners open their competitors' websites every day. They see a lower price, get nervous and cut theirs too. A week later, the competitor cuts again. That's how a price war starts, and nobody wins it except customers who would have bought anyway. Below I show you how to track competitor prices simply, what to track, when it's worth reacting and how not to spoil your own Black Friday discount with the 30-day rule. 1. Who to track Don't track the whole market. Pick 3 to 5 direct competitors: stores that sell the same or very similar products to the same type of customer. A big store that sells everything is not necessarily your direct competitor, even if it has your product in its catalogue. Also add marketplace offers for the same EAN codes, if your customers compare there. A simple test: if a customer would hesitate between you and store X for the same order, X goes on the list. If not, don't waste time on it. 2. What to track The product price is only part of what the customer sees. For each competitor, note: The price of 10 to 30 key products: your best sellers and those with the highest margin, not the whole catalogue. Shipping cost and free shipping threshold. A product that costs 2 euros more but ships free can be cheaper in total. Delivery time and availability: a low price on a product that is out of stock doesn't take your customers. The offer mechanism: direct discount, discount code, bundle, gift with order. The crossed-out price and the percentage shown, to see how aggressively they communicate. 3. How to track without expensive tools For a small store, a spreadsheet is enough. Columns: date, product, your price, each competitor's price, shipping, notes. Fill it in once a week for now, and from 23 November daily for the campaign products. Take dated screenshots too, so you have an archive. If you have products with a GTIN in Google Merchant Center, look…