For senders in the Netherlands, Cyber Monday had more shipments than Black Friday in each of the last two peak seasons, and the third week of December stayed further above a regular week than it did across the whole nShift platform.
At nShift, we can see peak build in the shipments our customers book each day. The shape of peak, our Black Friday benchmark report, sets each day of the 2024 and 2025 peaks against a regular week in early November. This post applies the same measure to senders in the Netherlands around Black Week, the Monday-to-Sunday week of Black Friday, and compares them with the six other sending countries in our data: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
Across the whole platform, Black Friday was the busiest day of Black Week, and volume eased off through December. Senders in the Netherlands had a bigger Cyber Monday lead over Black Friday than the platform in both seasons. Their Black Week reached a lower multiple of a regular week than the platform's, and their third week of December stayed further above a regular week than the platform's. A planner in the Netherlands should size Cyber Monday further above Black Friday, and hold more capacity until 20 December, than platform averages suggest.
Black Week opened on its busiest day
Monday had 18.3% of Black Week's shipments from the Netherlands in both 2024 and 2025. Black Friday followed narrowly, with 17.9% in 2024 and 17.7% in 2025, and Tuesday to Thursday each had between 15.7% and 16.8% of the week. Saturday was the quietest day both years. Saturday and Sunday together carried 16.1% of the week in 2024 and 14.6% in 2025, against 19.4% across the platform.
For your 2026 plan: have peak staffing, cutoffs and carrier collections in place from Monday 23 November 2026, the first day of Black Week, and keep them level through Black Friday on 27 November.
Cyber Monday had more shipments than Black Friday
Cyber Monday, the Monday after Black Week, had 114% of Black Friday's shipments in 2024 and 117% in 2025. Only Finland and Sweden had Cyber Monday further ahead of Black Friday, in both years. Against a regular early-November Monday, Cyber Monday had 1.58 times the shipments in 2024 and 1.52 times in 2025, ahead of the Monday of Black Week at 1.41 and 1.34 times.
The Monday after: Cyber Monday is 30 November 2026. Plan it above your Black Friday level, and confirm extra collections with each carrier for that Monday as early as you confirm them for Black Friday.
117%
Cyber Monday against Black Friday, senders in the Netherlands, 2025
114% in 2024. Cyber Monday was the busier day in both years.
108%
Cyber Monday against Black Friday, whole nShift platform, 2025
109% in 2024.
Dutch peak lasted into the third week of December
Shipments from the Netherlands stayed above a regular week for five weeks in both seasons, from the week before Black Week to the third week of December. The week before Black Week was in line with the platform, at 1.22 times a regular week in 2024 and 1.23 in 2025. Black Week then reached 1.67 and 1.60 times, below the platform's 1.72 and 1.74 and fifth-highest of the seven countries both years.
After Black Week, volume from the Netherlands eased slowly. The first week after had 87% of Black Week's shipments in 2024 and 90% in 2025, against 83% and 84% across the platform. The third week of December was still 1.23 and 1.20 times a regular week, about as busy as the week before Black Week. Across the platform, that week had dropped to 1.09 and 1.13. Shipments in Christmas week then fell to 0.60 times a regular week, in both years.
Black Week was the biggest single week of peak, but the four weeks around it added more extra shipments between them, counting every shipment above a regular week's level. In both seasons, 65% of those extra shipments came in the week before Black Week and the three weeks after, against 59% and 60% across the platform.
For December: staff the week of 14 December 2026 at about the level of the week of 16 November, the week before Black Week. Keep extra capacity in place until Christmas week starts on 21 December.
Dutch peak against Belgium and the UK
Of the seven countries in our data, the Netherlands had the second-highest share of extra shipments outside Black Week in both seasons, after the UK, with Belgium close behind. Based on what we're seeing, all three stayed further above a regular week in the third week of December than the platform as a whole.
- Belgium also had Monday as the busiest day of Black Week, with a bigger share than the Netherlands (19.7% in 2024 and 19.8% in 2025). Its weekend was the smallest of the seven countries, at 11.9% and 12.8% of the week. Belgium's Cyber Monday had 112% and 114% of Black Friday's shipments, and 64% of its extra shipments came outside Black Week in both seasons. If you ship from both countries, plan Monday first in each and set weekend collections country by country.
- The UK had the busiest weeks either side of Black Week of the seven countries, and the highest share of extra shipments outside Black Week, at 72% in 2024 and 66% in 2025. Its busiest Black Week day was Black Friday, and Saturday and Sunday together carried 23.0% of the week in 2024 and 23.1% in 2025. If you ship from both countries, plan a larger uplift over regular volume for the UK than for the Netherlands in the week before Black Week, and more weekend collections in Black Week.
What to plan on from both Dutch peaks
Build the 2026 plan on what repeated in both seasons: Monday as the busiest day of Black Week, Cyber Monday ahead of Black Friday, and five weeks above a regular week. Where the seasons differed, set the level from your records.
- The second week of December, 7 to 13 December in 2026. It was 1.32 times a regular week in 2024 and 1.26 times in 2025. Agree with each carrier in advance what it costs to extend extra capacity through that week and the next.
- Saturday. It carried 7.8% of Black Week's shipments in 2024 and 6.0% in 2025, the smallest Saturday share of the seven countries in 2025. Check last year's Saturday volumes before booking extra Saturday collections.
The Dutch peak on the 2026 calendar
Check your forecast against the calendar week by week.
Peak 2026 calendar for shipping from the Netherlands: weekly shipments against a regular early-November week
| 2026 week | 2024 | 2025 | For your plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week before Black Week 16 to 22 November | 1.22x | 1.23x | Confirm Black Week cutoffs and collections from Monday 23 November |
| Black Week (Black Friday, 27 November) 23 to 29 November | 1.67x | 1.60x | Peak staffing from Monday; Monday and Black Friday the biggest days |
| First week after (Cyber Monday, 30 November) 30 November to 6 December | 1.46x | 1.44x | Plan Cyber Monday above your Black Friday level |
| Second week after 7 to 13 December | 1.32x | 1.26x | Keep peak capacity in place |
| Third week after 14 to 20 December | 1.23x | 1.20x | Still near the week-before level; release extra capacity from Christmas week |
Shipments booked on the nShift platform by senders in the Netherlands, against a regular early-November week (1x) in the same year. 2024 and 2025 weeks are placed on the 2026 week in the same position around Black Friday.
Gather these for the December plan:
- your 2025 weekly volumes through Christmas week, compared with your own regular early-November week
- your Black Week Monday, Black Friday and Cyber Monday volumes for 2024 and 2025
- each carrier's Saturday collections and its terms for extending extra capacity until 20 December, from your Dutch carriers
Working under a code freeze? Several delivery and returns settings can still change without a developer.
Plan your Dutch peak into December with nShift
The full report covers the December weeks across the whole platform, day by day.
The shape of peak covers the whole nShift platform for 2024 and 2025: how long peak lasted, which days had the most shipments, and the checks to make on capacity, cutoffs and Saturday collections before peak 2026.
Get the Black Friday reportTalk to our team to check your Dutch plan against your own shipment data. We'll look at your forecast, service mix and carrier agreements together. One nShift platform connects you to more than 1,000 carriers. For more on peak, visit our Black Friday and peak season hub.
How we measured
The figures cover outbound shipments booked on the nShift platform by senders in the Netherlands around Black Friday 2024 and 2025, counted on the day each shipment was booked, with identified returns excluded. A regular week is the average of the two early-November weeks in the same year: 4 to 17 November 2024 and 3 to 16 November 2025. The data describes nShift's senders in the Netherlands, wherever their parcels were going, rather than the Dutch ecommerce market as a whole. The mix of senders can differ between years, so every multiple and share is calculated within the same year.
