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Black Friday is now fully ingrained in the retail calendar, and according to Mintel, last year almost two in five (39%) British consumers made a purchase during the Black Friday promotions.
The market research firm said 86% of Black Friday shoppers bought online, while 29% bought in-store. Amazon was the most popular destination, with 42% of Black Friday buyers shopping with the online giant during the event.
Overall, electrical items were the most popular purchases, bought by 49% of shoppers, followed by clothing and footwear (38%) and beauty and fragrance (25%).
Bagging a seasonal bargain ahead of December, seven in ten (67%) of Black Friday shoppers bought something as a Christmas gift. Six in ten (58%) said they delayed planned purchases until the event, highlighting how disruptive Black Friday can be to trading either side of the sales bonanza.
Nick Carroll, associate director of retail research at Mintel, said: “Black Friday is here to stay, and we expect it to be potentially the biggest it’s ever been in the UK. Unlike in recent years, Black Friday 2019 falls right at the end of the month [on November 29] – after payday and less than four weeks before Christmas. This makes perfect timing to capitalise on shoppers who are looking to save during this uncertain period.
“Whilst we would expect certain key players to continue to abstain from the event, given the online-only retailers’ enthusiasm for Black Friday, for many the fear of losing sales in today’s highly competitive market means they have to be involved. There are a number of retailers already running their Black Friday promotions, hoping to get out ahead of the pack and capture demand before the event gets into full swing.”
Consumer research for Mintel’s Christmas Gift Buying UK 2019 Report was carried out among 2,000 internet users aged 16-plus in December 2018.
