Brace yourselves for Black November, Salmon

With Black Friday fast approaching, Salmon is predicting that £10 billion will be spent via mobiles during November. It is also tipping the rise of voice ordering at Christmas.

The e-commerce consultancy anticipates £20 billion will be spent online in total this November. This would pave the way for Black November, overtaking December as the biggest shopping month of the year.

As research shows 45% of consumers already use or plan to soon use digital assistants – and with 20% of all searches now made through voice – Salmon advises retailers to consider voice ordering in their peak operations strategies as children look set to turn to their Google Home or Amazon Echo for their Christmas lists.

James Webster, Head of Managed Services at Salmon, says: “Black Friday is no longer about one single day, or week – it looks set to take over the whole month. Retailers have realised the opportunity it holds to create an ongoing experience that can help grow their customer base and loyalty, and so it is now an expectation. Even those retailers who do not want to participate in the peak trading phenomenon need to be prepared for it as shopping fever takes over and consumers scour online retailers, even if they aren’t offering discounts.”

He adds: “The retailers who manage their peak trading operations well will be the ones who have made plans across all departments, and ensured that their systems are able to function across all channels, making it a success for both customers and retailers alike.”