Black Friday 2017: Retail Assist research suggests tide is turning
Last year, £1.23 billion was spent online on Black Friday alone, making it the UK’s first billion pound shopping day. Spanning an entire week, online sales rose to an estimated £6.5 billion in the UK. But how many people will come out this year, with the big day set for Friday, 24th November? In order to analyse consumer sentiment, this year 400 respondents took Retail Assist’s Black Friday survey, powered by Toluna.
For the first time ever, more people plan to avoid Black Friday this year (51%) than those who are planning to participate (49%). This is significantly lower than the same percentage as in 2016. Analysts have pointed towards the fact consumers have become accustomed to an ongoing discounting calendar throughout the year. Another reason for the declining popularity is a strong disdain for hype – 33% of respondents dislike Black Friday for this reason.
79% of respondents are set to be online shoppers, up from 77% in 2016. The majority of spend in 2016 was via online channels, rising 12% year on year. Technology will be the most popular spending category. Alex Broxson, Head of Marketing at Retail Assist, comments: “The fall in Black Friday’s popularity could help retailers to stagger their demand in the run up to Christmas. However, having increased levels of support in place for busy stores and extra ecommerce capacity during peak trading is still essential if brands don’t want to be remembered for poor customer experience.”