Retailers set for Black Friday boost amid coronavirus outbreak

Brits are set to spend around £6 billion on Black Friday this year, according to research from shopping comparison site, finder.com involving 2,000 people.

This is an increase of £400 million on 2019’s figure of £5.6 billion, meaning that the average spend this year will also rise by £45 (18%) to £296 from last year’s £251.

Despite this, the number of those who plan to partake in the sales is decreasing. Last year, 22.1 million (42%) said they planned to buy something on Black Friday, whereas 20.3 million (39%) expect to do so in 2020.

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This, finder.com says, is likely a result of the financial hardships many have suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, 16.3 million (31%) are still undecided about their participation. The overall figure of participants could, therefore, increase to 36.6 million.

Last year, 56% of Black Friday shoppers said they would take part in the sale online. This has increased by 10 percentage points in 2020. But not all Brits are planning to ditch stores. 28% of people will purchase items both online and in-store, although this is a fall from 35% last year.

Ultimately, 94% will buy online in 2020, while only 6% plan to just shop in-store. This is a drop of three percentage points since 2019.

Georgia-Rose Johnson, shopping expert at finder.com, says: “Many have experienced great financial difficulty this year, but some people are actually better off as a result of not having to commute and a lower spend on socialising. For these people, the weekend of sales could be an opportunity for some retail therapy.”