Black Friday
PCA Predict told Post&Parcel that its Ecommerce Trendstool found that online sales between midnight and 7am UK time today were down almost a quarter (24%) compared to 2016.
However, this may be more of a reflection of how the sales event has been extended over a longer period – to the days both before and after Black Friday – in order to make the fulfilment process more efficient and manageable.
As Chris Boaz, Head of Marketing of PCA Predict, explained: “As of this morning, online sales are actually down, compared to last year. However, last night there was a huge surge in sales as people tried to beat the morning rush to snap up the best deals. By contrast last year, many consumers shopped from midnight to 7am to bag a bargain.
“One of the primary reasons for this is due to the extended sales in the run up to Black Friday itself, which showed an increase of 11% meaning consumers aren’t as pressed as they once were to shop on the day. This longer sales period has shifted the emphasis away from Black Friday being a major retail event in its own right, towards becoming part of a pre-Christmas mini season or “Golden Quarter” for retailers.”
Argos reported this morning that its Black Friday “started with a bang” – as it kicked off sale three hours early this year by opening the online floodgates at 21:00 last night.
“More than 800,000 people visited Argos’s online channels between 21:00 and 22:00 last night, more than 13,000 customers every minute, smashing last year’s record for peak visits,” said Argos.
Tesco has also taken steps to spread the Black Friday load – the supermarket’s “Black Friday” deals actually began on Monday (20 November) and will run through to midnight on 27 November.
