Home Business NewsBlack Friday is no longer a standalone retail event for UK consumers

Black Friday is no longer a standalone retail event for UK consumers

by LLB Reporter
19th Nov 18 2:26 pm

Four in five (81%) of Brits think they can find good sales and promotions all year round, suggesting that Black Friday is no longer a standalone retail event for UK consumers – according to new research from the7stars, the UKโ€™s largest independent media agency.

The findings come from the most recent wave of The QT, a consumer confidence and attitude tracking study conducted on a quarterly basis by the7stars. The results show that perhaps in the year that Amazon announce a fortnight of deals for what was originally a single day of sales, Black Friday really has started to lose its allure. Despite the event growing in size and scale, only 13% claim to do their Christmas shopping on Black Friday, a figure largely unchanged from two years ago (10%).

Similarly, respondents alluded to the overwhelming and slightly off-putting nature of Black Friday sales โ€“ with almost half (47%) claiming they get lost in the sea of promotions and often donโ€™t know where to start.

Black Friday was, however, found to be more accepted amongst younger consumers, with 35% of 18-24s claiming to hold off buying things until the event, compared with only 5% of the 65+ group. Similarly, a quarter of this group say they prefer it to the post-Christmas sales, compared with only 3% of the older generation.

The story is still one of scepticism though, as even within the 25-35 cohort, 18% claim to believe that if an item is reduced on Black Friday then itโ€™s not worth buying in the first place.

Frances Revel of the7stars said: โ€œBlack Friday is often referred to as the biggest shopping day of the year, but itโ€™s clear from our research that sentiment is changing and the โ€˜magicโ€™ of previous years is really starting to wear off. Instead of being seen as a one-off chance to find lots of amazing deals, the Black Friday marketing period is now considered confusing to consumers; a largely American tradition that makes little sense here in the UK, and a practice that is encouraging already troubled retailers here to engage in a โ€˜race to the bottomโ€™โ€.

โ€œIn an insecure political climate, with the value of the ยฃ fairly volatile, this might be the first year we see the tides begin turn on Black Friday from both a shopper and retailer perspective.โ€

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