More evidence points to power of Black Friday in UK retail

Thursday, October 25, 2018 - 09:30 by Paul Tissington

The vast majority of British consumers are now intimately familiar with the ins and outs of Black Friday, with a survey commissioned by Doddle showing that just two per cent of people do not know about it.

Internet Retailing reports that this year up to a quarter of all pre-Christmas purchases made via safe shopping online will take place on Black Friday alone, revealing just how much momentum this event has built up since it first appeared in the UK eight years ago.

In fact Black Friday is set to shape shopping habits in various ways this year, with 2.5 million Brits expected to wake up extra early and get online in order to take advantage of the significant savings that are on the table.

Around a fifth of respondents to the report said that they would be using their lunch break on the 23rd of November to snap up cheap products.

Report spokesperson, Mike Richmond, said that in the UK the rapid ascent of Black Friday had been significantly swift enough to allow it to enter into many people’s consciousnesses as a vital event. This means that millions of people will literally add it to their schedules to ensure that they do not miss out.

Fifty two per cent of the under-24s admitted to going so far as to compile a list of potential purchases ahead of the event so that they know exactly what to look out for.

It is less popular with the over-55s, as just 16 per cent of people in this age group said that they are planning to get involved.

While some plan ahead, in general it seems that plenty of consumers are happy to just wait and see what offers are made available.