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The latest from Black Friday 2018 Black Friday footfall down while online sales soar


Footfall was down 5 .4 per cent on this year’s Black Friday compared to the same day in 2017. The data from Springboard reveals that footfall was also down on Saturday and Sunday, when it dropped by 5.6 per cent and 4.3 per cent respectively. Springboard said shopping centres


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were the worst performers with footfall declining by 8.3 per cent on Friday, and by similar percentages over Saturday and Sunday. High street footfall fell by four per cent while retail park footfall was down 5.3 per cent on Friday. In contrast, figures from Loqate/GBG show that online transactions rose by 46 per cent up to 4pm on Black Friday. Diane Wehrle, insights director at Springboard, said: “The drop in footfall to bricks and mortar stores over Black Friday weekend is a reflection of the


larger discounts offered online. Online is open for business 24-hours-a-day and is therefore seen as a more convenient option for shoppers. Throughout the weekend, the drop in footfall was most dramatic in shopping centres; the stronger resilience of high streets and retail parks in comparison is likely to be a function of their wider range of hospitality outlets compared with shopping centres.” If the trend for Cyber Monday follows


previous years, then Springboard said it is unlikely that footfall will rise. Wehrle added: “Discounts continue on Cyber Monday, however, given that Black Friday discounts were made available throughout the week in advance of the day itself, and have continued over the weekend, it is likely that the impetus to make purchases will largely be over.”


Almost half of UK customers to purchase from Amazon this Black Friday


Almost half of UK consumers pre- planned to purchase from Amazon on Black Friday.


In the lead-up to this year’s Black Friday event, 48 per cent of Brits said they planned to purchase from Amazon during the sales period. Research from Salmon, a Wunderman Commerce company, revealed the popularity of the online retail giant. It also showed that UK consumers appeared to be taking a sensible approach to their spending, with 29 per cent of people holding back their spending until products became discounted during Black Friday. However, while nearly £5 billion was


Black Friday 2018 in figures


With this year’s Black Friday – or Black Friday weekend – passed for another year, here’s a round-up from Salmon, a Wunderman Commerce company, with its report from its peak operations centre, responsible for monitoring and supporting a number of retail and brand websites during the busiest weekend of the year:


76%


of traffi c came via mobile devices


69%


Female shopping over the Black Friday weekend dominated


24%


of traffi c came via desktop devices


84%


of visitors from social media were females


25-34


And 25-34 year-olds dominated all weekend with 35% falling into this age group.


SATURDAY SUNDAY 27% 25%


WHICH DAY HAD THE MOST TRAFFIC


FRIDAY 48%


predicted to be spent during the sales this year (and £2.5bn online), the shine of the shopping event may be wearing off for consumers – the majority (53 per cent) said they have become sceptical about whether certain deals are genuine and represent real savings compared to the rest of the year. James Webster, Head of Managed Services and Peak Trading expert at Salmon, said: “Black Friday is one of the biggest chances in the year for brands to capitalise on consumers’ love of a bargain – with 25 million expected to open their purses for the sales bonanza this year. But the selling opportunity is mired in challenges – and the big one is the stranglehold that Amazon has on the sales period.


“Brands need to be thinking about how they can use the retail giant’s power


to their advantage, but also ensure they’re not putting all their eggs in one basket and neglecting other channels; having an in-store presence, selling through online retailer sites like John Lewis and Debenhams, or tapping into other marketplaces like eBay are all important in the wider commerce strategy.” While the research showed that smart assistants will struggle to fi nd their voice on Black Friday, there are encouraging signs that could be set to change; a quarter of consumers would consider using a voice assistant to make a purchase in future. Opportunities also exist for brands who take the leap into voice commerce, with 22 per cent of consumers saying they would be more likely to shop via voice if there were exclusive Black Friday deals available through voice assistants. Entertainment products are the most likely to be bought by shoppers using voice assistants, with 35 per cent saying they would buy music, video games and movies via voice. Mr Webster


continued: “Innovation


could not be more important for brands, as consumers continue to crave a digitally- driven and sophisticated commerce experience. Voice assistants are just one part of this, but it’s an area that is ready and waiting for the brand that can get the process right. Deals will help consumers test the waters when it comes to voice commerce, and yet another reason why brands must get their head around the innovations that will change the future of retail ing.”


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