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Black Friday sales are expected to exceed holiday season sales for the first time in 2020, says Debbie Law, RMB Retail Director, as the year of the pandemic pushed more consumers online and forced retailers. improve your game with digital offers and infrastructure.
“Lockdown has introduced more new online shoppers in the last six months alone than in the last few years. Retailers are investing significantly in updating their online platforms or establishing them for those who did not have this channel in place, ”Law said.
“Online shopping is a space that consumers are becoming familiar with and this familiarity, combined with people who do not want to venture into crowds, will contribute significantly to the role that online shopping will play on Black Friday this year.”
Law said a drastic change in South Africa’s traditional shopping habits is likely.
“In the past, with the exception of one or two subsectors, we have seen a relatively even split between Black Friday sales and the holiday season. But it is more than likely that it will be different this year. Retailers have been attracting consumers since the beginning of the month trying to capture as much in the consumer’s wallet as possible. “
Traditionally, Black Friday has been associated with lower prices, which may encourage the limited customer to make purchases during the holiday season around Black Friday instead of waiting for December sales, Law said.
She said Black Friday has always been a discounted price day, but South Africans have decided that one day is not enough.
“Last year we saw the emergence of a week of discounts for technology products and this year many retailers already started with discounts of 30% on November 1.
“Will we actually have a month of Black Fridays as retailers try to capture as much of limited consumer spending as possible as soon as possible? This could be the year that we see retailers offering deep discounts while trying to attract consumers who are more focused on value for money than ever. “
Law said changes in consumer behavior since the lockdown began will also have an impact on Black Friday. People have become more conscious of value for money and their definitions of what they see as luxury items.
“They are also evaluating what is needed and what is essential. This puts retailers poised to offer deep discounts for valuable items at the head of the queue.
“We are seeing a small exception in technology devices that can be used for work from home, school from home, and home entertainment. Smartphones and laptops seem to have been quite popular and were deemed worth spending a bit more on them, ”Law concluded.
Read: Here are the first Black Friday deals in South Africa, including Game, Makro and Takealot
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