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Data analytics company Lightstone has released data on South Africa’s Black Friday shopping trends and what to expect in 2020.
The group reported a 35% increase in overall shopping activity compared to the normal month-end of Black Friday 2019, with a similar pattern seen in 2018.
Black Friday 2019 coincided with the end of the month (November 29), unlike 2018, when Black Friday occurred a week before the end of the month on November 23, which allowed for different shopping behaviors between the two years.
“Our conclusion was that there was a further increase in activity during 2019 when Black Friday behavior and end-of-month shopping behavior were combined,” said Linda Reid of Lightstone.
Aggregated and anonymized data from vehicle tracking company Tracker showed that for the past two years, shopping destinations were busiest two days before Black Friday compared to other normal weekdays.
“Since many retailers offer ‘Black Month’ discounts in 2020, it will be interesting to compare the activity of the entire month with that of previous years,” said Reid.
Lightstone data shows that Gateway on KZN recorded the most traffic on Black Friday 2019, yet it is also the mall that receives the most traffic during a typical month-end.
By comparison, the Menlyn Park shopping center in Pretoria shot up to second place (from sixth place) compared to its traditional end-of-month traffic, and the Mall of Africa shopping center in Johannesburg jumped to third place.
Data from Lightstone shows that larger shopping centers enjoyed a 35% increase, compared to smaller shopping destinations where there was an increase of just 10%.
Michael du Preez, a product and marketing executive at Tracker South Africa, said rural cities saw some of the largest proportional increases that could be attributed to the fact that residents in these areas have limited access to e-commerce sites.
“Although buyer volumes may be lower than in cities, the increase in buyers was remarkable,” he said.
Du Preez said cities that increased the most compared to normal behavior included Louis Trichardt, Lichtenburg, the outskirts of Matlosona town, the outskirts of Msinga, Bela-Bela and the outskirts of Dihlabeng.
“After we’ve seen the retail industry weather some serious shocks during the shutdown, shoppers seem to be returning to the malls as often as they did before the shutdown,” Reid said.
Lightstone previously reported that during the strict lockdown period, shoppers opted for smaller neighborhood centers (or malls) over larger malls.
However, this is not the case with current patterns, and according to Reid, there is no reason to anticipate the same for Black Friday.
Black Friday has always started the Christmas spending spree with shopping center activity after Black Friday consistently higher than the weeks before, Reid said.
“Retailers have indicated that consumers should expect unprecedented discounts this year, although it is still unknown whether the severe effects of the lockdown will influence consumer spending.”
Read: Pick n Pay Launches Black Friday 2020 Deals
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