What sales should we expect? How will this year’s event go down? Do we have to go to the stores in order to get amazing sales?
This year’s Black Friday will take place November 26th, but even before the big day arrives some sales and deals are already available in stores and online. Black Friday is well known for the way consumers can get half-price Christmas gifts. But as always, all the best items are limited and most likely to sell out within the first few hours. Nowadays online stores such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon etc. also offer sales in their products, making shopping even more interesting.
Last year Black Friday took place online, forcing stores to adapt to a new way of shopping by offering sales for an extended period and by sharing special discount codes apart from the deals. Some say it was a new way of shopping, that means you don’t have to fight other customers for your favourite garments and items.
But most of us consumers prefer going into the stores to get our deals, so we can see whether the clothes fit our style! But it is always a plus if we can avoid the long queues for returns & refunds afterwards!
Stores are already offering deals up to 99% on selected items, and some stores even call it a Black Friday ‘warm up’. So, for this year event what should we expect from the most famous stores in Oxford Street?
Below there’s a chart showing selected stores from Oxford Street with the discounts offered.
We can see high street and designer stores offering incredible deals, when those designer stores do not offer much in the way of discounts during the rest of the year. When it comes to black Friday, stores go big! They want their consumers to get their favourites at the best price, and most people would rather shop before the event to avoid the long queues on the day.
But as many stores showcase their discounts up to 60% and 50% in stores, it is not necessary to go into the stores, to get the best prices.
As Covid-19 and the flu season are still around, many feel safer shopping from their home to protect themselves. So brands have listened to their target audience, and many have already uploaded their websites and apps with their latest sales – and let’s not forget that students get many discounts in Unidays and Student Beams from selected stores.
Some stores such as Asos, Zalando and Pretty Little Thing are only online, so when it comes to sales they make sure to advertise as much as possible so consumers do not forget they can simply click to add their items to the cart.
Below is a chart showing the online stores offering sales on Black Friday. While sales, and item prices, might vary on the day, the sales promise to save us some money for those Christmas parties.
Pretty Little Thing started their Black Friday sale last week, giving up to 99% off some garments and other selected items. The brand faced criticism for this massive sale, but it has not stopped them.
While this only shows Black Friday sales, let’s not forget about Cyber Monday happening on Monday November 29th. Cyber Monday usually offers massive savings on elecrical items, which can’t be bad for someone looking to upgrade their laptop or phone.
Over the years network and broadband providers such as Sky, EE and BT have also offered half price deals on their subscriptions plans and free broadband trials.
As many do not wait for the sales for fear of not getting what they want on time, many stores offer guaranteed price-matching, though with some exceptions. Stores such as Currys and Apple often do this to avoid returns and to beat those lower prices offered by their competitors.
Below there’s a chart showing some of the online sales for Cyber Monday.
While some stores such as Apple, Amazon and John Lewis offer Black Friday deals on clothing, they also offer special prices on home electronics (TVs, cooking equipment, desks, Alexa, Google Home products etc..) and special discounts and payment plans for those looking to finance their shopping.
While shopping has changed during the last two years, brands and stores have taken this as an opportunity to adapt to everyone’s preferred way of shopping, and by doing so have helped both their loyal customers and their new consumers.