With Christmas back on the agenda this year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are set to be the biggest we have ever witnessed! UK consumers are forecast to spend £9.42billion over the weekend, 5.74 of which will be spent online. From eye catching campaigns to mouth-watering promotions, retailers are looking to capitalise on an exceptional year and recuperate losses from last year when spending dropped significantly.
1. Black Friday? Black November. You may have noticed that deals have started early this month with many retailers such as Amazon, John Lewis, Very and Argos racing to the finish line with catchy deals throughout the month. This allows consumers to bag a deal early but also allows retailers to manage the footfall and prevent any supply chain issues.
2. Shopping in store is back!Thanks to the vaccination and the lift on restrictions, the high street is set to make a booming return with shoppers keen to bag a discount and seek purchase advice in person. It’s also a great excuse to get together with loved ones and have brunch and a coffee.
3. Click and Collect.According to Business Insider, this form of delivery has doubled in 2020 and this year, and this weekend in particular, is set to continue on the same trajectory. Benefits of click and collect include free delivery, payment on collection and skipping queues!
4. Free Next Day Delivery. In an effort to compete with Amazon, retailers are set to take a hit on their bottom line to maximise orders. It’ll no doubt be a one off, so keep your eyes peeled and take advantage whilst you can!
5. Slower delivery times. Despite promises of next day delivery, don’t be disappointed if your new haul is slightly delayed. We all know there is a delivery driver shortage and with ongoing supply chain challenges, you may have to wait slightly longer for your goods.
6. Refurbished offers. More and more consumers are wanting refurbished goods to save the planet from electronic waste. With new editions being released at ridiculous speed, a refurbished older model can be bagged at a fraction of the price. Similarly, a rise in ‘trade in’ offers is also likely to sky rocket.
7. Online Exclusives. Expect to see a rise in ‘online only’ offers in a bid to compete with Amazon and other online giants. Look out for discount codes across the web or being flaunted by a number of Influencers.
8. Slow online experience.With the rush of people wanting to bag a bargain, expect websites to crash or operate very slowly. Be prepared to be pushed into virtual waiting rooms and expect stock to be sold out when you do manage to make it through the bottleneck. Shop early to avoid disappointment.
9. Social media shopping deals. Expect to see your favourite brands using social media as a live streaming shopping channel. Curry’s streamed a QVC- style live stream on Prime Day to steal the limelight from Amazon and we expect to see others jumping on the bandwagon. Liveshopping eCommerce is very popular in Asia and is slowly catching on in the UK.
10. Boycott Black Friday.Small businesses and eco-conscious retailers are shutting down their websites, donating to charities or planting trees in an effort to raise awareness of over-consumption. It is estimated that British Black Friday home deliveries this year will churn out 429,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions—the equivalent of 435 return flights from London to New York.
Whether you take advantage of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers or boycott it entirely in favour of a more environmentally conscious approach to your Christmas shopping, it is great to see the high street making a comeback and retail businesses bouncing back after such a difficult time.
Forward Role offer our clients the option to be more environmentally conscious when hiring, with our Green Talent Solution. If you'd like to find out more, get in touch!
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Rachel Wheeler is Senior Business Manager – eCommerce & Product at Forward Role
