Until a few years ago, “Black Friday” was associated at best with the historic collapse of the New York Stock Exchange in 1929. Nowadays, however, many power shoppers’ eyes light up on Black Friday for completely different reasons. Black Friday is considered the most important day in the consumer calendarbecause on this day department stores and brands, whether stationary or online, attract customers to their stores with rock-bottom prices and unique offers. But how did this come about and what role do these sales days actually play?
Black Friday has its origins in the USA. On every 4th Thursday in November, the country celebrates Thanksgiving. The following Friday has always been used as a bridge day, to do Christmas shopping. At the beginning of the 2000s, Black Friday became more and more important and by 2005 at the latest, it was considered by the majority of department stores to be most important sales day of the yearIn the 2010s, the hype surrounding Black Friday reached the German market. In contrast to the USA, where the Black Friday run took place primarily in stationary retail, Black Friday in Germany was marketed primarily in online business. For a few years now, Cyber Monday has also been a part of the shopping calendar. The event, which also originates in the USA, is dated on the first Monday following Black Friday. It is essentially the online retailer's reaction to the more stationary Black Friday.
Singles' Day iis another shopping event that has become increasingly important. Its origins lie in Nanjing, China. Mainly male students celebrated bachelor parties on November 11th. The singles movement took on a life of its own and became an internet phenomenon. Alibaba founder Jack Ma converted Singles' Day into a day for giving gifts. The concept worked brilliantly, as the Chinese now ensure that November 11th is a great day for more sales than Americans and Europeans on the five strongest days of Black Friday week.
On the German market In recent years, despite all the negative economic forecasts, massive increases in sales on event days have been observed.
According to a study by the digital agency xpose360, Black Friday 2023 total 69% more sales compared to the previous year. And the Cyber Monday was with 45% more sales a complete success. Black Friday is now a widely known term.
The trend of the shopping event being concentrated on one day is over. Cyber Monday has long since become a whole CyberWeek and Black Friday week also begins on Sunday or Monday with special offers. Only Singles' Day has, nomen est omen, retained its single status.
Anja Wunsch also confirms this trend, Team Lead Key Account Management from Global Savings Group (Specialist for voucher portals): “The period around Black Friday is definitely the most profitable time of the year, we see an extreme peak every year. However, the trend for years has been that not only Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the days that generate sales, but users keep their eyes open for bargains from the beginning of November and snap them up. In recent years it has been shown that many large retailers offer big discounts as early as the beginning of November and that the MEGA deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are missing.”
Buyers are particularly interested in the categories of electronics, clothing and accessories, hobbies and leisure, and home and household items. These are typical items for Christmas shopping. The mostly digital search usually begins by entering the desired item in the preferred search engine. The largest overviews of offers are provided by the large voucher portals mydealz, Sparwelt and Gutscheinsammler and media portals such as FOCUS online, Bild, Stern, CHIP and Spiegel.
The large voucher portals are a good choice for online shopping. They offer many verified vouchers and make it easy to navigate to the best offers. Read more about it, how we offer you vouchers at FOCUS online.
Are Black Friday offers serious?
The consumer centres, however, are somewhat concerned about the November discount party and are warning against dubious offers. These primarily include large Discounts on artificially increased pricesMany discounts refer to the infamous “recommended retail price”. This is often a price that was never actually quoted.
In addition, there are more and more fake shops with dubious offers on the Internet. The Baden-Württemberg Consumer Advice Center even offers a fake shop finder to filter out criminal online shops. When dealing with dubious providers, it is recommended to pay attention to reviews and reputable payment methods.
Customers should generally keep a clear head during the hot days before Christmas. Ideally, they should be clear in advance about which product they want to buy and not only do you end up buying at the last minute, under pressure from the countdown, and perhaps even paying an inflated price. Price comparison engines help you to realistically assess prices and discounts.
Many customers are now well prepared for Black Friday & Co. and use the days not only to buy gifts for loved ones, but also to make their own purchases. This behavior underlines the increasing importance of shopping days for annual sales in the retail sector. Department stores and online shops that do not have offers on Black November must expect a loss in sales.
Other shopping dates such as seasonal sales are far less attractive. Nevertheless, from a marketing perspective, it is negligent to let events of any kind pass without promotions. Sporting events such as the European Championships offer sufficient starting points for a marketing campaign. After all, many shoppers show increased willingness to buy due to the occasionFor example, if you invite people to a barbecue party with TV broadcast during the European Football Championship, you might think about upgrading your barbecue equipment, buying that long-awaited big screen or new garden furniture. Holidays such as Mother’s Day will also continue to be important sources of revenue in the future. According to the trade association, more than 30% of all consumers a holiday edition.
In summary, November is a particularly good month for special offers. The shopping events Black Friday, Singles' Day and Cyber Monday are well known to a wide audience and are deliberately used to buy Christmas presents and make personal purchases. They are often the most important revenue generators. Other occasions such as holidays, major events or special anniversaries will also be ideal for marketing campaigns in the future, as increased consumer demand can be expected in the run-up to these special dates. As a customer, you can benefit from high discounts on the promotional days. However, you should not allow yourself to be pressured into making hasty purchasing decisions and should compare prices in advance and avoid dubious providers.
