While some consumers, brands and retailers reject big sales events like
Black Friday and Cyber Monday as environmentally damaging and decide to opt
out, others jump right in and count the days until the big event, ready to
give deep discounts on retailer side and ready to spend on consumer side.
FashionUnited has put together an overview of this year’s Black Friday
jaysayers and naysayers.
Record sales
In the UK, Black Friday high street footfall increased by 6
percent compared to Black Friday 2018, defying prior warnings that
footfall would drop and despite a backdrop of Brexit uncertainty and an
imminent general election. On the Saturday and Sunday of the weekend, high
street footfall was also up 6.8 percent and 2.9 percent respectively,
according to foot traffic analysis company ShopperTrak. Overall footfall
for the year is 0.2 percent higher than the same period in 2018.
In the US, consumers had already spent 2.1 billion
dollars via online retail as of early morning of Thanksgiving Day,
according to stats compiled by LicenseGlobal, raising the year-on-year
digital growth for the period to 20.2 percent. By early afternoon the same
day, the US online spent doubled to 4.2 billion dollars. Noteworthy, 34.5
percent of all online sales were done via smartphone.
Black Friday may be splitting opinion but once again, UK shoppers spent more despite them finding the
American shopping phenomenon less appealing. A survey conducted by PwC
showed that UK consumers are increasingly cynical about Black Friday deals.
Other countries tracked for data include the opinions of consumers in
France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and South Africa, all of whom are
more enthusiastic about Black Friday than the UK.
Those brands and retailers observing record sales will not complain
about sales events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and even Singles Day.
Here are some Black Friday winners by merchandise sold:
Black Friday deals boost fashion sales at John
Lewis
London based high-end department stores John Lewis total sales for the
week ending December 3, 2019 were up 60.4 percent on the same week as last
year, with Black Friday taking place a week later this year. Fashion sales
were up 71 percent compared with the same week last year with a record week
of sales across menswear, nursery and beauty with best sellers including
premium fragrances, Barbour clothing for both men and women and the Joie
Spin infant car seat.
Zalando declares record Cyber Week
results
Berlin-based e-commerce company Zalando announced that it acquired a
record-breaking number of around 840,000 new customers during its fifth
Cyber Week. The company said in a statement that this year’s shopping
event, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday, led to 32 percent GMV
growth compared to last year’s Cyber Week. The most-purchased articles
during Black Friday were black leggings, logo t-shirts and black sneakers.
Anti Black Friday
Then there are others who point to the flip side of big shopping days
like Black Friday, Cyber Monday & Co.: Especially online, returns can go
through the roof, costing retailers and the environment in the long run.
FashionUnited has put together a few such cautious voices.
Black Friday online returns cost fashion retailers 1.6
billion pounds
The impact of Black Friday returns on UK retail has been revealed, and
it’s not pretty. The returns from Black Friday Weekend alone is set to be
as high as 250 million pounds, this year’s online returns is predicted to
cost fashion retailers 1.6 billion pounds, according to returns management
platform ReBound Returns.
The real cost of Black Friday
discounting
As the craze for bargains and discounted fashion drove people to the
high street on the Black Friday weekend, there is a dark cloud above the
rails hanging full of tantalising deals. The reality is that brands and
businesses are not offering cheaper items for the good of mankind, they are
sitting on excess stock that needs to be shifted. Which, if remained
unsold, would eat away at profits at the end of the financial year.
Why French lawmakers want to ban Black Friday
promotions
On the basis of a study conducted by the UFC-Que Choisir, French MPs and
former Minister of Ecology Delphine Batho brought a measure before the
French Parliament to end Black Friday in the country. It took the form of
an amendment to the anti-waste bill. If the amendment is implemented in
practice, Black Friday promotions would be considered “aggressive
commercial practices”, which under French law is punishable with a two-year
prison term and a 300,000 euro
fine.
Approaches by individual brands
While MUD jeans increased its prices as a signal
against over consumption and Swiss upcycled bag maker Freitag kept its
online shop closed on Black Friday, there are various strategies that
brands followed to express their take on the shopping day. FashionUnited
has put a few together for inspiration.
3 brands ditching discounts and doing their own thing on
Black Friday
While some retailers earn more during Thanksgiving weekend than they do
the rest of the year, others are opting out of the occasion or celebrate it
in ways that don’t involve heavy markdowns – either because the strategy
isn’t so advantageous for the business or because the brand identity
doesn’t go well with excess consumerism. American outdoor brand REI,
American online clothing retailer Everlane and French footwear company
Veja, for example, disapprove of Black
Friday.
Vagabond Shoemakers takes a conscious approach to Black
Friday sales
During the time of year when brands and retailers mark down prices and
aim to boost sales for the holiday season, Vagabond Shoemakers has taken a
different approach: In an effort to avoid overconsumption, the footwear
brand did not offer a Black Friday discount for its customers. Instead, the
Swedish brand has donated 10 percent of its revenue made over the weekend
towards increasing security for people who reside in areas with high levels
of violence.
Photo: John Henderson, Flickr
