Member Article

Will This Be The Biggest Black Friday Yet?

Leading global customer experience expert, Webhelp, which provides customer contact solutions for one of the UK’s largest online retailers, says Black Friday 2017 could be bigger than last year.

Love it or hate it Black Friday has become a fixture on the UK retail scene in recent years and the survey data collected by Webhelp indicates it is still incredibly popular with consumers.

The survey of 500 UK adults revealed that almost two thirds (63%) are planning to shop on Black Friday, Cyber Monday or both this year. The groups most likely to be shopping for a bargain on Black Friday weekend this year are the 18-24s (78%), 25-34s (77%) and 35-44s (71%).

Overall 49% of people surveyed said they didn’t shop on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday last year. With 63% saying they are planning to shop on one or both of the days this year, it looks like this Black Friday event could be bigger than ever.

Once again online looks set to be the big winner with 94% of people surveyed planning to do some shopping online. Women are more likely to shop online than men with 97% saying they would either shop both online and instore or only online. The figure is 91% for men.

54% of people surveyed said they thought they would get a better deal on Black Friday weekend. Since 63% of people said they were planning to shop this Black Friday weekend, this indicates the event itself has become something people want to participate in.

The most cynical about Black Friday bargains are the over 65s, 80% of whom think the bargains to be had throughout the year are just as good. 36% of them are still planning to shop on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday though.

The biggest believers in Black Friday bargains are the 25-34s, 69% of whom said they had grabbed some good bargains on Black Friday weekend. They are closely followed by those earning £40k+. 65% of this group said they had bagged a Black Friday bargain before.

David Turner, CEO of Webhelp UK, India and SA, said: “With almost two thirds of people surveyed planning to shop over Black Friday weekend this year, retailers need to be gearing themselves up for a bumper season. While website stability, product availability and confidence in on-time deliveries are important for online retailers, the ability to effectively deal with customer queries will be essential. Ensuring properly trained professionals deal swiftly and effectively with the onslaught of customer contact that is sure to take place will secure online brands the loyalty of customers for their Black Friday sales and much more.”

http://www.webhelp.com/en-gb/news-insights/news/will-this-black-friday-be-the-biggest-yet/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Heather Astbury .