Once again, like clockwork, Black Friday is here again. On the 24th of November 2017, shoppers both on and offline will be hitting the physical and digital streets in search of deals and bargains ahead of Christmas.
While many ecommerce stores and high street retailers take part, there are many that don’t – whether for good reason or not.
Black Friday has become almost a tradition, and it’s surprisingly considering that a little over 5 years ago it was purely an American day of discounts.
Black Friday made its way across the pond in a big way in 2014, and it seems it’s here to stay. So what can we expect from Black Friday in 2017?
Search Interest
2014 showed the top level of interest in Black Friday, with it since dying down a little. But you can see the demand is still there.
As you can see over the past 5 years, the search interest piques each year around October and November, just before Black Friday, and seems set to continue.
As for Cyber Monday:
Related queries to Black Friday over past 12 months in the UK
Related Topics to Cyber Monday over past 12 months in the UK
Who isn’t taking part in Black Friday?
A few examples of big retailers not taking part:
Selfridges
Selfridges created Christmas Come Early, which was essentially Black Friday, but their own day. In some ways it’s clever, as they are creating a day all for themselves; however, it could be argued they’d be missing out on sales that would otherwise be made by eager shoppers on Black Friday.
Asda
While Asda was one of the supermarket giants that helped grow the popularity of Black Friday in the UK, they have dropped it in subsequent years.
One of the reasons is to stop the hustle and bustle on one single day, instead opting for value-for-money which they are renowned for. But they may be set to take part in 2017…
Primark
A big high street fashion retailer known for low, low prices throughout the year doesn’t really feel the need to take part, and doesn’t have an online presence.
To take part or not to take part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday
A few benefits of taking part in the sales include:
- Shoppers ready to spend
- SEO benefits for sales including Black Friday search terms
- Part of a global event
- Marketing opportunity for additional sales
Consider the search interest over the past 30 days, as of 31st of October 2017:
If you think your business could benefit from leveraging the search interest, then it may be a good idea to start now.
Black Friday interest seems to have dipped, but Cyber Monday continues to rise. And this is likely to rise more the closer we get.
While Black Friday is still far more popular than Cyber Monday, with less demand for Cyber Monday it could give you the opportunity to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
A few of the disadvantages to consider
- It can cheapen your brand, depending on your image
- Bad publicity if the offers aren’t worthy of the “Black Friday” label
- In-store hustle and bustle big retailers have struggled with
Whatever your decision, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are here to stay in the UK for the years to come. So perhaps think about your long-term business goals, and whether you want to build your annual offers around these dates for 2018 and beyond.
