Black Friday week now top UK Christmas shopping period online

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 23, 2017

December is no longer the peak period of the Christmas shopping season with Black Friday and the promotional days around it having taken the crown.

That’s the conclusion of a new report from e-commerce strategy consultant Salmon.

Data from Salmon’s Peak Trading Operations Centre shows Black Friday week, which ran from November 22 to 28 in 2016, was a lot busier than the peak pre- and post-Christmas trading week.

Salmon said traffic rose 27% over the late November seven-day period and 28% more online orders were placed, with the average order value 9% higher. And those who shopped in November spent 46% more time browsing than those who did so in December.

And sales conversion rose 50% on Black Friday compared to Boxing day (December 26), which used to be the key discount-focused day of the whole Christmas season. Shoppers are now twice as likely to convert sales on Black Friday than on Boxing Day.

And mobile was the key method for shoppers to get online with 51% of orders coming via m-commerce on Black Friday and 60% on Christmas Day. That said, while December 25 is an increasingly important shopping day online, the m-commerce surge is as likely to be due to shoppers being away from home or entertaining at home and shopping via smartphone for tablets out of necessity rather than choice.

The researcher’s head retail and marketing Patrick Munden said it would be premature to call 2016 the end of Christmas clearance sales, but it’s clear that peak trading has shifted dramatically towards the Black Friday period. “With more traffic, more orders and more conversion occurring over Black Friday week, consumers are embracing the smorgasbord of deals that November offers, leaving Christmas deals trailing in its wake.”

He also said that retailers now have to manage these peaks and make sure that while they have the correct and necessary digital provisions to make Black Friday a success, “they also don’t cannibalise their own Boxing Day/Christmas sales opportunities.”