Black Friday

Probably the biggest retail date for your calendar and one you simply can’t ignore. Black Friday was originally a shopping holiday in the US, but with the ecommerce boom of recent years, it has become an international event.

The term is thought to hark back to the 1950s, when police in Philadelphia used it to describe the chaos that ensued the day after Thanksgiving when shoppers flooded the city alongside tourists ahead of the big football game held on the Saturday. Police couldn’t take the day off as they were dealing with extra crowds and traffic, while shoplifters also took advantage of the bedlam to steal from stores.

We’ve seen similar chaos in recent years with shoppers videoed fighting over plasma TVs in store. But recent Black Fridays have seen shopping shift online more and more, and 2022 saw a record $9.12 billion in online sales.

So it’s an unmissable opportunity for ecommerce stores, and many of your customers will already have it noted in their calendar as they await a big bargain or special Black Friday offer.

The most popular industries for consumers during Black Friday are clothing, tech, toys, smart-home gadgets, gift cards, and travel. So if you’re selling in one of these categories, you’ll need to pay particularly close attention to getting your promotions right.