Black Friday saw scores of consumers queuing from the early hours of the morning to take full advantage of a range of specials. From gadgets to household contents, shopping malls were abuzz as consumers went in search of bargains.
Dr Christoph Nieuwoudt, CEO of FNB Consumer, comments: “Black Friday is a trend that is definitely gaining momentum across consumers and retailers. While it’s too early to quantify the impact and the general consumer experience around this year’s Black Friday, a number of observations were immediately apparent.”
According to Nieuwoudt, these are:
* E-commerce is gaining momentum – While many consumers woke up early to queue outside their shopping mall or retailer, the popularity of online stores was equally prevalent, reflecting the growing appetite for shopping online among South African consumers.
* Growing popularity – The days of Black Friday being a ‘foreign concept’ are fast fading as both consumers and retailers are increasingly using this period to cash-in on bargains and boost sales respectively.
* Planning is everything – The queues observed in some of South Africa’s retail centres gave an immediate indication that consumers who didn’t plan their shopping experience may have faced a struggle to get all the goods they desire as they would have spent a significant amount of time waiting in line.
