Black Friday Blowout: Consumers Are Getting Ready To Return To Stores
Black Friday Blowout: Consumers Are Getting Ready To Return To Stores
Email teams should gear up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Their customers are certainly doing so — especially the younger ones. And they want deals, according to shopping resource BlackFriday.com.
Of the consumers polled, 44% will shop in-store for at least some Black Friday deals, assuming the store is open. But 22% will not shop in-store. And 33% will do so only for deals/doorbusters that are unavailable or sold out online.
In other words, consumers are putting a very tentative foot into the water. But the incentives should be there: 62% will search for as many deals as possible before purchasing, while 61% say price is the biggest determining factor for gift-buying and 58% always research deals before purchasing during the holiday season.
Shopping in general is attracting younger consumers this year: 63% of those in the 18-44 category plan to shop for Black Friday sales in-store and/or online. But only 37% of those over age 45 expect to shop Black Friday sales.
Where do they plan to shop? Here’s the plan:
- Big-box stores — 64%
- Ecommerce retailers — 56%
- Electronics stores — 32%
- Locally owned retailers and boutiques — 27%
- Health and beauty stores — 26%
- Home décor or improvement stores — 26%
- Sporting goods — 22%
- Luxury retailers — 15%
That top placement is good news for the Walmarts and Targets, and second place for Amazon.
But shoppers are stressed out by these issues:
- Budget/finances — 45%
- Now knowing what to buy — 42%
- Crowds in-store — 39%
- Getting the best deal — 38%
- Shipping and delivery delays — 35%
- Products being out of stock — 34%
- Finding the time to shop — 25%
- Health/sanitary/safety concerns in-store —24%
Sounds hellish, doesn’t it? But those results provide a blueprint for email planners: Offer deals, emphasize shipping (or offer it for free), address safety concerns and emphasize BOPIS — buy online, pick up in-store. Above all, have your cross-selling and upselling mechanisms in place.
BlackFriday.com surveyed 1,082 U.S. consumers.
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