Although we are still immersed in the last blows of Cyber Monday, after the vortex of Black Friday, it is a good time to do an analysis of how the main sales campaign for eCommerce has gone. And, little by little, Black Friday has been imposing itself as the star campaign for many businesses. The consumer has changed their habits and has moved their Christmas purchases to these dates to take advantage of the offers and discounts.
But, for the first time since this new strategy was put in place, online sales have declined on Black Friday. Although the forecasts indicated the customary increase each year, this year has not been the case. At least that’s what a report published by Adobe Analytics indicates.
Drop in online sales
According to data from Adobe Analytics, sales this Black Friday reached 8.9 billion dollars. An amount slightly below the 9 billion dollars last year. According to Adobe’s estimates, during the first 19 days of the campaign, people spent $ 3 billion. Last year this figure was exceeded in just 5 days.
According to Vivek Pandya of Adobe Digital Insights: “For the first time, Black Friday saw a reversal of the growth trend of recent years. Shoppers are being strategic in their gift shopping, shopping much earlier in the season and being flexible when shopping to ensure they get the best deals. ” According to Adobe, one of the causes of this decline could be a rebound in initial spending, as many eCommerce began sales and promotions in October.
Still, while those early anticipated sales could be the main driver of the downfall, there could be another contributor: global supply chain woes. According to the Adobe Analytics report, out-of-stock messages have increased by 124 percent since January 2020, making it more difficult for consumers to get the products they wanted. The report indicates that household appliances and electronic products are the most affected by this situation.
Shy increase in traffic in physical stores
In the United States a contradictory landscape could be observed. For one thing, long lines could be seen at crowded shopping malls. But you could also see almost empty and fairly quiet shops.
In general, according to data from RetailNext, traffic in physical stores during this Black Friday increased by 61% compared to 2020. Although there is a significant improvement compared to last year, it is still 27% below the pre-pandemic values.
Brian Field, Senior Director at Sensormatic Solutions, a company that tracks physical store traffic, commented: “While in-store purchases have yet to return to 2019 levels, many more shoppers felt comfortable visiting stores in person. This Black Friday than in 2020. One factor in this increased traffic could be ongoing supply chain challenges and shipping delays. ”
This data could also perhaps explain this decrease in the online sales rate.
Changes in online shopper habits this Black Friday
The Adobe Analytics report also highlights changes in online shopper habits.
This year BNPL (Buy-Now-Pay-Later) services have been imposed. The Buy Now and Pay Later has been on the rise throughout this year and many eCommerce have chosen to incorporate it into their business. According to Adobe Analytics, BNPL’s total spend and order volume in November increased 422% and 438%, respectively, from 2019 levels.
Another aspect to highlight is the use of the smartphone as the consumer’s favorite device. According to the Adobe Analytics report, mobile purchases represented 44.4% of online sales this Black Friday, an increase of 10.6%. Although the consumer prefers to carry out their searches from the smartphone and then make the purchase with the computer. In this way, mobile traffic represents 62.2% compared to desktop, 2.2% more than last year.
Balck Friday Prospects at Synapse
With regard to Sinapsis, this Black Friday we have also noticed a decrease in online sales. We are analyzing each case in particular, but a priori, the indications of the Adobe Analytics report seem to make a lot of sense.
As for changes in user habits, we also note these new dynamics.