“Black Friday”, an essential shopping day in the United States which is increasingly exported, promises to break records with significant discounts and buyers on the lookout for good deals in an uncertain macroeconomic context (AFP/ Archives/Emmanuel DUNAND)
The 2023 vintage of “Black Friday”, an essential shopping day in the United States which is increasingly exported, promises to break records with significant discounts and buyers on the lookout for good deals in an uncertain macroeconomic context .
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), more than 182 million people are expected to shop in stores and online during “Cyberweek,” which runs from Thanksgiving Thursday, Nov. 23, through the following Monday, ” Cyber Monday.”
This is almost 16 million more than in 2022 and a record since monitoring began in 2017.
The vast majority (130 million people) should charge their credit cards on Friday, “Black Friday”, historically the day of the most important promotions.
They are expected to be up to -35% on average depending on the categories, i.e. a level higher than 2021 and 2022, according to Adobe Analytics, which predicts in particular -30% for electronics and -22% for televisions.
Sales on mobile devices are expected to overtake desktop sales for the first time, she said.
Specializing in monitoring e-commerce, it forecasts sales of 37.2 billion during Cyberweek (+5.4%), including 9.6 billion for “Black Friday” and 12 billion for “Cyber Monday”.
Brands generally start their reductions in advance and, for this edition, some started particularly early, as early as October.
– Buy early –
“Buying ahead is a trend we’ve seen for several years, and this year the deals and promotions starting in October resonated with consumers,” commented Phil Rist, principal of Prosper Insights and Analytics.
No extravagance this year, many are shopping for end-of-year gifts (Christmas, Hanouka, Kwanzaa, etc.), planning to give clothes, gift cards, toys, books, video games, hygiene and beauty products , according to the NRF.
More than 182 million people are expected to make purchases in stores and online during “Cyberweek”, which runs from Thanksgiving Thursday, November 23, to the following Monday, “Cyber Monday” (AFP/Archives/SAMUEL CORUM )
Among the best-sellers are Lego, Hot Wheels, dolls in particular Barbie after the summer release of the eponymous film, game consoles including Meta Quest 3 virtual reality glasses, the latest iPhone, e-readers, etc.
To spread these expenses even further, more and more Americans are using the “Buy now, Pay later” option, which is expected to generate 17 billion (+16.9% over one year) on the internet.
According to experts, small budgets and well-stocked wallets should confine themselves to bargain hunting.
“Customers will look for the items they really want and need rather than buying a lot of things on impulse,” says Neil Saunders, director at GlobalData. “Which is not necessarily good for traders.”
For their part, “the brands are cautiously making targeted discounts rather than vast all-out promotions,” he adds.
Certainly the much-heralded recession has not materialized and the American consumer has shown itself to be particularly “resilient”, underline several experts, but macroeconomic uncertainties call for caution.
– Pressure –
“We are navigating in the short term with pressure on sales that our industry has been experiencing for several quarters,” noted Corie Barry, boss of the Best Buy electronics store chain.
Inflation is slowed but not to the level desired by the American central bank (Fed), which has taken a break since July from raising key rates, to the highest in twenty-two years.
Many consumers are shopping for end-of-year gifts, planning to give clothes, gift cards, toys, books, video games, hygiene and beauty products (AFP/Archives/Samuel Corum)
Savings accumulated during the pandemic have melted, even falling below pre-covid levels, the moratorium on student loan repayments is no longer and credit card debt is reaching new heights, as are their interest rates. which flirt with 20%.
On the positive side: the unemployment rate remains stable at historically low levels.
“Employment has been the backbone of the American economy since the start of the year,” underlines Zachary Warring, analyst at CFRA Research.
In this context, 61% of consumers plan to spend the same amount or more than the previous year during the festive season – November and December – but by looking for the best discounts and favoring brands offering the best quality-price ratio, according to a Goldman Sachs survey.
“Black Friday” fever has spread to other countries, notably France and the United Kingdom where Hargreaves Lansdown expects a “difficult” edition in a “super difficult” environment.
“With many consumers feeling the pinch of rising bills and worrying about rising loan and rent payments, it’s no surprise that purse strings are tightening further,” Susannah Streeter recently noted. , Hargreaves analyst.
© 2023 AFP
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