Gearing up for Black Friday 2017

(Posted on 16/11/17)

A few years ago, no one in the UK had really heard of Black Friday. Introduced by Amazon in 2010, it was only when Asda adopted it three years later that it really evolved into the nationwide phenomenon it is today. Coupled three days later with Cyber Monday, the four day retail event in November last year saw record breaking amounts of cash splashed, with Britons shelling out £5.8 billion, an increase of 15% on 2015. With year on year increases recorded, industry commentators are waiting with bated breath to see what will be spent in 2017. 

Not all brands embrace Black Friday however, with some notable exceptions last year being Next and Ikea. Some brands are clearly rejecting the herd mentality and are keen to emphasise their own points of difference rather than jumping on the bandwagon. In this way, they may hope to stand out from the crowd, rather than being lost in the general melee. 

It should come as no surprise to anyone to hear that online Black Friday shopping easily outstrips the high street. However, it is interesting to note that last year 64% of all purchases were made on mobile devices – a considerable jump from the previous year. Another reminder, if one were needed, that all websites should be optimised for mobile use as that is increasingly the method of choice for web browsing. According to Google, people are five times more likely to leave a site if it is not optimised for mobile and more than 50% of mobile users will leave a website if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Mobile-friendly content is a must.

To talk to us about how to make your brand stand out from the crowd or ways of refreshing or updating your website content and design, please contact the Zebra team on 01978 437070 or info@zebra-comms.co.uk.