Black Friday etail spend set to soar driven by mobile

Shoppers are predicted to spend £6.77bn online between November 21 and November 28 while spend on Black Friday will rise 16% year-on-year to £1.27bn, according to data from IMRG and SimilarWeb.

Etail spend will be driven by mobile devices, as 51% of online sales are made on a smartphone or tablet for the first time.

Of the £3.45bn spent on mobile devices, 53% will come from smartphones, which will outstrip tablet sales over the Black Friday peak period for the first time.

Spending drive

As retailers ranging from Amazon to Argos launch fortnight-long retail events to drive spend, Black Friday sales are set to be made over a week-long period as opposed to the four-day etail event of previous years.

Last year it is estimated that shoppers spent £3.3bn online over the four-day period from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.

IMRG managing director Justin Opie said: “Black Friday as an event has shown a remarkable capacity for evolving each year and it seems set to change further this year.

“While there is no consensus on campaign durations among retailers, some are likely to try launching theirs earlier in the Black Friday week this year to secure their share of spend and steal a march on their competitors.

“How early will [shoppers] be willing to start their Christmas shopping? Will many just wait until the Black Friday day itself; will they respond quickly to campaigns?”

IMRG managing director Justin Opie

“The other key factor concerns how shoppers actually respond – how early will they be willing to start their Christmas shopping? Will many just wait until the Black Friday day itself; will they respond quickly to campaigns, pulling order volumes forward from Black Friday and potentially creating new peak days in the process?”