What Will Consumers Shop for During Black Friday Weekend?

The Black Friday weekend is one of the most important periods in a year for e-commerce. Next to reading these tips on how to best prepare your e-shop for Black Friday, you might also be interested in what kind of products consumers are expected to look for.

Top categories during Black Friday Weekend

E-commerce has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last 18 months. In spite of that, the demand during the main shopping event of the year will likely follow the usual patterns.

It is common for shopping events to see increased intentions to shop in the categories Media & Electronics. This is to a great extent caused by the promises of giant discounts in those categories. Nevertheless, due to the unforeseen situation in the supply chains and the shortage of chips, the price drops might not be that great this holiday season. TVs and laptops are some examples of items that traditionally see discounts up to 50%. However, predictions are that this year, the price drops will not be that high – if there will be any at all.

Another popular category during Black Friday is Fashion/Cosmetics. This is in many markets by far the biggest e-commerce category all year round. Therefore, its Black Friday boost is less significant than in the case of Electronics. Although casual wear is still dominant in the consumers’ preferences, there has been a slight uplift in the intentions of buying formal wear, as compared to last year. In terms of the price level, most fashion shoppers will aim for regular brands. In certain markets such as the UK or the Netherlands, premium brands are of significant importance too.

Black Friday more popular than Cyber Monday

AfterPay Insights has published a report examining the shopping behavior during the Black Friday weekend across several European countries. The common denominator is that the Food category will not benefit from the Black Friday sales. Although representing a significant part of the industry, this category is expected to remain the same or even drop.

In terms of the battle between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the first-mentioned is a clear winner. Although there is a certain overlap in the shopper bases of the two events, Black Friday attracts more than twice as many shoppers.