What will you buy this Black Friday?
The US tradition of Black Friday has become one of the most anticipated days for dedicated bargain hunters. The Middle East has developed its own bigger— and better — version of this event. These sales go the extra mile by running for up to four days each November. Black Friday represents the best (and final) opportunity of the year for Gulf shoppers to bag a deal ahead of the holiday season — especially in the UAE. Given the impact on percentage of their annual sales, brands need to develop specific content and e-trade marketing strategies for this period and really understand what tactics to employ to cut through the ‘white noise’.
Whether sales are black, white, yellow, cyber or single, the importance of planning and executing for these events to our clients cannot be underestimated. These days very few categories are excluded from impact of online shopping festivals, From food and clothing to electronics and beauty, and everything in between, increased spending activity at these times has not only become the norm in the UAE and Middle East, but transforming in-store purchasing habits and as such occasions have rightly become a focus of brands marketing activity.
In Saudi Arabia, Amazon emerged as the sector leader, where 41 per cent of those surveyed by Twitter said they intend to use the platform on White Friday, followed closely by noon, at 38 per cent.
Despite a huge shift online, there are still huge opportunities to grow online sales. The region still lags the UK, US and China on in terms of ecommerce sales as a percentage of total sales.
Buy from anywhere
These days shoppers are used to buying anywhere just as long as they get quality, convenience and value. Today. neither sales day is segment-exclusive — a trend that has been accelerated in no small part by advances in marketplace e-commerce, especially with the adoption of q-commerce strategies by many of the big players.
With the ‘q’ standing for ‘quick’, this growing industry has enticed many bargain hunters away from traditional in-store models, providing major discounts online, without the need to wait days for their purchases to arrive.
Indeed, when Twitter asked Saudi shoppers about their preferences ahead of Black Friday, 21 per cent planned to shop solely online. With three-quarters of UAE consumers now preferring to shop online, and the UAE’s e-commerce sector alone forecast to increase to more than $8 billion during 202125, it’s no surprise the savviest retailers and marketplaces are embracing this model in a bid to distinguish themselves from their rivals.
Despite a huge shift online, there are still huge opportunities to grow online sales. The region still lags the UK, US and China on in terms of ecommerce sales as a percentage of total sales in pretty much every category. So there’s still much to play for.
It’s true the pandemic accelerated the shift of online in the region, but it’s also true that shopping festivals are hugely responsible for maintaining that momentum here.
From a regional perspective, Black Friday and its multicolour constituents are most popular among customers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Last year, for example, Black Friday saw shopping app installation increase by 24 per cent in the UAE.
However, with 41 per cent of UAE residents choosing to shop both in-store and online during these events, physical outlets are continuing to hold their own. For brands and retailers, there really in no choice but to show up at your best and with consistency wherever you sell.