Black Friday 2017 is shaping up to be an especially busy one, a Periscope by McKinsey study has revealed. Compared to 26% in 2016, 44% of American consumers surveyed said that they intend to spend money on November 24th. The rise is even more striking in the UK with 81% saying that they intend to purchase items on Black Friday, compared to just 22% last year.
Not surprisingly, shoppers in both countries said that they enjoy shopping on Black Friday more than on other days because of the availability of Black Friday exclusive deals and low prices. Unique offers and significant discounting represented 75% and 84% of the motivation to shop on Black Friday in the U.S. and the UK, respectively.
Another key difference for this year is the amount of people looking to shop online. In 2016, only 18% of U.S. and 11% of UK consumers planned to divide their shopping between online and in-store. However, for 2017, 36% of U.S. and 31% of UK consumers plan to mix their shopping strategy between online and in-store – virtually double.
For ecommerce stores, the increased traffic on Black Friday can be a huge opportunity. But there's also a lot of competition for the attention of shoppers. For more on how to leverage social media to reach and convert the most online shoppers as possible, check out our latest infographic.