Consumers widely believe that stores offer the best deals of the holiday shopping season during the weekend following Thanksgiving, and they plan to be out in large numbers on 11/25/11, otherwise known to retailers as Black Friday 2011.
According to Experian’s PriceGrabber survey, 80% of consumers believe that Black Friday is the one single best day for price points. And while that’s down a bit from last year, when 86% said the same, it is still eight out of ten money-spending shoppers.
37% think that excellent deals will be available for the taking a few days later, on Cyber Monday. That actually has gone up from the 33% who said the same thing in 2010.
PriceGrabber noted, “When asked which days they plan to shop over the Thanksgiving weekend (respondents could select as many choices as they liked), 40 percent of consumers said Black Friday (Nov. 25), followed by 39 percent who said Cyber Monday (Nov. 28); 24 percent indicated Saturday (Nov. 26), 15 percent selected Sunday (Nov. 27), and 11 percent said Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24).”
Not only is Black Friday the unchallenged retail day of the season, it is also second only to Cyber Monday when it comes to online spending.
Black Friday also figures large when it comes to mobile purchases. 13% plan to use mobile devices to actually make purchases this year, with 38% planning to do do on Black Friday and 34% on Cyber Monday.
Even for those not actually buying on mobile, it will figure into the equation for many. “Shopping from a mobile device will have an impact on Black Friday sales this year, and we suspect that most mobile shoppers are targeting this day to take advantage of how shopping applications and checking prices, coupons and price drops from a mobile phone can aid consumers’ experience while they’re battling the crowds in brick-and-mortar stores,” said Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber. “We expect major retailers to tap into this consumer trend by offering great values for shoppers on Black Friday both online and in stores.”
RBR-TVBR observation: Retailers and etailers obviously will want their message on the air to drive traffic. And don’t forget those other businesses that cater to shoppers while they’re out – there are going to be a lot of people looking for a meal and receptive to broadcast messaging.
