It’s Black Friday 2018 and the day that’s been hyped more than ever is at last here, although many consumers mistakenly thought that last Friday was Black Friday due to the sales starting so early.
Whilst spreading the sales over a longer period helps retailers and couriers, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on Black Friday itself. Are consumers in a spendy mood or have they already splurged their cash on the early deals. There is also the question as to how good are the deals on offer and are they really deals or just pretty much the same price that you could have got last week or will be still able to get in the run up to Christmas.
“While retailers are bombarding us with promises of great discounts and time-limited sales, it’s clear that not all deals are as good as they might appear. To bag a bargain, do your research and don’t get carried away by the hype when shopping in the upcoming sales.”
– Alex Neill, Which? Managing Director of Home Products and Services
Is this is the most misleading Black Friday 2018 offer?
An ‘interesting’ deal is being offered by a large sports retailer. They have a huge banner on their home page reading “Black Friday £10* off With every £50 spent”. This sounds like a pretty good offer until you read the small print and discover that the £10 off isn’t valid for the order you’re placing today – you will be sent a voucher and can only use it for a future purchase.
It might be fair to say that consumers could be forgiven for filling their shopping cart with goods and paying only to realise that they didn’t get an instant discount and feel that the offer is misleading.
Don’t be pressured into spending
The advice from Which? is don’t feel pressured into spending as Which? Research shows that nine in 10 Black Friday ‘deals’ are the same price – or even cheaper – at other times of the year.
Of course, as retailers and online sellers we’re hoping that consumers do get spending on Black Friday 2018 and the likelihood is that they will, but if they start receiving their parcels and have a change of heart it’s all too easy to return an online purchase. Amazon make is super easy with no questions asked and eBay’s instant return labels with auto-accept returns and no input from the seller is now live.
Traditionally, the new year is the busiest time for returns, but it’s possible that if it’s a bumper Black Friday that returns could start piling up at the beginning of December.
