Retailers brace for £9.52bn Black Friday blitz

• UK shoppers to spend £3.36bn on Black Friday – up 5.7 percent YoY
• Cyber Monday to see sales hit £3.38bn outperforming all other days over Black Friday weekend
• Online sales (£5.13bn) to exceed offline sales (£4.39bn) as consumers choose sofa-surfing over the in-store experience.

UK consumers forecast to splurge £3.36bn this Black Friday as consumers take advantage of pre-Christmas deals and discounts.

The Shopping for Christmas Report: Black Friday Weekend by VoucherCodes.co.uk reveals retailers are set for a Black Friday bonanza with sales over the weekend (28th Nov – 1st Dec) set to hit £9.52bn – that’s 4.2 percent more than last year.

With three-quarters of shoppers expecting to spend more or the same as last year (76 percent), Black Friday itself will see sales rise 5.7 percent year-on-year, giving retailers an extra £0.18bn in their bank accounts.

Whilst Black Friday is set for the biggest sales uplift, Cyber Monday is expected to see the highest sales figures over the weekend at £3.38bn – that’s a rise of 1.7 percent YoY and a rebound from the 1.7 percent decline seen last year. Over the Saturday and Sunday, a more modest £2.78bn will be spent both online or in-store (+5.4 percent YoY.)

Forecast Black Friday weekend retail sales – 2024 actuals, 2025 forecast

Following the trend of the past five years, the majority of all Black Friday spending will take place online (53.9 percent) as shoppers take advantage of the ease and convenience of online ordering. The Black Friday weekend will generate £5.13bn for online retailers – a growth of 5.8 percent YoY.

Although bricks and mortar retailers will see a lower proportion of spend, they can still look forward to a healthy influx of £4.39bn and a YoY uplift of 2.4 percent with shoppers braving the high street on Cyber Monday in particular, in search of in-person deals

Moji Oshisanya, Chief Commercial Officer at VoucherCodes.co.uk, comments: “The deals might’ve started weeks ago but the height of Black Friday shopping chaos is still to come. With sales set to peak on Cyber Monday, there’s plenty of time for retailers to refine their strategies and maximise Black Friday sales.

The key to a successful Black Friday is all about being agile. Consumers are more savvy than ever – they know how to find the best deals and they’re prepared to shop around and even hold off purchasing for a bigger discount. Affiliates can be a great solution, enabling brands to react quickly to changes in demand and give sales a last-minute boost through highlighting products, pinpointing specific audiences, or offering additional value to customers.”

Image courtesy of Unsplash. Photo credit: Sarah B.