Black Friday is a term that often strikes fear into the hearts of retailers and warehouse managers due to its potential to shrink profit margins and cause unpredictable consumer behaviour. For those selling, it is often viewed as more trouble than it’s worth, whereas for those buying, it is positioned as the perfect time of year to snag a deal.
With Black Friday searches dropping year on year, there were indications that the sales period might be waning in popularity. However, according to data from Glimpse and Google Trends, Black Friday searches could be as high as 40% above those seen in the UK in 2023.
The data reveals that searches for the term ‘Black Friday’ in the UK reached 598,000 in October 2023 and peaked at 7,200,000 in November 2023.
In October 2024, Black Friday searches were at 837,000, almost 40% higher than in October 2023. In 2023, the volume in November was 12 times higher than in October, if that trend continues in 2024, Black Friday searches could reach over 10 million in the UK provided the spike trend remains. These levels have not been seen since before the pandemic.
The search volume increases each November, which reflects the recurring interest in the shopping event every year. In October 2019, the search volume reached 13 million, with a significant increase over the past quarter and the highest we have seen over the years.
Projections for Black Friday 2024 indicate a similar sharp increase, suggesting a strong recovery and renewed interest among consumers in sales around this period.
Many people feel the need to stay up-to-date with current trends and modern gadgets. Black Friday offers the ‘perfect opportunity’ to buy desired items at lower prices and within budget. This post-pandemic behaviour might reflect a consumer focus on spending wisely during periods of maximum savings.
Black Friday may seem positive for shoppers, but the spikes in volume can create challenges for a retailer's fulfilment process, as Charlie Armor, MD of OrderFlow, comments:
“The unpredictable nature of Black Friday promotions can make them very disruptive to the retailer’s fulfilment process. It’s important that the marketing department and the fulfilment operation work closely together to identify the possible business impact of sudden spikes in sales volume and that the warehouse team have a plan that will allow them to fulfil the additional orders without affecting the service provided to other customers.
A flexible WMS platform that allows the retailer to process specific promotions in bulk is critical to ensuring that retailers can capitalise on the opportunity ‘Black Friday’ can present.”
Black Friday continues to be a big shopping event and it is important to carefully consider its impact on retailer’s warehouse operations when promotions are put together.
Warehouses that invest in a modern WMS platform and are proactive in designing streamlined fulfilment processes for high volume ‘special offer’ orders will be able to handle the surge in demand, ensuring that they deliver on time and maintain a competitive edge.
enquiries@orderflow-wms.co.uk
+44 (0)1249 750564