Retail sales are expected to reach 2.6bn on Black Friday 2017
Online sales are expected to increase 15 per cent this year
UK retailers can expect to receive a 2.6bn boost on Black Friday 2017, an eight per cent increase on the 2.4bn spent in 2016.
On Friday 24 November, UK retail sales are expected to soar, with some 21 million shoppers spending 1.8m per minute online and in-store.
The latest research from the Centre for Retail Research and VoucherCodes has found that the biggest area of sales growth for UK retailers this Black Friday is likely to be online.
This year, some 11.6 million online shoppers are predicted to spend 1.15bn ecommerce sites on Black Friday 2017, an increase of 15 per cent for the year.
Over two thirds of people planning to shop online will do so to avoid busy crowds on the high street, the research found. Meanwhile, 41 per cent hope to escape the long in-store queues.
On high streets across the country, spending on Black Friday 2017 is likely to be more in line with 2016’s figures. Some 9.5m shoppers are expected to spend 1.45bn in bricks and mortar stores.
Black Friday 2017 spend vs 2016
Online spend
In-store spend
2016
2017
YoY % Difference
2016
2017
YoY % Difference
£1bn
?
£1.15bn
+ 15 per cent
£1.39bn
£1.45bn
+ 4 per cent
Read more: Britain’s five favourite online shopping impulse purchases revealed
Gifts for others (23 per cent), clothing (20 per cent) and home electronics (16 per cent) are likely to top the shopping lists of retail customers on Black Friday 2017.
Other popular Black Friday 2017 items include DVDs, computer games and books (15 per cent) cosmetics and perfume (15 per cent), and gadgets like smartphones and tablets (14 per cent).
Commenting on the research, senior marketing director at VoucherCodes, Paul Lewis, said: Black Friday is no longer just a day of bumper bargain deals, as an increasing number of shoppers are wising up to the phenomenal deals over the course of the weekend.
from Black Friday through to Cyber Monday, [there are] plenty of opportunities to secure a must-have item for less.
Top ten Black Friday purchases
(1) Gifts for others 23 per cent
(2) Clothing, footwear and accessories 20 per cent
(3) Home electronics (TVs, speakers, etc.) 16 per cent
Fred Heritage was previously deputy editor at Business Advice. He has a BA in politics and international relations from the University of Kent and an MA in international conflict from Kings College London.
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Online sales are expected to increase 15 per cent this year
