41% of UK shoppers plan to shop on Black Friday

According to a survey among 1,000 UK household shopping decision makers carried out by shopper marketing agency Savvy, 94% of UK shoppers are ‘fully aware’ of Black Friday as a retail event.

Black Friday is a US import, taking place the day after Thanksgiving – the fourth Thursday in November. The day traditionally marks the start of the Christmas gift-buying season, and this year takes place on Friday November 27.

41% of all UK shoppers say they are planning to get involved in the event this year, with women slightly more likely to do so than men ( 43% compared with 38%). 58% of 18-24 year olds are intending to shop that day – the highest proportion of any age group. Electricals are most likely to be purchased on the day.

“Despite the negative publicity the event attracted last year – with sites crashing due to high traffic volumes and crushes seen in-store, Black Friday is now an established and major trading event for UK retailers with awareness exceeding critical mass,” said Catherine Shuttleworth, CEO at Savvy.

“Even with stores such as Asda taking a step back from the event, many retailers fully recognise that shopper interest has grown. As a result we’re expecting to see more happening online this year rather than in-store.”