Last Updated on: 15th July 2023, 04:50 pm
For those who remember Black Friday in the late 1990s, it was like an unstoppable tsunami that swallowed everything in its path. Stores stopped accepting returns of bulky products such as refrigerators and clothes because they were piled up so high on the floor, the aisles were blocked and many shelves and displays were empty.
Some stores saw their sales sink by 90 percent as customers sought out quick-hit deals, pushing the average spend of each shopper on Black Friday to nearly $1,000 in the late 1990s.
It Was Madness.
Although we saw more and more Black Friday sales in the following years, some people refused to get involved.
They told me that with Black Friday 2021, there is so much focus on one-stop shopping and the idea that everyone is out in the aisles searching for a bargain.
There’s nothing wrong with one-stop shopping
But the biggest challenge facing retailers and department stores these days is that most people aren’t shopping on Black Friday for one-stop shopping.
The smart ones understand that most shoppers are one-click shopping these days, meaning it’s no longer about wandering the aisles for a deal but instead searching through what retailers have on offer online.
Shoppers today have access to more information than ever before, which means they can make well-informed decisions.
Instead of simply going to the store because a salesperson told them to, customers are researching, comparing, saving, and checking prices before visiting the store.
Online retailers also employ an army of Black Friday salespeople to hound shoppers, trying to convince them to make a purchase.
While this helps retailers generate additional sales, it takes a lot of staff resources to contact customers and attempt to convert them into buyers.
Unfortunately, those salespeople end up setting fire to the environment.
To convert customers from online shopping, stores need to spend just as much effort and resources convincing them that Black Friday is worth going out on a freezing winter night in search of a deal on a dishwasher or refrigerator.
But online retailers don’t have the same physical footprint and have already spent a lot of money on their online infrastructure to drive traffic. So they are already spending less on promotion and advertising — another resource companies need to convert shoppers to buyers.
Online retailers also employ a different mentality, knowing that their products will likely be returned and sent to them for an exchange.
In fact, research shows that the average consumer returning an online purchase is 3.5 times more likely to buy again, and research from Kaggle shows that returns rates are very similar between online retailers with and without physical stores.
We can’t control the weather, the cold, or the harsh behavior of consumers on Black Friday. But we can control our actions and our decisions, and that means respecting the season and doing our best to live by our own ethical principles when shopping.
Top 10 Bestselling Black Friday Deals 2021
1. Fitbit Charge 3 Activity Tracker — $79.99 ( original $129.99)
2. Google Home Hub Smart Display with Google Assistant — $99 ( original $149.00)
3. Google Home Mini Smart Speaker — $29 ( original $49.00)
4. Beats by Dr. Dre Studio3 Wireless Headphones — $199.95 ( original $299.95)
5. Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle (Switch and game) — $299.95 (original $359.99)
6. Apple iPad (2018, WiFi) — $249.99 (original price of $329.99)
7. Apple Watch Series 3 42mm — $269.00 (original price of $329.00)
8. PlayStation 4 1TB Marvel’s Spider-Man Bundle — $199.99 (original price of $299.99)
9. KitchenAid KSM125 3.5 qt. Stand Mixer — $209.99 (original price of $279.99)
10. PlayStation VR Skyrim bundle — $199.99 (original price of $399.99)
