The number of retailers that have started Black Friday sales early has increased by 78%, according to a study by retail analyst IMRG and Capgemini.
Black Friday is falls on November 25 this year, but researchers found a major uptick in the number of retailers offering discounts in the first half of this month among the 305 that participated in the study.
A check online at the UK’s largest watch and jewellery chains found none of them have started Black Friday sales, although there are other incentives such as price cuts, interest-free and zero deposit finance, and free gifts available.
Fraser Hart and H. Samuel have pop-ups encouraging shoppers to join a mailing list to be reminded of Black Friday offers. Ernest Jones has a Black Friday Preview of jewellery that will be sold at 30% off.
Beaverbrooks has taken a Google advert to promote its Black Friday watches and jewellery sale, but it has not yet begun.
Simon Binge, commerce senior manager, customer transformation at Capgemini, suggests the wider retail market has moved earlier.
“As predicted, UK retailers are beginning their Black Friday campaigns earlier than ever before in an attempt to stimulate demand. What is more surprising is the number of retailers who have launched their campaigns early – more than double each day from 2nd November compared to the same days in 2021 – but also the relative lack of activity from shoppers. Despite a huge amount of activity from retailers sales for the first week of November still trail last year at -2.7% YOY.  These early results are likely to be causing retailers to review their promotional plans for the Black Friday weekend, opting for deeper discounts and more attractive promotions, with the goal of winning the greatest share possible of an ever-shrinking wallet,” Mr Binge says.
