Report: Disillusioned Black Friday shoppers will head online

Black Friday may be considered one of the biggest shopping events of the year, but interest among consumers continues to dwindle.



Specifically, 31% of respondents in the United States said they have always disliked shopping on Black Friday, and 29% believe it is simply a marketing trick with retailers manipulating pricing to convince consumers they are getting a good deal.



This sobering insight was revealed in new findings derived from the Periscope By McKinsey analytics platform. The research is based on responses from 1,570 consumers, between 18 and 60-plus years old, across the U.S. and United Kingdom. (All data in this article references U.S. consumers only.)



Among this group, half of U.S. shoppers confirmed they have no plans to shop this year. Of those who will make a purchase, only 7% shoppers said they will limit most of their Black Friday shopping to stores, the report said.



Most prefer to shop online, or use both channels. Specifically, 39% of shoppers plan to do the majority or all of their Black Friday shopping online (compared to 35% and 33% in 2015), data showed.



Besides looking forward to the convenience of online shopping, the overwhelming majority (79%) of those headed online planning to purchase higher priced items online this Black Friday. The shift online is also attracting shoppers to Amazon Prime days.



“Black Friday is not about to disappear, but crowds and standing in line continue to be its top detractors,” said Brian Elliot, managing partner at Periscope. “As the customer experience improves online, consumers are aware and intentionally planning to shift their purchases.”



Interestingly, while all consumers spend more time using smart devices, they reported they do not plan to use mobile devices extensively for their online shopping around Black Friday. The smartphone (66%) was considered the best device for getting ideas when shopping, but was behind tablets and desktop devices when it comes to conducting deeper research and making purchases, data said.



“Retailers must take note of the behavioral changes taking place in consumers, and experiment with new models of cross channel shopping,” Elliott added. “Making these fundamental changes is not easy and requires organizations to overcome significant technological and organizational challenges for them to be successful – but they are the key to their future.”