Survey: Black Friday and Cyber Monday still matter to shoppers

Retailers should pause before downscaling their plans for Black Friday and Cyber Monday holiday sales events.

According to a new consumer survey from BlackFriday.com, more than half of respondents (52%) indicated that they are very or somewhat likely to shop Black Friday sales events (either in-store or online) this year. Meanwhile, online shopping participation on Cyber Monday is expected to slightly rise from 59% of holiday shoppers in 2020 to 61% in 2021.

Black Friday shopping (in-store and online) also seems to be appealing to a younger audience for the 2021 holiday season. While 63% of survey respondents ages 18 to 44 plan to shop Black Friday sales, that number drops to 37% for those over 45.

The survey also specifically examined holiday shopper attitudes toward in-store Black Friday sales events for 2021. Results indicate in-store shopping will make a comeback in 2021, with 77% of respondents ready to shop brick-and-mortar if the store is open and/or the deal is not available online.

In addition, about two-thirds (64%) of respondents plan to shop in big box stores, such as Target and Walmart, for holiday purchases. Other popular holiday shopping destinations include e-commerce retailers (56%); department stores such as Kohl’s and Macy’s (43%), electronics stores such as Best Buy, Dell, Lenovo, and GameStop (32%); locally-owned retailers and boutiques (27%); healthy and beauty stores such as Sephora and Ulta Beauty (26%); home décor/improvement stores such as Home Depot, Lowe’s, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Pottery Barn (26%), sporting goods stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods and REI (22%); and luxury retailers such as Neiman Marcus (15%).

The survey also revealed the following respondent plans for shopping Black Friday deals:

• I will shop in-store for at least some Black Friday deals, if the retailer's store is open (44%).
• I will shop in-store for in-store-only deals/doorbusters that are not available online or are sold out online (33%).
• I will not shop in-store on Black Friday (22%).

Sixty-two percent of respondents said that they will search for as many deals or discounts as possible before purchasing. In addition, 61% say the price is the biggest determining factor for gift-buying while 58% say they always research deals before purchasing gifts during the holiday season.

Two-thirds of respondents (66%) seem to be well aware of the potential for pandemic-induced shipping delays this year and are planning to get their holiday shopping done as early as possible.

The survey also uncovered the following leading causes of holiday shopping stress for respondents:

• Budget/finances (45%).
• Not knowing what to buy (42%).
• Crowds in-store (39%).
• Getting the best deal (38%).
• Shipping and delivery delays (35%).
• Products being out of stock (34%).
• Finding the time to shop (25%).
• Hygiene, sanitary, and/or safety concerns in-store (24%).

A recent survey of U.S. and European consumers from Publicis Sapient supports the findings of BlackFriday.com. Eighty-two percent of respondents will shop on Cyber Monday, 76% will shop on Black Friday, and 55% plan to shop the entire weekend of Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

BlackFriday.com surveyed 1,082 adult U.S. shoppers who plan to shop during the holidays to discover what consumer trends will be most prevalent during Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2021.