There are those who are already in the Black Friday mood since the beginning of the week making unmissable promotions to the consumer. And there are also those who are in the final preparations, just waiting for the most important Friday for the retail world.
Whatever the way your store is dealing with the event, it must have already become clear that this year will be different in several aspects, whether in how the consumer will be dealing with promotions, what their priorities will be when closing deals, and even the large portion of retailers entering the digital world.
If you are wondering what to expect from this Black Fridayyou will like to know some data and trends for online retail on the date. This data was presented at the Black Friday SeasonThe event was attended by several professionals from the industry and retail.
In this article we will talk about some of the more interesting perspectives about Black Friday 2020, according to studies by Google and major retailers.
The participation of the e-commerce sector in Black Friday
With the adversities we have been through this year due to the pandemic, people needed to adopt different ways of living their days, adapting their routines and finding alternative means to do tasks that are commonly present in their daily lives, but that were previously done exclusively in person.
This adaptation extended to the way people consume products, which resulted in the the protagonism of e-commerce in total retail. In the first months of the year, the segment represented about 12.6% of retail trade, much of this prominence came by the scenario of closed physical points adding to a new trend of people's consumption, which resulted in the last 12 months the sector's participation corresponding to 7.1%.
Speaking of new consumer trends, it is not difficult to know about the digital transformation that many companies had to go through to adapt to the market. According to data presented by Rodrigo Chamorro (Google Brazil Retail Insights Manager), there were 7.3 million new e-shoppers, that is, people who experienced for the first time buying online.
When we talk about e-shoppers we see a growth not only of new entrants but also a significant increase in purchases made by people who were already used to consuming online. According to the data presented, 54% of the people surveyed are buying more online now, in addition, 38% are buying items that they used to buy in the physical store, which contributes to the growth of search for categories that were less common before, such as food and beverages, health care items and personal care items.
For Black Friday, interesting consumption behaviors are expected in some categories. For example, in the furniture and decoration category, which has been showing peaks above those of the 2019 black friday. This is due to the moment of adjustments, where people are looking for ways to improve their environments and have more comfort.
As for categories of high demand in previous editions such as TV and video, telephony and home appliances, it is expected to show peaks below last year's edition, because the consumer is making much more rational purchases.
And finally, categories that were not in the searches on the previous Black Friday are starting to have significant searches, as is the case of the food/beverage and grocery categories.
We can observe that this Black Friday will have a greater diversity of searches and consumer needs. With the new online shopping habits, companies that are already consolidated and companies that have only recently entered the online segment (that's right, 52% of e-shoppers bought online from stores they had not bought from before), will have great opportunities in sales.
The online shopping experience expected on Black Friday
Even with the gradual resumption of the physical point, the e-commerce sector keeps growing and this is due to the fact that the physical retail is losing its immersion aspects (to be able to touch and feel the product, have a direct contact with people and brand, and etc.) by the fact that people are worried about security, which leads us to the expectations with the online shopping experience.
Comparing the reasons for buying online in pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods, we can see that motivations have changed, as well as what is expected from the shopping experience in each channel, whether physical or online.
Online shopping in the pre-pandemic was synonymous with practicality and convenience; the purchases were rational and more thoughtful. Shopping in physical commerce, on the other hand, was synonym of more immersive and emotional shopping, which changes in the post-pandemic scenario, where it becomes something faster, with less contact with products and environment failing to rescue the symbolic emotional value.
Online shopping motivations have become more demanding, with new people coming into e-commerce. A large part of the new users expect an experience more similar to the physical store, and also expect to find more diversity and categories.
The expectations of those who will buy online on this Black Friday are mainly linked to the search for more convenience, a more immersive experience, and a more immersive and interactive experience. multichannel. With the possibility of pick up at the storeDrive thru, make product reservations or solutions that make the experience more practical.
Another way to avoid anxiety and uncertainty at the time of purchase, is to have rich content about your store's products. A study conducted by Google shows that searches per unit sold doubled in the second quarter. It is worth investing in updating the descriptions, inserting diversity in content so that the user does not need to leave your domain to search more about his possible purchase (and end up choosing the competition).
In addition, the user is aware of anti-covid protocols, which procedures the brand is performing in its internal processes and logistics. Therefore, it is worth investing in a communication focused on minimizing risk and understanding what is important to each consumer.
With this, it's easy to understand that what is expected of Black Friday 2020 is a greater participation of online commerce, with users with diverse needs and expectations focused on the shopping experience and communications that confirm the anti-covid protocols adopted by the brands.
So, what are you looking forward to this Black Friday? If you are looking for a partner to help you in the evolution of your store to be prepared for Black Friday, contact our team get to know our solutions.
