Cape Town – With Black Friday just a day away, air fryers, travel specials and discounted entertainment offers were among the things experts predicted people would spend their money on.
Approximately R17.3 billion in additional sales were anticipated from South African retailers during the Black Friday promotional period, according to recent research by the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) on behalf of fintech funder, Capital Connect.
This forecast represented a 6.7% increase over the Black Friday period in 2021.
Pick n Pay was expected to offer customers up to 65% off this year, making this its biggest discount ever on Black Friday.
Black Friday is Pick n Pay’s single largest trading day. Last year the retailer recorded sales of R800 million on the actual Black Friday alone.
Appliances and electronics remained popular Black Friday buys, said Enrico Ferigolli, executive co-head of Omnichannel at Pick n Pay.
“We sold more air fryers last week than we sold during the whole year, both in-store and online. Last week we launched our early Black Friday deals, which included incredible savings on air fryers because we know just how much our customers love them. We now see customers buying a second air fryer to make healthier on-the-go snacks."
Laurian Venter, director at OneDayOnly.co.za, shared her predictions on what they expected to be the top items that consumers would purchase.
These included apparel and accessories, for example, bucket hats, shoes, luxury fragrances and jewellery; tech products, including smartphones, gaming devices and smart home devices; homeware appliances, including air fryers, furniture and cooking accessories; travel and experiences, including all-inclusive trips to local game lodges and overseas destinations; and, groceries and household items, including washing machine pods, nappies, etc.
According to Venter, sometimes an offer seems too good to be true because it actually was.
She cautioned shoppers to perform their research to avoid a "fake" offer.
“Sometimes items appear to be heavily discounted, but upon closer examination, customers will note that the ‘original pricing’ may be artificially inflated, and the discount is not a fair reflection of the item's value,” she said.
Chris Labuschagne, chief executive of FNB Card, added his predictions: “We expect to see a return to popular categories like travel and entertainment this Black Friday as customers look to spend time with their families without any restrictions.
“In previous years, we saw spend on digital and technology, groceries and home improvement products lead in popularity due to the changing climate imposed by the pandemic.”
Overall spend from FNB card users in 2021 amounted to R2.5bn, the bank said, a 15% increase from the previous year.
The bank expected a further increase this year.
Labuschagne cautioned consumers to spend wisely.
“It is important for consumers to remember that the festive season is very long and as such, it is crucial to manage budgets by avoiding excessive spending. We encourage our customers to consider using their eBucks when shopping to minimise out-of-pocket expenses.”
Cape Times