Black Friday back with a bang

Black Friday back with a bang as retailers see 18% jump in spending, but Saturday goes even higher

Saturday beats Black Friday spending by 5% to create biggest shopping weekend in months

Auckland, New Zealand - 29 November 2017 - Data from Vend, the New Zealand-based global retail management software firm, shows a bumper Black Friday for local retailers this year. According to Vend’s figures, retail stores saw an 18% increase in spending on Black Friday compared to the average Friday in October and November, with discounting levels up by 24%.

Retailers also fared better than last year, with a 12% increase in sales volumes and a 5% rise in spend. This was despite discounting levels actually being 10% lower than the year before.

When looking at the entire weekend as a whole, from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, the sales spike continued, with a 13% year-on-year increase in sales, and a 12% increase in sales compared to the average weekend.

“While retailers certainly saw an uplift in sales on Black Friday, it was actually Saturday that stole the show - spending was up 15% compared to previous Saturdays in October and November, spend was also 5% higher than Black Friday, and discounting levels were the highest of recent months. Retailers know that Kiwi shoppers generally prefer to hit the stores on a Saturday so they planned for this - and it paid off,” says Dave Scheine, Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand at Vend.

“It’s also clear from our data that while attractive discounting is needed to bring those shoppers in the door on a day like Black Friday, it doesn’t necessarily mean people will spend up large - consumers are wanting to get more for less,” says Dave. “Black Friday can often be more about attracting new customers and shifting stock, than actually making good profit.”

Across our main centres, Christchurch saw the biggest jump in sales on Black Friday with a 22% increase compared to previous Fridays, while Auckland had a 14% increase and Wellington retailers saw a 9% rise.

It was fashion and apparel retailers who also fared the best - and gave the biggest discounts - with a 57% increase in sales on Black Friday and a 124% increase in discounts. Health and beauty stores experienced 33% growth in sales, followed by home, lifestyle and gift stores with a 31% increase, and sports, hobbies and toy stores which had a small lift of 3%.

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