Black Friday 2015 will see UK shoppers nearly double their spend on clothing and accessories, with online retailers enjoying average order values (AOVs) of £122.
That’s according to research by cloud marketing software company Emarsys, which casts retail insights on what digital commerce group Salmon has predicted to be the first UK shopping day to break the £1 billion mark.
The report found that the number of UK consumers making purchases will increase by over 400% during Black Friday, compared to the daily average monitored by Emarsys.
They’ll be spending more than usual, with AOVs rising 118% above the norm.
But it’s fashion retailers who will really need to capitalise on the surge in spend on November 27, as purchases on clothing and accessories increase 500% on regular levels.
Long-term ROI
On Black Friday 2014, the interest in online fashion moved up a gear. The apparel sector alone witnessed a 62% year-on-year in search query growth between Black Friday 2014 and the same day in 2013, according to Periscopix, driven largely by mobile.
But fashion discount-seekers weren’t restricting themselves solely to the one day, as Neighbouring Cyber Monday last year also saw a similar volume of related searches.
The likes of ASOS and House of Fraser are expected to win big on the day and have already revealed a number of clues about their participation.
However, some of the more high-end brands have vowed to resist the temptation of firing discounts at shoppers. UK-based retailer Jigsaw has gone as far as publishing a ‘Black Friday Manifesto’ on its website to explain its reasons for running business as usual.
Commenting on Emarsys’s original findings, Steven Ledgerwood, the group’s UK managing director, spoke of the huge opportunity for retailers to increase revenue and conversion rates from both new and existing customers during Black Friday.
“By combining big data and technology with a creative human touch, retailers e-commerce sites and brands can reinforce their current customer relationships and start new ones – using a more personalised approach to communications ensuring their Black Friday investment creates long-term ROI.”