Is Black Friday 2020 Cancelled? The answer is no. Although Black Friday won’t be the same in 2020, brands and consumers refuse to give up on this day, which has pretty much become part of our culture and has even been adopted in several other countries.
Sure, this year won’t have the typical crowds in stores, but most stores will definitely do Black Friday and have established plans and tactics that will look to achieve sales while keeping everyone safe.
To avoid crowds concentrating in-store on one day, big stores like Walmart, Best Buy, and Target, among others, have extended Black Friday so that it starts before November 27th and continues a few days after.
This way, consumers can spread their shopping across several days, which can translate into crowds that will be more manageable, more peace of mind, and an easier time to ensure compliance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC has classified “shopping at crowded stores just before, on, or after Thanksgiving” as a high-risk activity to avoid, which brings extra challenges for retailers.
For their part, Amazon started off the sale season with special offers on Amazon Prime shopping Day, on October 13th and 14th. This global event included exclusive offers just for Prime members. It was actually supposed to occur in July, but because of the COVID pandemic, it was rescheduled and pushed further back in the year.
Several brands are encouraging consumers to shop online to have a safer experience. This brings increased challenges for IT systems and web servers that will need to cope with the demand for increased web traffic and banking transactions. It will also be a challenge for delivery services that must ensure they can handle the increase in demand and the timely delivery of goods, while always maintaining compliance with COVID-safe protocols. Moreover, it does seem like a great opportunity for marketing strategies that will include QR elements in their efforts, which seems to be a great option to communicate online offers during these times.
Another action that big retailers are using to prevent crowds on Black Friday weekend is to offer curbside or in-store pickup to give people the flexibility to get their shopping safely and avoid a collapse in delivery services.
Store hours will also change. Some of the biggest stores have announced the opening of their stores at 5:00 a.m. on Friday the 27th, thus avoiding the typical large lines outside the store.
But, the more significant change is that stores are not going to offer different discounts for online or in-store shopping. That way, customers would not be tempted to go to physical retailers to enjoy Black Friday offers.
Thanksgiving 2020 will be more significant than ever, and brands know this. Some of the biggest stores like Walmart, Best Buy, Target and others will be closed on that day and give their employees the day off to stay with their families so they can enjoy a proper Thanksgiving dinner.
This decision shows that brands are trying to seem more real and connect with their consumers on a human level. In this chaotic time, when many have lost their relatives, this decision reveals that for some brands, family is more important than a sale.
Based on Amazon Prime Day shopping trends, we identified four product categories that will be the hottest items this 2020 Black Friday.
Home appliances:
Products like the new Robot Vacuum or an Electric Pressure Cooker show that people are looking for goods that help them with home chores when work and home happens in the same place.
Smart Home appliances:
Internet of things (IoT)-enabled products like smart speakers, security cameras, and electronics for home automatization are favorites for consumers who want a more connected and safer home.
4k Televisions and 9th-generation video game consoles:
Retailers are encouraging consumers to add the latest technology in TV to their Christmas list to get some impressive discounts. The pandemic has definitely increased the time we spend at home so many consumers are looking for the best technology to spend quality time with family. Furthermore, the arrival of 9th-generation video game consoles like the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S promises to revitalize the market and drive demand towards other high-definition multimedia technologies in audio and video.
Indoor Sports equipment:
Equipment to exercise at home like static bikes will definitely be one of the most sought-after products this year. Because let’s face it, the pandemic has made us look for creative ways to stay in shape while keeping safe from the virus.
Black Friday 2020 will be an opportunity for brands to connect with their consumers and prove that more than sales, the most important thing is to take care of our health and our loved ones. No retailer wants to risk huge crowds in their stores, so expect this Black Friday to show some pretty unique creative marketing efforts while stores will offer flexibility to shop, thus becoming the trends that shape this date and the upcoming holiday season.
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