Experian has predicted online sales in Britain to exceed £1 billion (1.4 billion euros, $1.5 billion) for the first time ever.
Advertisement
Retailers made cut-price deals available online from midnight and many spent the night preparing to open their doors early to customers desperate to snap up discounted stock.
Best Buy is up for some awesome deals as well, starting with the 40-inch black Samsung LED Smart HDTV, that you can get at a $112 discount, meaning you’ll only have to pay $317.99 instead of the average $429.99 that is required.
In the U.S. Black Friday, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday, was so named because spending would pick up and retailers would begin to turn a profit for the year and move into the black.
Many UK retailers have said online deals will go live from midnight onwards.
But on the high street and in supermarkets there were no signs of the huge crowds which gathered a year ago, or the scuffles which broke out as customers fought over big-ticket items.
“It looks as if Black Friday spending has been more spread out this year and more weighted to online, but every indication is that the combined event will be bigger than last year”, said independent retail analyst Nick Bubb. That may have encouraged more people to shop online this year.
Visa Europe predicts shoppers will spend £721m online on its cards today, up from £616m a year ago. BLEARY-eyed Black Friday bargain hunters were given team talks before entering a store – the dos and don’ts being “no abuse or violence” and “enjoy yourselves”.
However, consumer advocates warned that shoppers should exercise caution amid the rush for bargains.
He said: “Above all, remember: if you don’t want something, don’t need it or can’t afford it, then don’t buy it”.
The retailer said: “There are record levels of demand for our website today and for some people it is taking longer than normal to shop on johnlewis.com”.
Argos: 688 Argos stores will open at 6am.
While online expenditure has certainly grown, there is still a physical presence for Black Friday in the shops.
Advertisement
The Metropolitan Police are advising Black Friday customers to use a different password for each online retailer they visit after a man was arrested on Thursday for trying to breach Tesco’s online system using usernames and passwords obtained from previous hacks.
