On November 29th, the day after the US holiday Thanksgiving, Black Friday will take place again, followed by Cyber Monday. The auditing firm PWC conducted a representative survey of 2,000 consumers to determine what purchases Germans are planning on Black Friday.
On average, those surveyed said they wanted to spend 277 euros on Black Friday. The amount is slightly lower than last year, when 281 euros were spent. Women are a little more cautious with a budget of 241 euros than men with 310 euros. Among those who want to spend less money, 42% say they have less money available. Another 39% generally want to be more careful with their spending. 27% justify their budget reduction by wanting to reduce the number of things they own for a more minimalist lifestyle. Dr. Christian Wulff, Head of Consumer Markets at PWC Germany and EMEA, explains: “In recent years, Black Friday has established itself as an attractive shopping occasion that has become an integral part of the German consumer landscape. “Today, however, people are shopping more thoughtfully than they were a few years ago – and not only because their purchasing mood has been dampened by the tense economic situation, but also because aspects of sustainability are playing an increasingly important role when shopping.”
This can also be seen in the fact that 40% of those surveyed said they only wanted to buy products that they really needed on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Therefore, returns would be comparatively low: 42% said they had never returned a Black Friday item. 15% said that they returned fewer items during Black Week than usual. Among the product groups, electronic devices are particularly popular. 47% of those surveyed said their budget was primarily for technical devices. A third plan their budget largely for clothing, shoes and accessories. In addition, the demand for discounts increases. While last year the respondents perceived an average discount of 38% as an attractive Black Friday offer, this year the threshold is already at 50% on average.
