General
German trade union Verdi is currently taking action at seven distribution centres of e-commerce company Amazon. It is no coincidence that the strike takes place during the Black Friday bargain festival.
» Read more
In France, Black Friday will be delayed by one week: Minister of Economy Bruno Le Maire is asking for the sales event to be postponed. Retailers agree on the condition that all stores are allowed to reopen.
Both retailers and consumers predict the festive season to be full of discounts and e-commerce. But will it also be the usual peak time for retail? There is low confidence in having a sales boost this Christmas.
Is a bargain event like Black Friday a good idea during this coronavirus pandemic? Dutch retail workers are calling out 'not to put public health on sale', French retailers are even asking for a ban.
Black Friday has a new spin-off: ‘Make up your mind Monday', the day which sees the most returns from bargain hunters who regret their decisions. It signals a major problem, as returns in the holiday season cost retailers several billions.
According to initial estimates, American consumers have spent around 9.4 billion dollars (8.5 billion euros) on online purchases on Cyber Monday. That day has now broken the Black Friday record and becomes be the second biggest bargain day of the year.
France is considering banning Black Friday under the French anti-waste law, even though a new record of 57 million card payments was reached this year - compared to just 50 million last year.
Black Friday, the American shopping festivity that broke every record last year in Belgium, is successful but also controversial. Major chains may reap the benefits, but smaller retailers are beginning to resist the endless discounts.
Fashion
Move over, Black Friday! This week, Belgium launches its own national e-commerce event as Jack & Jones, Kiabi, La Redoute, Sarenza, Tape à l'Oeil and Veritas organise the first Belgian Friday.
m-Tail
During Thanksgiving weekend in the United States, which contains Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there was a big surge in mobile sales. Those two days saw a total sales figure of almost twelve billion dollar (just shy of ten billion euro).
Mailboxes filled with “Black Friday” offers, long ad sections on the radio and a flow of Black Friday commercials on the television: there was no escaping it this year. “Black Friday is Golden Friday” for the Belgian retailer”, store federation Comeos said.
Amazon Germany’s employees chose Black Friday to strike, demanding more pay and improved labour conditions. It will continue its strike until Saturday evening.
Move aside Christmas turnover, Singles’ Day is the world’s largest shopping holiday – by far. Last year, Alibaba generated a 22 billion euro turnover in a single day! As even local websites (like Bol.com) are starting to take advantage of the day, are we heading to a new retail calendar?
American outdoor brand Patagonia has donated all of its Black Friday turnover to charity. In total, more than nie million euro went to charity, a lot more than expected.
