Black Friday 2023 marks record online spending in the UK

In the UK, Black Friday emerged as the most significant online shopping day of 2023 so far, with consumers spending 1.04 billion pounds online, marking a 4.1 percent year-over-year increase. Adobe Analytics, employed by many major retailers to enhance online shopping experiences, was used by the Adobe Digital Insights team to analyse millions of visits to retail sites, tracking prices across 100 million SKUs in 18 product categories.

Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, highlighted the ongoing importance of Black Friday for both retailers, boosting sales during the crucial holiday trading period, and consumers seeking opportunities to maximize savings.

According to UK Black Friday online spending data from Adobe Analytics:

• Holiday season spending from November 1 to November 24 reached 9.6 billion pounds, showing a 4.7 percent increase from 2022.

• UK shoppers used Buy Now Pay Later services to spend 101 million pounds on Black Friday, comprising 9.7 percent of the total online spend for the day, and marking a 3.4 percent increase from Black Friday 2022. BNPL holiday season spending-to-date (Nov 1 – 24) is 1.3 billion pounds.

• Popular products included Micro scooters, puzzles, jelly cats, slippers, gift boxes, jewellery, and personal care items like face creams and lotions. Average online prices saw a 12 percent discount compared to pre-holiday season levels, with the most substantial discounts apparel offered 14 percent cheaper.

• Click and collect usage rose to 8 percent of orders on Black Friday (for retailers offering the service), up from 6.4 percent the previous year, indicating a 24.7 percent growth in service utilisation.

• In London, total online Black Friday spending reached 251 million pounds, showing a 4.6 percent year-over-year increase.

As Black Friday emerged as the pinnacle of online shopping in the UK for 2023, the robust 1.04 billion pounds spending reflects the consumer appetite for seizing compelling discounts.