Nine in 10 Black Friday 'deals' same price or cheaper earlier in year, study finds

Nine in 10 Black Friday ‘deals’ are the same price or even cheaper in the six months before the day, according to new research.

An investigation by consumer group Which? found that of 201 Black Friday deals last year from six major retailers, 184 of them - or 92 percent - were the same price or cheaper in the six months prior to Black Friday.

Only 17 of the deals did not fall into that category, and only one product was at its cheapest price on Black Friday alone.

Which? analysed Black Friday deals at Amazon, AO, Argos, Currys, John Lewis and Richer Sounds, comparing them with their price during the six months before and after Black Friday 2020.

Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “Our latest investigation has shown that the vast majority of Black Friday deals are not as good as they appear to be, which is why it’s so important to do your research before diving into the sales.”

Which? advised consumers to do more research before making purchases on Black Friday to avoid being duped.

According to its research, four in 10 (39 percent) of those buying baby and child products last year did little or no research on price. For home appliances, that figure was three in 10 (28 percent), and for tech products, it was one in five (18 percent).

“Take time to identify the products you really want and check that the ‘deal’ you’re seeing represents a genuine saving,” Clark said.

The Which? investigation also found that in the six months after Black Friday, almost all (98.5 percent) of the products were cheaper or the same price at some point.