Preliminary figures have shown that the amount spent on Black Friday has dropped this year, despite transactions increasing.
According to data from Barclaycard, which processes nearly half of all card transactions in the UK, the amount spent on Black Friday bargains this year have dropped 21 per cent, despite the number of transactions rising 16 per cent.
Though physical sales may not have provided the boost many retailers had been hoping for after a difficult year, separate data suggests online sales are a different story.
Figures from Loqate suggest that between midnight and 10am online transactions rose 55 per cent on last year, including a 78 per cent boost before 7 am.
It added that for the first time ever mobile phones were the preferred method of shopping, with 56 per cent of all online transactions made via a smartphone.
“Despite fears around Black Friday fatigue, it’s clear from the data that there is still appetite for good deals if they can be done on shoppers’ terms, and from the comfort of their own home,” Loqate commercial director Matthew Furneaux said.
“We expect majority of spending continue to be done on mobile, with few peaks for desktop as consumers log in to keep an eye on offers from work.”
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