Black Friday shopping habits survey

40% of Brits worried about missing out on Black Friday sales

This year nearly one-in-three Brits (32%) will set their alarms or stay up late so that they can grab an early morning Black Friday or Cyber Monday bargain, research by motoring and cycling retailer Halfords has found.

The study of 2,000 adults revealed the lengths many will go to in order to secure a good deal. 17% will get in their cars to make sure that they get the best possible deals, and of those that do, 24% will drive between 6 and 20 miles in search of them.

The Black Friday shopping season can make many nervous, with almost 40% admitting to feeling anxious that they will miss out. If they see items selling out, it makes 48% more determined to get what they want.

66% of shoppers delay self-gratification and wait for Black Friday to bag a bargain for themselves, with 53% admitting to delaying buying something for between three to six weeks.

The study also looked at the most popular products over the season. 54% think that technology products have the best savings.

20% use the period to buy toys including kid’s bikes, scooters and ride-on toys, 18% buy TVs, 9% use it as an opportunity to purchase health and fitness gadgets including bikes and fitness trackers, and 6% use it to buy car accessories such as dash cams and sat navs.

31% of those surveyed will budget for the shopping period, and typically 22% will set aside between £200-£300, while 14% have estimated that they will spend between £300 and £500.

63% of those surveyed will buy their Christmas presents on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, with one-in-five (22%) doing all of their Christmas shopping during that period.

But it’s not just festive presents that are popular, 35% have admitted to buying birthday presents during the period too, with 20% buying them up to four-five months in advance.

Halfords Digital Director Matt Gratze says: “It’s clear from these findings that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still likely to be the biggest shopping periods of the year, with shoppers using the season to snap up Christmas presents, birthday bargains and gifts that last beyond. The research also reveals that customers aren’t just snapping up impulse buys, but buying products that keep on giving, whether that’s in-car gadgets, health and fitness products or technology.”

To get ready for the season Matt Gratze advises: “Prepare a few days in advance, note the products that catch your eye and make sure you’re subscribed to the relevant Facebook and Twitter pages to get real time information on the latest deals.”

In order to ensure no customer leaves empty-handed on Black Friday and over Christmas Halfords are recruiting an extra 350 temporary staff for the season. Halfords Black Friday offers begin from 1st November with its series countdown deals on a wide variety of motoring, cycling and technology products.

For more information visit: https://www.halfords.com/advice/promotions/offers/black-friday-competition

*Halfords Black Friday Cyber Monday Research carried out by OnePoll between 28/9/18 and 3/10/18 with 2,000 adults polled.