74% of UK shoppers will avoid physical stores on Black Friday

FRIMLEY, UK, 19 November 2019 —74% of UK consumers won’t hit High Street for Black Friday offers, with over half saying they never shop in-store during the sales event. This is according to a study from Genesys® (https://www.genesys.com/en-gb), the global leader in omnichannel customer experience and contact center solutions. 30% of UK shoppers cite crowded stores as the biggest reason for avoiding Black Friday events.

Of the 74% of UK consumers not shopping in brick and mortar stores this Black Friday, over half (53%) say they “never” go to hunt for bargains. What makes things more challenging for retailers is that 21% of shoppers used to go shopping in-store during Black Friday but have since stopped, suggesting that retailers need to entice shoppers with more than offers to return to physical stores.

The Black Friday shopping trend is pointing more towards online with more than a quarter (27%) of UK consumers saying they prefer it because it’s easier. However, where this is seen as more convenient, 85% of UK consumers base their purchasing decisions on how well a retailer deals with customer service issues. The second biggest influence on spending decision for 43% of consumers is value for money.

“During this heightened shopping season, consumers not only look for the best possible deals, but increasingly base their purchasing decisions on how well businesses respond to issues, such as making returns and requesting technical support,” said Mark Armstrong, Vice President for UK and Ireland at Genesys. “Therefore, it is important that regardless of the sales channel, whether in-store or online, brands provide positive experiences and have the means to effectively communicate with customers to solve queries or complaints.”

The Generational Divide

When it comes to generational differences, Millennial and Baby Boomer shoppers are completely aligned. in fact, 89% of neither generation intends to shop in a physical store this Black Friday. Interestingly, 68% of Generation X shoppers – those aged between 35-54 and sit between Millennials and Baby Boomers say they won’t shop in store either. It’s clear in-store Black Friday events lack appeal for all generations of shoppers.

Less than a quarter of Boomers (23%) will shop online for Black Friday deals instead of visiting a physical store compared to 38% of Generation X and 32% of Millennial shoppers. This could be down to Boomers being less internet-savvy than younger generations but these findings could also suggest that physical, online and multichannel retailers could be losing Black Friday revenue by failing to provide customer experiences that cater for older shoppers.

Survey Methodology

 

Genesys commissioned third-party research consultancy Vitreous World to conduct online surveys in five countries of 4,005 adult consumers. The margin of error is plus/minus 1.5 percent.

 

About Genesys

Genesys® powers more than 25 billion of the world’s best customer experiences each year. Our success comes from connecting employee and customer conversations on any channel. Every day, 11,000 companies in more than 100 countries trust our #1 customer experience platform to drive great business outcomes and create lasting relationships. Combining the best of technology and human ingenuity, we build solutions that mirror natural communication and work the way you think. Our industry-leading solutions foster true omnichannel engagement because they perform equally well across channels, on-premise and in the cloud. Experience communication as it should be: fluid, instinctive and profoundly empowering. Visit genesys.com on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and the Genesys blog.

 

Contact:

 

Genesys

Janne Virtanen
Senior Public Relations Manager – EMEA
Tel.: +44 7408 885 099

janne.virtanen@genesys.com

Whiteoaks International,

genesys@whiteoaks.co.uk

+44 1252 727 313