Black Friday & Cyber Monday – Who fetched this year’s online shoppers?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are always key points in the online shopping calendar, and with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, staying indoors to shop seems to have been more popular than ever before.

As experts in customer data verification, Fetchify are partnered with some of the major brands who were vying for online attention this year – and we can now report some of the sectors which won (and those that lost) during the build-up to Christmas 2020…

How do the numbers stack up compared to 2019?

Every day between Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw a marked increase in online trade compared to the year before, with Black Friday shopping up by 43%, and Cyber Monday up by 61%. Interesting, the weekend in-between also saw impressive growth in sales, with Saturday up by 71% and Sunday by 76%. This shows that when implemented properly, there is plenty of scope for businesses to glean even more value from their sales promotions in around this time.

Which sectors succeeded?

We can identify the sectors which have seen significant growth this year. Animal welfare and rehousing charities experienced 172% growth in online sales, as consumers show increasing interest in supporting good causes amid lockdown.

Other big winners are both diverse and in keeping with shifting priorities during the pandemic, with online personalised card and gifting (up 83% on 2019) helping customers stay connected with loved ones. Likewise,  food recipe and ingredients box delivery services up 99%, allowing people to try new dishes and entertain themselves during a difficult year.

Which sectors lost out?

Unfortunately, some sectors weren’t quite as fortunate – though the reasons for their decline in activity can be easily pinpointed. Travel companies saw activity fall by 72%, and event ticketing was down by 80% on 2019. With more of us staying indoors and the thought of going to events or enjoying far-flung holidays currently a distant dream, it may take a little time for these areas to recover.

In the months and years ahead, as life resumes to some form of ‘normal’, regeneration of these sectors seems likely to be fuelled by the increasingly dominant digital space.