Black Friday: More than just hype
The bargain day that kicked off Christmas shopping and got rid of old stock has become so big that it needs cloud capacity
For something that’s not been in SA for too many years, Black Friday promotional sales are making a noticeable impact on the local retail sector. Conceived in the US in 1952 as the start of Christmas season shopping the day after Thanksgiving, the name Black Friday began to be used only in the early 2000s. It has come to be seen as a way for retail chains to get rid of stock — including dated electronic goods — at large discounts on the last Friday of November. In SA, the sales extravaganza has morphed into a marketing tool for e-tailers looking for a way to generate interest in buying things online. According to World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck, Black Friday has proved to be effective in getting people to buy online. "Our research has shown over the years that, as people become more experienced in using the internet, their propensity to shop online increases. This is part of a World Wide Worx model known as the digital participation curve." The missing factor in the curve, he ad...
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