Johannesburg - Whether you like it or not, Black Friday fever has hit South Africa, with retailers, fast-food chains and small businesses hoping for record sales today, following an aggressive marketing drive to entice shoppers with discounts on a wide range of products.
Domestic retailers have caught on to Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving Day in the US - which is regarded as the start of the Christmas shopping season in that country, with shops opening very early and offering promotional sales.
Black Friday comes at a time when consumers are increasingly indebted, leaving them little to no spending power.
Analyst Chris Moerdyk said that while many local retailers had embraced the Black Friday phenomenon, it was still not as huge as it was in the US and not many of them fully understood what it was about.
Moerdyk said US retailers used the day to offer phenomenal bargains, and to clear stock in order for them to stock up for Christmas.
He said local retailers were missing the boat offering good deals, but these were not the huge discounts found in the US.
“In South Africa I get the feeling that they are using Black Friday as a promotional gimmick rather than using it to offer bargains,” Moerdyk said.
“But I am expecting it to grow. In a few years, it is going to be big in South Africa.”
Among companies that have offered specials for Black Friday are online travel website Travelstart, technology retailer Dion Wired, MSC Cruises and online shopping retailers Spree and Takealot.
Big food retailers such as Checkers and Pick n Pay are discounting prices by up to 50 percent on everyday products and consumers can look forward to real, substantial savings on essential items, such as washing powder and nappies.
Shoprite marketing director Neil Schreuder said the company offered great discounts on Christmas gifts, including 40 percent off on one of the world’s hottest tech toys.
“In 2015, Checkers served more than a million customers on the day and sold enough Coke to fill more than three Olympic-sized swimming pools,” Schreuder said.
“An even greater response is expected this year, so extensive planning was done to ensure we again offer value to all and our stores are extending their trading hours to cater for the increased demand.”
Anton van Heerden, the executive vice-president for Africa and the Middle East at Sage, said the jury was still out on the impact of Black Friday on small business.
Van Heerden said the pros for small business was that shoppers were adventurous on Black Friday and this gave small businesses an opportunity to attract new customers.
However, he questioned how loyal these customers would be as they could simply be bargain hunters.
BUSINESS REPORT