Britons set to spend £4bn more this Black Friday despite scam fears

Britons are set to spend £4 billion more over this year’s Black Friday weekend than last year, despite increasing concern among consumers about poor deals and scams, figures suggest.

Spending is set to reach almost £14 billion over the sales event, with consumers holding off on major purchases beforehand and planning to buy for Christmas, a survey for e-commerce marketing platform Omnisend found.

Black Friday still dominates the sales period, with shoppers spending £299 on average on the sales, an increase of £83 year-on-year.

However, Cyber Monday and the days following the sales weekend will also see a rise in spending, with the average basket now totalling £229 – up £70 from last year.

Omnisend has predicted that a third of consumers plan to spend more than last year, while just 14% expect to cut back.

Amazon remains the top destination for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers, with 76% looking for deals across the retailer, but many are also turning to Chinese marketplaces such as Temu (22%), Shein (21%) and TikTok Shop (14%).

Previous Omnisend data suggests that 71% of consumers plan to cut spending overall at Christmas, putting further pressure on retailers to “get it right” over the Black Friday weekend from November 28-30.

However, the spectre of spiralling debt is influencing spending decisions, with buy now, pay later (BNPL) options such as Klarna and PayPal unlikely to prove as popular this year, the poll found.

Just 17% of people say that they will use BNPL options over the Black Friday weekend, rising to a third of people (32%) who would consider using it for big ticket purchases only.

Clothing and accessories remain the most popular category, with half of UK shoppers (49%) planning to make fashion purchases, followed by technology and electronics (45%), and toys (28%), as families plan ahead for festive gifts.

Marty Bauer, retail and ecommerce spokesman at Omnisend, said: “This notorious American sales event has been popular in the UK now for the best part of a decade and it looks likely to be another busy year for retailers.

“In the weeks leading up to Black Friday, start researching the regular prices of items you’re interested in. It pays to start scouting potential deals early.

“Many retailers inflate prices leading up to Black Friday, only to offer discounts that may not be as significant as they seem. Knowing the original price helps you determine if a deal is genuine.

“If you are signed up for newsletter emails from a brand, go back and look at their offers from last year. Many brands have pricing strategies that don’t change much from year to year, so this will give you a good indication of which products go on sale and when, helping you understand when a deal is actually a deal.”

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The figures come as consumer groups warned shoppers to be “extra cautious” with Black Friday deals.

Citizens Advice consumer expert Jane Parsons said: “Black Friday is a prime opportunity for cyber scammers to take advantage of consumers looking to bag a bargain.

“By tempting people with special offers, fake reviews and sought-after items at rock bottom prices, criminals will try to catch people out by disguising their scams as legitimate deals.

“They will often create a sense of urgency to steal your money so don’t rush your purchase. Research the company you’re buying from and be wary of suspicious web links. Paying by debit or credit card can also give you extra protection if things go wrong.”

Which? consumer law expert Lisa Webb said: “With Black Friday bargains bombarding your email inbox and social media feeds, it can be hard to weed out the legitimate offers from the scams.

“Shoppers should be extra cautious with Black Friday deal emails and double check the email address is genuinely from the retailer before clicking on anything. If you are unsure if an offer is genuine, check the retailer’s website directly.

“On social media, treat any deals posted from newly created accounts with suspicion. You can use a domain checker like who.is to check when the website was created – any newly created website should ring alarm bells.

“If you think you might have fallen victim to a Black Friday scam, call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your bank card and report it to Action Fraud or call the police on 101 if you’re in Scotland.”

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