Positive start to Black Friday for retailers
Published: Friday, Nov 24th 2023, 16:30
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The day of all bargains has been running since midnight on Friday (today). Retailers are satisfied with Black Friday sales so far.
The day got off to a "good start", according to Import Parfümerie. There was "strong demand" both online and in the stores, the company wrote in response to an inquiry from the news agency AWP. A wide variety of products such as fragrances and make-up were popular.
Satisfied with sales
The Body Shop, which also operates in the cosmetics sector, made a similar statement. According to The Body Shop, sales were at a similar level to the previous year and the company was therefore satisfied. Business at Globus was even slightly up on the previous year.
Meanwhile, many retailers saw particular growth in online shopping. As far as products were concerned, many customers were already looking for suitable Christmas gifts, they said in unison. Coop, for example, saw a very positive development in the clothing and home textiles segment.
Electronics retailers also experienced strong demand. They traditionally make particularly high sales on Black Friday.
Media Markt, Interdiscount and Brack.ch saw great interest in notebooks and gaming products, particularly games consoles. Smartphones and televisions were also very popular, as were headphones and, specifically at Media Markt, handheld vacuum cleaners. Digitec, on the other hand, saw an increase in purchases of smartphones and graphics cards from midnight onwards, as the Migros subsidiary reported on its website.
Other subsidiaries of the orange giant are also taking part in the discount battle, with Melectronics and Do it + Garden also launching a bunch of special offers in addition to Digitec's partner website Galaxus. The garden retailer is offering lawnmowers, car lamps and barbecues with heavy discounts in some cases.
Hardly any technical problems
The websites have remained largely stable so far. For example, Digitec, Brack.ch, Interdiscount and Media Markt have not experienced any problems so far. The cosmetics professionals at "The Body Shop", Import Parfümerie, Coop and Lidl Switzerland have also not experienced any technical failures.
It was a different story at electronics retailer Fust. As reported by "Blick", for example, the company's website was temporarily unable to cope with the onslaught in the morning and could no longer be accessed. It was then back online.
Lots going on in the shopping malls
Shopping centers and department stores were also very busy on Black Friday. Loeb from Bern, for example, said: "We have very high footfall in the city and especially in our department stores. The desire to buy definitely seems to be there." And at Manor, a spokeswoman did not want to give any specific sales figures, but said that Black Days and the pre-Christmas and Christmas period were "very important and strong in terms of sales".
50,000 visitors are expected at the Glattzentrum in Wallisellen, Zurich, on Black Friday. Opening hours have been extended until 10 p.m. for the bargain day. The extended opening hours also show how important the discount day has become for the stores.
Or as "The Body Shop" puts it: "Many consumers wait for this date; it has become an integral part of the Christmas business for them." It sounds similar at Brack.ch, where the campaign days are an integral part of the annual planning. And Interdiscount explains that Black Friday is even the best-selling day of the year.
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