International analysis: US retailers gear up for Black Friday Sales frenzy

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As the US national holiday of Thanksgiving (November 22) fast approaches, retailers Stateside are gearing up for one of the biggest Sales, and indeed shopping, days of the year.

Macy’s iPhone app will enable US bargain-hunters to plan Black Friday buying

Black Friday falls the day after Thanksgiving, when many eager shoppers will queue outside stores in the early hours of the morning to get the best bargains.

As the consumer becomes ever more demanding about both price and value, retailers are being forced to pull out all the stops to ensure they are the first port of call for eager Black Friday bargain-hunters.

This year, department store group Macy’s has invested to upgrade its iPhone app to help customers browse and shop for Black Friday specials specific to their local store. The aim is to enable Macy’s customers to plan their shopping in advance of the event to ensure they get the best deals in store.

In a bid to gain the biggest share of customers, retail giant Walmart will this year start its Black Friday Sale at 8pm on Thanksgiving evening, the retailer’s earliest Black Friday start ever. It will also hold a series of events focusing on different product categories.

The retailer’s Mexican operation will also take part in the frenzy this year, offering promotions as part of El Buen Fin (Mexico’s equivalent to Black Friday), organised by the Mexican government last year in an attempt to boost retail sales and revive a struggling economy.

As ecommerce continues to grow in importance, Walmart will also hold a corresponding online-only event starting early on Thanksgiving and extending into Black Friday.

This effort, of course, will be small in comparison to etail giant Amazon, which will have a Black Friday deals store online for the entire week preceding Thanksgiving. The campaign features a Deal of the Day along with limited-time, doorbuster-style Lightning Deals on items including electronics, toys, clothing and jewellery.

While the translation of Black Friday into the Mexican market has seemingly gone down very well, UK consumers are not so easily convinced.

Last year, Amazon tried to introduce Black Friday deals in Britain, but shoppers were confused and failed to understand the concept.

This year, Amazon has renamed them Early Bird Christmas Offers on its UK site in the hope that confusion will be avoided and consumer spending will increase.