• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, September 15, 2021

Email teams should gear up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Their customers are certainly doing so -- especially the younger ones. And they want deals, according to shopping resource BlackFriday.com.

Of the consumers polled, 44% will shop in-store for at least some Black Friday deals, assuming the store is open. But 22% will not shop in-store. And 33% will do so only for deals/doorbusters that are unavailable or sold out online. 

In other words, consumers are putting a very tentative foot into the water. But the incentives should be there: 62% will search for as many deals as possible before purchasing, while 61% say price is the biggest determining factor for gift-buying and 58% always research deals before purchasing during the holiday season.  

Shopping in general is attracting younger consumers this year: 63% of those in the 18-44 category plan to shop for Black Friday sales in-store and/or online. But only 37% of those over age 45 expect to shop Black Friday sales. 

Where do they plan to shop? Here’s the plan:

• Big-box stores — 64% 
• Ecommerce retailers — 56% 
• Electronics stores — 32% 
• Locally owned retailers and boutiques — 27% 
• Health and beauty stores — 26%
• Home décor or improvement stores — 26%
• Sporting goods — 22%
• Luxury retailers — 15%

That top placement is good news for the Walmarts and Targets, and second place for Amazon.

But shoppers are stressed out by these issues:

• Budget/finances — 45% 
• Now knowing what to buy — 42% 
• Crowds in-store — 39%
• Getting the best deal — 38% 
• Shipping and delivery delays — 35%
• Products being out of stock — 34%
• Finding the time to shop — 25% 
• Health/sanitary/safety concerns in-store —24%

Sounds hellish, doesn’t it? But those results provide a blueprint for email planners: Offer deals, emphasize shipping (or offer it for free), address safety concerns and emphasize BOPIS — buy online, pick up in-store.  Above all, have your cross-selling and upselling mechanisms in place. 

BlackFriday.com surveyed 1,082 U.S. consumers.