Black Friday Outshines Amazon Prime Days as UK's Top Shopping Event
New research from Sensormatic reveals that while Amazon Prime Deals Days attract significant attention, Black Friday remains the dominant shopping event in the UK. With 79% of consumers planning to shop on Black Friday compared to 37% for Prime Days, the traditional discount day continues to capture the majority of bargain-hunting activity. The findings highlight how UK shoppers are strategically timing their purchases across multiple retail channels to maximize savings during the peak trading season.
As the holiday shopping season approaches, UK consumers are making strategic decisions about when and where to find the best deals. According to comprehensive research from Sensormatic, Black Friday maintains its position as the premier discount shopping day in the United Kingdom, significantly outperforming Amazon's Prime Deals Days in consumer participation and planned spending.
Consumer Shopping Intentions Revealed
The Sensormatic research provides clear insights into UK shopping behaviors, showing that while Amazon Prime Deals Days in October attract considerable attention, they serve as more of an appetizer than the main course for bargain hunters. The data reveals a substantial gap in consumer participation between the two shopping events, with Black Friday commanding significantly higher planned engagement from UK shoppers.
Black Friday's Dominant Position
Black Friday's continued supremacy in the UK retail landscape stems from several key factors. According to the Sensormatic report, the broader channel choice available during Black Friday gives consumers access to deals from multiple brands and retailers beyond the Amazon ecosystem. This diversity of options helps broaden Black Friday's appeal and provides shoppers with more comprehensive bargain-hunting opportunities across both online and physical retail channels.
In-Store Shopping Trends
The research also highlights the continued importance of physical retail during peak shopping periods. Sensormatic's findings indicate that 70% of UK consumers plan to visit stores during Black Friday this year, with 13% intending to visit more stores compared to 2024. The Saturday of the Black Friday weekend (November 29) is expected to be the second busiest day for in-store footfall of the entire Christmas trading season, demonstrating the enduring appeal of physical shopping experiences during major discount events.
Economic Factors and Consumer Behavior
Andy Sumpter, Sensormatic's EMEA Retail Consultant, notes that ongoing economic pressures have fundamentally changed UK shopping behaviors. "Having dealt with ongoing inflation and cost-of-living pressures for such a prolonged period, astute shopping behaviors are now engrained in the UK customer psyche," Sumpter explained. He emphasized that relentless bargain-hunting, highly considered purchasing decisions, and cross-checking every channel for the best prices have become second nature for today's hyper-savvy shoppers.
Budget Impact on Shopping Patterns
The timing of the Autumn Budget, scheduled for November 26—just two days before Black Friday—adds an element of uncertainty to this year's shopping season. As the report notes, the budget announcement could either prompt greater demand for discounts or undermine shopper spending confidence, creating potential volatility in retail performance during this critical trading period.
Singles Day Adoption in the UK
While Black Friday and Amazon Prime Days dominate consumer attention, adoption of Singles Day (November 11) remains relatively low in the UK market. Despite growing participation from brands including Calvin Klein, ASOS, and Lookfantastic, only 9% of UK consumers plan to shop during the Singles Day promotion, indicating that this shopping event has yet to achieve significant traction among British shoppers.
Strategic Shopping Considerations
The research findings suggest that UK consumers are becoming increasingly strategic in their approach to discount shopping. Rather than spreading their purchases across multiple shopping events, many are concentrating their bargain-hunting efforts on Black Friday, when they perceive the greatest value and selection across both online and physical retail channels. This concentrated approach allows shoppers to maximize their savings while minimizing the time and effort required to track multiple sales events.
As the peak trading season approaches, both retailers and consumers are preparing for what promises to be a highly competitive period of discount shopping. While Amazon Prime Deals Days serve as an important starting point for the holiday shopping season, Black Friday's enduring appeal and broader retail participation continue to make it the centerpiece of UK discount shopping activity.
