Ibec group Retail Ireland has said that retailers are geared up for the busiest Black Friday weekend since the phenomenon began in recent years, ahead of what could be bumper Christmas for the sector.
This weekend marks the start of the real Christmas shopping period and Black Friday is an increasingly important promotional window for retailers," said Retail Ireland Director Thomas Burke.
"Some businesses will see an increase in sales this weekend of 30% with reduction of over 25% available in some outlets. The early spending spree does however bring forward purchasing decisions by consumers, resulting in potentially less activity closer to Christmas."
Retailers are also preparing their online platforms and distribution networks for the pre-Christmas surge, which will come with the much feted Cyber Monday which falls this coming Monday 30 November.
"The emergence of both Black Friday and Cyber Monday pose both a threat and an opportunity for Irish retailers," said Burke.
"Retailers will have been planning this period for a number of months and have been putting contingencies in place to meet the extra consumer demand over this weekend. Consumers are increasingly focused on pre-Christmas value and weekends such as this mean retailers have to react to meet that consumer demand."
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
