Shopping frenzy: Black Friday set to brighten up sales over the weekend

Brands expect double-digit growth in sales, go all out to woo shoppers

As shoppers flock to malls and shopping complexes for Black Friday special deals and huge discounts, brands in India expect a surge in sales following a brief lull after the festive season.

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and traditionally marks the start of the Christmas shopping season in the US, with deals and discounts spurring global consumer excitement. The event now resonates with customers across continents and anticipation triggers buyers to make impulse purchases for family and friends.

Brands in India expect a double-digit growth in sales. Malls have already begun to witness an uptick in footfall and have up to 50 per cent discounts on products. The sale starts on Friday and will run till Sunday.

Pepe Jeans India which is currently running a buy-2-get-1 free offer expects to see a double-digit growth by the end of the weekend.

“The initial response has been good, but since customers typically step out to shop on the weekend, we expect a bigger impact then. This weekend we expect a double-digit growth in sales compared to last year,” Manish Kapoor, managing director & chief executive officer of Pepe Jeans India, told Business Standard.

Retail chain Lifestyle also expects the demand to improve as the weekend progresses.

“We expect high single-digit like-for-like growth in sales compared to last year over the three-day discount we are offering,” said Devarajan Iyer, CEO, Lifestyle.

It is offering a discount of up to 30 per cent.

Other brands too expect to see strong growth as demand for winter wear has improved post-Diwali, which marks the onset of winter in northern India and the commencement of the marathon wedding season.

“We expect a rise in sales to the extent of 20 per cent compared to Black Friday last year as demand has started to pick up with winter demand increasing coupled with the wedding season,” said Satyen Momaya, the CEO of Celio India. Celio India is running an average discount of up to 30 per cent on its merchandise.

Malls too have started to see an increase in footfall following advertisements of brands about the sale.

Infiniti Mall, which is based in Mumbai, has already witnessed an increase of 10-12 per cent in rush and expects the numbers to rise as the weekend kicks in.

“Despite Black Friday Sales coming in right on the heels of the festive season which was delayed this year, we have started to witness a rise in footfall during the week itself as customers were already alerted about the upcoming sale,” Gaurav Balani, DGM – marketing, Infiniti Mall said.

DLF Malls have also witnessed a notable rise in sales.

“Black Friday sales have consistently propelled fresh stock, with discounts up to 50 per cent at DLF Malls since the past five years. This year, we observe a notable rise in apparel, beauty and footwear purchases. As the festive and wedding season concluded, we anticipate an onset of the winter wear category & jewellery sales, with an extended shopping bonanza throughout the weekend across our malls,” said Pushpa Bector, senior executive director, DLF Retail.