Welcome to Klarna’s Black Friday & Cyber Monday deep dive!
The pandemic accelerated digital innovations and now shoppers are online more than ever before. Additionally, over the past 6 months, millions of consumers have been affected by price inflation and thus have adapted their spending habits accordingly.
In this report, we find out what these changes in behavior mean for this year’s Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales. Read on to learn more about shoppers’ plans and their expectations in the lead-up to the most intense shopping days of the year.
What’s more, we will continue to update the global shopping insights based on our shopping data so don’t forget to check back in for the latest news on developments this year.
Enjoy!
Methodology.
Insights from Klarna’s consumer research, conducted in cooperation with Nepa across 17 countries (the US, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Poland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and Finland). The research was conducted during October and November 2022 and includes a minimum of 1,000 respondents in each country. In total, more than 17,000 consumers participated. The sample sizes are nationally representative, naturally including both Klarna users and non-Klarna users, and have been selected by research agency Nepa.
17,390 consumers
17 countries
150m consumers
450,000 retailers
Online shopping data.
Insights from Klarna’s shopping data. Klarna serves more than 150 million consumers and 450,000 retailers.
Online & in-store.
Bargain hunting season has started. Here’s where shoppers are heading and why.
Black Friday shopping no longer requires protective gear.
Many retailers have evolved their online presence to meet shoppers’ increasingly digital expectations. But does this mean physical stores are irrelevant? Not at all. Our research shows that physical stores still play an essential role for shoppers.
That said, many people anticipate that they will shop online more than usual during the hectic November sales. As such, online stores look bound to take an even larger share of the (digital) foot traffic this year.
IRL vs. digital shopping.
The charts below show how shoppers in each country think they will split their shopping between online and in-store. The remaining population thinks they will split it evenly between the channels.
Why are shoppers turning online?
A consumer’s choice of shopping channel heavily depends on whether they are looking to save time and money or whether they are looking for social interaction and customer service.
This helps to explain why shoppers are planning on digitizing their purchases during the biggest (and often most intense) sales days of the year.
74%
think they get lower prices online.
78%
prefer online stores to save time.
In-store with a digital footprint.
Ever been standing between the aisles and grabbed your smartphone to check product reviews or compare prices? You’re not alone.
The in-store shopping journey begins online.
The digital shopping revolution doesn’t only mean that people are shopping more online. Online research, also called “webrooming,” plays an important role throughout the in-store shopping journey. For the majority of people, a trip to the mall starts before they arrive.
81%
are sometimes (or often) researching online before they go in-store, out of which:
27%
do it often.
Smartphones have forever changed the in-store shopping experience.
Even when shoppers are physically in-store, they are also online, using their phones to compare competitive prices and offers and to check product reviews and testimonials to make sure they have found the right product.
70%
are sometimes (or often) using their smartphones in-store, out of which:
22%
do it often.
Planning makes perfect.
Executing the perfect bargain hunt requires proper planning. We found that there is a strong correlation between setting a budget, planning purchases, waiting to make more expensive big-ticket purchases, and expecting to make bargains during the sales days.
Online shoppers are more meticulous.
Shopping online and in the physical world are done differently. Meticulous planning, budgeting, and price awareness are strongly correlated with online shopping. Those who intend to shop in-store tend to make their purchases more spontaneously.
Online shoppers more often:
– know what they’re going to buy.
– wait until the sales to buy big ticket items.
– compare prices between retailers to find the cheapest item.
– try to make larger share of their holiday gift purchases during the sales periods.
Gen Z’ers & Millennials are on it, too.
Younger generations have a clearer idea of how much they are going to spend and what they are going to buy before the sales even get started.
8 out of 10
Gen Z’ers and Millennials will more often compare prices between retailers, and make more of their holiday shopping during the sales period, compared to last year.
The vast majority think they will buy something during the Black Friday sales.
And this is particularly true for the younger generations.
67%
think they will buy something during Black Friday/week, out of which:
25%
are sure they will do it.
Shopping for yourself and others.
Many take advantage of the sales to buy for themselves and for their nearest and dearest. Many shoppers will aim to get a bargain both on products they use themselves and on holiday gifts for loved ones.
75%
will buy something for themselves, while…
72%
will buy for others.
Top gifting categories.
These are the top products consumers are looking to bag for themselves and others ahead of the holidays.
Children’s Products
is the most popular gifting category, while…
Clothing & Shoes and Electronics
are the most popular categories to buy for oneself.
Evolving payment preferences.
Naturally, payments are a fundamental part of the shopping experience. Yet continual technological innovation means our payment preferences are constantly evolving.
The rise of Buy Now, Pay Later.
Shoppers all over the world are turning to Buy Now, Pay Later to an increasingly higher extent.
According to consumers, the primary benefits of Buy Now, Pay Later over credit cards are avoiding the open line of credit and saving money. Most believe that Buy Now, Pay Later is cheaper compared to credit cards that charge additional fees and interest.
16 out of 17
the preference for Buy Now, Pay Later is higher than credit cards in 16 out of 17 countries.
Why pay interest?
Most people find it helpful to split the payments for holiday gift shopping into equal parts, without any additional cost or interest.
80%
of shoppers find it useful to be able to split a payment into equal parts without paying fees or interest, on a global average.
2022 data updates.
Black Friday 2022 takes place on the 25th of November and Cyber Monday on the 28th.
Klarna will continually update this section over the upcoming weeks based on our shopping data.
The online shopping map.
Select a country from the list below to see where people shop the most online per capita, where people are shopping the most during the sales period (compared to an average day), and how the most popular product categories shift across regions.
The index for “Favourite Products” is calculated in relation to the national average in a particular country. It does not necessarily reflect the products that are most frequently bought overall but in comparison with other regions in that country.
The data includes Black Friday, 2022-11-25 full day.
And that’s that.
Thirsty for more knowledge?
Make sure to check out the other reports available at Klarna Insights.