Press Release
London, 23 November 2016
UK Black Friday growth predicted to surpass United
States, reveals global online retail analysis
Ingenico ePayments global data anticipates a Black Friday rise in UK ecommerce
spending, while US shoppers migrate to Cyber Monday
The UK is set for higher online Black Friday retail spending growth than the US, according to new data from
Ingenico ePayments, the online and mobile division of Ingenico Group.
Ingenico ePayments’ global analysis of online retail growth from last year reveals that the estimated total amount
spent online in the UK rose by 273% on Black Friday, compared to the average Friday. Enthusiasm in the United
States was markedly low in comparison, with online spending only 137% higher than the average Friday that
year. Overall, the UK now spends more online per capita than the US, according to the Centre for Retail
Research, and this trend is reflected on Black Friday, with UK spending growth almost double that of its
transatlantic counterpart.
Besides the UK’s huge 24-hour Black Friday spike, online retail spending value was still high between Black
Friday and 31st December, but only 53% higher compared to the rest of 2015 – significantly lower than on Black
Friday itself.
“We’ve witnessed first-hand the Black Friday migration from bricks and mortar to online, and now the
momentum is shifting from the United States to the UK,” said David Jimenez, Chief Revenue Officer at
Ingenico ePayments. “This year, we expect to see online spending peaks on Black Friday in the UK, Cyber
Monday in the US and we’ve already seen the Singles Day boom across China.”
The UK Black Friday online spending spike of 273% was mirrored across Europe, where the average rise in total
value spent was 275%, as shoppers across the continent also leaped at the chance of Black Friday discounts:
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Germany, France and Italy all saw online total spending surge more than 215%.
Spain and Denmark registered particularly strong performances with total transaction value rising over
690% compared to the average Friday.
US neighbour Canada saw an impressive 580% rise in total spend.
US online shoppers have instead been shopping in far greater numbers on Cyber Monday, where sales volumes
last year were 60% higher than Black Friday sales. This became the biggest ecommerce day in US history, as
online sales tipped over the $3bn mark.
“Maximising these opportunities will mean offering customers a choice of payment options and a quick
checkout experience even at the busiest times,” reveals Jimenez. “Working with the world’s largest online
retailers, including digital good merchants who experience extremely high peak volumes when new items
become available for download, we understand and excel in meeting the challenges that merchants face
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at this time of year. The UK and Europe continue to register phenomenal online growth and, we’re
committed to furthering the seasonal online sales boom here.”
Momentum also appears to be building in South America; eMarketer’s own research reported that Black Friday
ecommerce sales were up 38% in Brazil, South America’s largest ecommerce market and that Cyber Monday
rose even faster, by 56% compared to 2014.
Across Asia and Australasia, Black Friday is overshadowed by Singles Day, now the world’s largest shopping
day, exceeding the global sales of Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. This year’s Alibaba-led event
generated more than 121bn yuan (£14bn), a rise of 32% on last year's sales, according to the Chinese company.
Ingenico ePayments has shared five top tips for UK ecommerce merchants to make a success of Black Friday
this year:
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Fraud rules: make sure you have the right set of rules to allow conversion.
Peak sales: introduce peak sales requests to make sure accounts are correctly configured and will not
block transactions.
Promotions: alert your payment gateway of any planned promotional periods, so they can prepare for
increased demand, and make sure you can report success by tracking voucher codes.
Chargebacks: these can be reduced with proper fraud protection, but also through the quality of
fulfilment and customer service.
Payment options: ensure your customers can pay securely, however they want to pay and wherever
they are.
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These statistics are based on Ingenico ePayments online retail data from November 2015 to October 2016. They
do not capture total country spending for each individual but are extrapolated from payments processed by
Ingenico ePayments in the aforementioned geographies.
About Ingenico ePayments
Ingenico ePayments is the online and mobile commerce division of Ingenico Group. We connect merchants and
consumers, enabling businesses everywhere to go further beyond today’s boundaries, creating the future of
global commerce. As industry leaders since 1994, our innovative spirit drives us forward across all channels. We
are the trusted partner of over 65,000 small and large merchants who rely on us to make payments easy and
secure for their customers. With advanced data analytics, fraud management solutions and cross-border
commerce expertise, we help merchants optimize their business and grow into new markets around the world.
For more information, visit https://latin-america.ingenico.com/epayments or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter
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Contacts
Ingenico / Press
[email protected]
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