What do you get when you cross Black Friday deals with a continuing pandemic, supply chain disruptions and inflation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Answer: a very messy version of the biggest discount day of the year, which happens annually on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, that\u2019s Nov. 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are five predictions from retail experts about Black Friday 2021 \u2014 plus, how you can navigate the upcoming sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Supply chains will be stretched<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Supply chain complications due to the pandemic have caused delays or shortages of items as varied as toys<\/a>, furniture and books. Companies may have to pivot their Black Friday selling strategies as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRetailers might focus on specific items rather than trying to have a huge range of everything,\u201d says Mathew Isaac, professor of marketing at Seattle University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As stores focus on getting the most in-demand items on their shelves, don\u2019t expect them to carry as many sizes, styles or variations of everything else, he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This outcome could be a big change from the 50-page Black Friday advertisements we\u2019ve seen from big-box retailers in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Online sales will outpace in-store sales<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Black Friday has been trending toward an online shopping<\/a> day rather than an in-person event. That shift will only continue this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeople are definitely going to be interested in Black Friday and excited about it, but the bulk of the activity is going to be online,\u201d says Donna Hoffman, professor of marketing at the George Washington School of Business in Washington, D.C. \u201cThat\u2019s my prediction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shopping from home allows consumers to avoid crowds and stay safe during the pandemic. It\u2019s also conducive to bargain hunting and price comparison, offering a low-stress way to browse multiple stores at the same time in pursuit of the best price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think this year, compared to last year, there\u2019s even more of a focus on budget,\u201d Hoffman adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those who do set foot in stores won\u2019t necessarily do so because they found a better deal there. Instead, Hoffman anticipates shoppers will go to stores if they\u2019re unable to find what they wanted in stock online. But Hoffman predicts that small businesses will attract in-person shoppers, particularly if that business has a sustainable mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Shoppers will get more sleep<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That shift to online shopping could have another side effect \u2014 more sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of COVID-19, stores no longer packed shoppers in during the \u201cwee hours\u201d of Black Friday last year, Sheri Lambert, assistant professor of marketing at Temple University in Philadelphia, said by email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many stores abandoned their late-night Thanksgiving hours last year. And major retailers have already announced plans to stay closed this Thanksgiving Day, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the changes that took hold last year, Lambert doesn\u2019t foresee the \u201cmad rush of in-person shopping\u201d returning anytime soon. So shoppers can sit back and make purchases from their couch (or bed) instead of having to camp out on the sidewalk in front of their local Target or Best Buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Holiday shopping will be a marathon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Black Friday sale events<\/a> will start early and last for a long time, according to Lambert. This \u201cmarathon\u201d approach is similar to what happened last year, when deals were offered throughout the entire month of November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But unlike Black Friday events before the pandemic, spread-out savings opportunities don\u2019t mean shoppers should wait to shop in anticipation of better deals to come. Lambert said retailers are starting to communicate to consumers that they should start buying for the holiday season now, in light of global shipping bottlenecks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy number one tip: Shop now,\u201d Lambert said. \u201cOrder that special gift for that special someone today. And even then, anticipate and expect the worst \u2014 but hope for the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might not be guaranteed to receive your purchases before Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Persuasion will persist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, it wouldn\u2019t be Black Friday without a little bit of pressure. Remember, retailers want you to buy that shiny new whatever-it-might-be, even if you don\u2019t necessarily need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Isaac says retailers make a substantial percentage of their yearly revenues during this 75- to 90-day period, \u201cso they\u2019re going to do everything they can to try to get you to shop, as long as they have the product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you choose to shop during this year\u2019s unique version of Black Friday, traditional shopping advice will still apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stay alert to persuasion tactics \u2014 like good deals that reel you in and tempt you to act on other, not-so-good deals. Aim to stick to a physical or mental list of things you actually need. And make a budget<\/a> before you buy a single thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This article was written by NerdWallet and was originally published by the Associated Press.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n More From NerdWallet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Courtney Jespersen writes for NerdWallet. Email: courtney@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @CourtneyNerd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The article Experts Make 5 Predictions for Black Friday 2021 originally appeared on NerdWallet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What do you get when you cross Black Friday deals with a continuing pandemic, supply chain disruptions and inflation? Answer: a very messy version of the biggest discount day of the year, which happens annually on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, that\u2019s Nov. 26. Here are five predictions from retail experts about Black Friday […]","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2297,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","attr_excerpt":["What do you get when you cross Black Friday deals with a continuing pandemic, supply chain disruptions and inflation?"],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,8,27],"class_list":["post-2292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-finance","tag-bank","tag-borrow","tag-credit-cards"],"yoast_head":"\n