Black Friday

Black Friday is a huge shopping event that was traditionally held the day after Thanksgiving in the US. It’s now celebrated worldwide and is a fantastic opportunity for ecommerce brands to reel in new customers with irresistible offers and discounts.

But why is it called ‘Black Friday’? And, do ecommerce brands really need to care? Let’s dive in to some Black Friday history. 👇

The history of Black Friday

There are several stories about the origins of Black Friday. The most well-known one is about the link between Thanksgiving and retailers in the USA. Supposedly, shops would spend all year not making any money - they'd be sitting in the ‘red’. On the day after Thanksgiving they’d drop their prices, customers would go bananas, and it would push retailers back into the ‘black’. In other words, they’d finally make some profit.

However, whilst this is technically true, the History Channel says this is not the real origin story.
Supposedly, Black Friday started in the 1950s in Philadelphia. Every year on the day after Thanksgiving, there would be a football game between the Navy and the Army. Hundreds of shoppers and tourists would flock to Philadelphia to stock up on goodies. The foot traffic meant that police had to be on their guard in case things got out of hand, not to mention this was a prime opportunity for shoplifters. Thus, the police coined it: ‘Black Friday’ due to the choas and extra-long shifts they were required to work.

Skip forward to now, and Black Friday has become an international shopping holiday where shops - both online and in-store - slash their prices in a bid to make some extra profit.

Cyber Monday vs Black Friday

Cyber Monday is often synonymous with Black Friday. The difference is that Cyber Monday is exclusively online. It takes place the Monday after Black Friday and many brands will extend their deals to give online shoppers the chance to grab a bargain.

What does Black Friday mean for ecommerce brands?

The internet is wild, and customers are always on the lookout for special offers. Black Friday just ramps up the number of bargain-hunters looking for the next deal. And that means there will be more eyeballs on your store. 👀

But, you’ve got to be ready. Take a look at our article that gives you step-by-step tips on how to prepare your ecommerce store for Black Friday. We cover when you should start getting ready, what types of discounts to offer and eight Black Friday strategies to get you started.

And if you want to see what other ecommerce brands are up to, take a look at these 15 creative Black Friday campaigns for inspo. ✨