Affected by the epidemic, many businesses are considering canceling Black Friday activities

There are less than 100 days left until Black Friday 2021. As one of the most important promotional festivals in the United States, according to previous years' planning, merchants should have started preparing promotional plans by this time. However, due to the uncertainty brought about by the repeated outbreaks of the epidemic , many merchants are considering canceling their in-store Black Friday promotions . This is the conclusion drawn from the latest survey by research firm Emarsys .

According to a research report on Black Friday by Emarsys , nearly half of marketers around the world are considering canceling in-store promotions this year , and more than four-fifths plan to encourage consumers to shop online rather than in-store on Black Friday .

In addition, due to concerns about the impact of the epidemic, most businesses are clearly not well prepared for Black Friday, with only 13% saying they have completed preparations for this year's Black Friday, and more than a quarter ( 28%) admitting that their company has not yet begun preparing for activities during Black Friday .

Many stores are planning to cancel their in-store Black Friday events, which is good news for online sellers. However, this also means that online competition may become more intense, so sellers still need to be well prepared.

Although merchants lack confidence in offline sales, consumers still have a high demand for in-store experience. A survey report of 2,000 consumers showed that during various lockdowns, 74% of people missed the in-store shopping experience, and 30% missed the opportunity to try on clothes in physical stores. This means that if the epidemic situation improves, a large number of consumers will also "retaliate" to return to physical stores.

Previous surveys have shown that buyers are planning to start Black Friday shopping early due to concerns about supply chain impacts. Some sellers are also planning to start Black Friday promotions early to reduce risks and increase sales.

At present, platforms such as Amazon have begun advance preparations and launched promotional submission activities. Sellers should also pay attention to relevant notifications and market conditions of their own platforms.

In short, due to the uncertainty in travel policies and supply chains caused by the epidemic, sellers must consider the possibility of various situations when selecting products and planning promotions.

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