2024-12-13

Black Friday 2024: The UK’s Shopping Trends Unwrapped

Hollie Pinnington

Senior Client Strategy Manager

As the dust settles on Black Friday 2024, the UK’s shopping scene has revealed fascinating trends and behaviors that shaped this year’s retail frenzy. From shifting search patterns to category-specific sales booms, here’s a data-driven look at the highlights that dominated the season.

Search Trends: Timing Matters

Black Friday Deals 2024 emerged as the 13th most searched term on Amazon UK from November 17th to 23rd, showcasing early interest in festive deals. Surprisingly, by the week of Black Friday (November 24th to 30th), this search term dropped to #40, overtaken by festive favorites like ‘advent calendar 2024’, which claimed the top spot.

See below the search ranks for ‘Black Friday Deals 2024’ between 17th - 23rd November and then the evolution between 24th - 30th Nov.

Despite this decline, staples like Kindle, Lego, and air fryer maintained their positions in the top five most searched items throughout November, reflecting their perennial popularity in the UK market.

Where the Clicks and Conversions Happened

The most clicked and converted categories during Black Friday sales were:

  1. Electronics – From iPads to Kindles, tech continued to dominate.
  2. Jewelry – Sparkling deals turned heads, leading to significant conversions.
  3. Appliances – Big-ticket items like TVs, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners flew off virtual shelves.

The Alcohol Boom and Grocery Surge

One standout trend was the surge in alcohol sales. Over the Black Friday period (November 21st to December 2nd), alcohol brands saw an astonishing 300% sales increase. This contributed to a 38% overall uplift in the grocery category, making it one of the season’s top performers.

Category Uplifts: A Closer Look

  1. Home & Kitchen
    - Sales uplift: 105%
    - Star product: Dehumidifiers, with a 75% average increase in sales.
  2. Grocery
    - Sales uplift: 38% Star product: Alcohol, leading the charge with a 300% increase.
  3. Health & Personal Care
    - Sales uplift: 263%
    - Star product: Vitamin D, which saw a 71% spike.

Discount and Savings

On average, UK shoppers enjoyed 34% savings across Amazon UK, highlighting the strength of promotional campaigns during the season. These insights are based on data from Ignite, reflecting brands running integrated promotions during Black Friday.

What These Trends Mean for Retailers

The UK’s Black Friday 2024 trends paint a clear picture of consumer priorities:

  • Early planning pays off. Brands that capture interest weeks before Black Friday can capitalize on search spikes.
  • Seasonal relevance matters. Shoppers pivoted from deals to festive essentials as December loomed.
  • Category focus drives results. Investing in top-performing sectors like electronics, grocery, and health ensures relevance and conversions.

These insights are a valuable roadmap for tailoring strategies to UK consumer behaviors as we gear up for the next holiday season.