2014 was the year that Black Friday moved from transatlantic import to an accepted, and very important, date in the pre-Christmas shopping calendar Christmas. In today’s Internet Retailing newsletter, we’re weighing up the costs and benefits of that fact, while also bringing you the latest preview of IRX 2015.
This week Dixons Carphone became the latest retailer to show that Black Friday worked well for it, despite turning peak season into a “rollercoaster”. But the new phenonemon has had an impact well beyond marketing emails and how well websites cope with the increased demand. As ONS figures out today show, an early Black Friday this year pushed online demand into November, with December spending growth at its slowest in years. Demand over that weekend also tested logistics firms to the limit, as we report today.
This year there were winners and losers of Black Friday. The winners next year will be those retailers and logistics businesses who have planned not only for the expected, but allowed for the unexpected.
In today’s newsletter, our James Fredlund of Digital River provides our guest comment, an informative look at how new VAT rules affect online traders, and we preview the International and Crossborder Conference at IRX 2015 – a must for all considering, and growing, overseas trade.
