Online retailers have said they expect their “biggest Black Friday yet” as their bricks and mortar rivals miss out on sales through the enforced closure of stores.
Retail analysts have warned that total sales on Black Friday could be lower than previous years as a result of the second national lockdown in England.
Non-essential retailers were temporarily closed at the start of the month but will reopen their doors from December 3 across England.
As a result, online Black Friday sales are expected to surge following a year of strong growth for online sale.
Research by e-commerce platform EKM has projected that online Black Friday sales will be 53% higher this year.
However, there is a growing movement to buy nothing today instead. #BuyNothingDay is trending on Twitter at a backlash to consumerism, tax avoidance and poor working conditions.
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However Nathalie Gordon had another take on today, she tweeted: “I know we’d all like it to be #BuyNothingDay today, but I think it’s important not to shame or put pressure on those who use today to save money. This time of year is stressful and costly at the best of times, not least after an incredibly testing and difficult year.”
Related: Six bits of bad news you might have missed in Sunak’s spending review