Black Friday marks the start of the holiday shopping season when millions of people go out to stores to buy their Christmas presents. But the global pandemic means that this year will be very different from previous years in several key aspects:
First the bad news. Good deals will be thin on the ground - previous Black Fridays have seen some amazing bargains but many sought-after items are going to be in short supply this year due to supply chain disruptions so promotions might not be as good as they usually are.
The good news of course is that those shoppers who are fortunate enough to be able to go out and spend their cash in person, whether in their favourite city centre shopping boulevards or out of town shopping malls, will find things somewhat less hectic than they are accustomed to
It seems unlikely that they will have to put up with scenes like this ASDA store in London where fights broke out and customers trampled each other in the rush to grab themselves a new tv set.
And they almost certainly won't have to put up with craziness as seen in a Victoria's Secret outlet in Chattanooga, Tennessee two years ago when customers stampeded to get their hands on the latest ladies' fashions.
Those who can get out to stores safely will probably count themselves as the lucky ones.
Need rather than want
But the reality for most people is that they will be stuck at home due to the lockdown restrictions inplace around the world.
So for most people, the shift to online will be the main difference this year.
Global marketing communications company, Wunderman Thompson, predicts that Amazon will account for 65% of all Black Friday spending in 2020 with at least 67% of UK consumers ditching bricks and mortar outlets in favour of web-based spending.
Shoppers are also going to be going online to buy different stuff. In previous years Black Friday has been driven by people buying products that they want but this year it's going to be more about buying stuff that they actually need with a focus on practical appliances that make life easier
And because people are stuck at home they're going to be buying work-from-home-devices like computers, along with exercise equipment and kitchen appliances that will allow them to prepare meals at home.
Beating the delivery rush
Shoppers are also spending their money earlier than ever this year to beat the Christmas rush in order to make sure that they get their deliveries on time. Research from the UK shows that fewer than 2 percent of shoppers are waiting until Christmas Eve to buy their presents this year.
Another difference this year is that the average Black Friday online consumer is older. In previous years tech-wary older generations have steered away from the internet but the pandemic has forced more consumers to get online, including grandma and grandpa.
Pandemic inspired tech changes
For kids meeting Santa in his grotto has been an essential part of the Christmas experience for decades. But this year retailers are even trying to move this online, including using virtual Santas to woo the youngsters.
Click and collect services are also booming - shoppers are not going to be able to get out and about this year as normal so stores are putting their deals on the web while still allowing people to drive to the stores to pick up big box items such as televisions.
And finally Black Friday wouldn't be Black Friday without some kind of backlash ad this year is no exception. Some retailers have decided that they don't want to take part in Black Friday at all and are resisting the pressure to cut prices.
