State of Black Friday 2024

Black Friday 2024, including Cyber Monday and the entire Black Friday weekend, has grown to be one of the world’s biggest shopping seasons.

“What was once a ‘doorbuster’ shopping moment dominated by legacy players is now a global commerce event that businesses of all sizes participate in,” says Shopify President Harley Finkelstein.

In fact, early researchers expect Black Friday weekend to overtake Boxing Day sales and revenue!

The Black Friday 2024 weekend took place from Friday, 29 November, to Monday, 2 December.

Today’s blog will discuss:

• Black Friday in Australia
• Client Spotlight
• Black Friday Globally
• Black Friday vs. Boxing Day
• SEO tips to smash Black Friday
• Takeaways

Australian customer behaviour during Black Friday 2024

Recent data from NAB and Commonwealth Bank sheds light on Australian consumer behaviour during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Notably, Black Friday surpassed Cyber Monday as the highest-spending day of the sales weekend, according to NAB.

Commonwealth Bank highlighted a surge in online spending, particularly on clothing, department store goods, and electronics, which more than doubled during the four-day sales period compared to the prior three weeks.

Some of the most popular product categories on Shopify included clothing, cosmetics, and fitness. For BigCommerce, this list included apparel & accessories, toys & games, and sporting goods.

According to NAB, two-thirds of Black Friday purchases occurred in-store, contributing to a 4% rise in total spending compared to 2023. However, the 91% increase in online retail spending that Commonwealth Bank found fell short of the 120% uplift recorded during the same period in 2022.

NAB Executive Julie Rynski observed that Australians are “spending more thoughtfully and choosing quality over quantity,” with significant sales growth in big-ticket items such as TVs, cameras, and furniture.

National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz agreed, explaining, “Household finances are in good shape and an impetus for strong spending heading into the holiday season, though households will spend more cautiously.” .

Over at BigCommerce, average cart value rose by 26%, Shopify saw a 23% increase to $199.12 AUD, and Shippit found only a 5.7% increase in cart size.

Peak sales were later than expected on Shopify at 9 PM on Cyber Monday, right before sales ended.

Mobile shopping dominated desktop purchases for Shopify merchants, at a whopping 74% of customers purchasing via mobile. However, BigCommerce saw a meagre 35% of all orders on mobile.

“Against the odds, there’s no doubt that this BFCM weekend proved to be a major success for retailers,“ expressed Shaun Broughton, JAPAC managing director at Shopify.

SEO During Black Friday 2024 was very successful for clients

We wanted to look into some of our clients who decided to take our advice for Black Friday SEO. Data was collected from 1 November to 6 December to include the Black Friday weekend and all of “Black November.” It was compared to the same period last year for an equal comparison.

Client Spotlight: Fashion

Let’s begin by looking at one of our clients in the fashion industry. They specialise in handbags, backpacks, and travel bags that are affordable and timeless. Compared to last year’s Black Friday:

• Sessions increased by 89.5%
• Transactions increased by 85%
• Revenue increased by 72.8%

Client Spotlight: Homewares

Now let’s look at a client in the homewares industry. They are a market leader in the bedding industry and are also leaning into other homewares and loungewear. The saw amazing results:

• Sessions increased by 21.6%
• Transactions increased by 35.7%
• Revenue increased by 54.1%

Client Spotlight: Food, Beverage, and Tobacco

Switching gears into a highly niche client in the food, beverage, and tobacco industry. This client saw amazing growth during Black Friday 2024, with revenue nearly 60% higher this year compared to last.

• Sessions increased by 10.4%
• Transactions increased by 22.9%
• Revenue increased by 57.7%

Client Spotlight: Sporting Goods

Here’s a great example of a client in the sporting goods/outdoor recreation industry. Specifically, they sell boating products, like anchors, fenders, hardware, and motors. They also had a great Black Friday 2024:

• Sessions increased by 15.7%
• Transactions increased by 3.6%
• Revenue increased by 29.1%

For a more holistic view, let’s look at the global data on Black Friday.

Black Friday 2024 breaks records globally

Shopify merchants achieved a record-breaking $11.5 billion in sales during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. This is a huge 24% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, Salesforce saw a 6% increase in global eCommerce sales over the five-day period.

Over 76 million consumers worldwide purchased from Shopify brands, with peak sales reaching $4.6 million per minute at 12:01 PM EST on Black Friday (4:01 AM Melbourne time).

Over 67,000 merchants experienced their highest-selling day ever on the platform. The most popular product categories included shirts, cosmetics, fitness/nutrition, pants, and activewear.

The average cart price was $108.56 USD (approximately $168.72 AUD), with the top-selling countries being the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, and Germany.

Black Friday weekend expected to overtake Boxing Day

Black Friday is quickly reshaping Australia’s retail calendar. Traditionally, Boxing Day and EOFY sales have been the big highlights in eCommerce, but Black Friday is catching up fast.

In 2024, we saw November shopping kick off earlier than ever, with major retailers rolling out Black Friday deals as early as two weeks before Black Friday weekend. This early buzz has led to a jump in both online traffic and sales, solidifying what some are now calling “Black November.”

“More recent consumer research suggests that the vast majority (65%) of consumers now plan to do their Christmas shopping exclusively during sales periods,” explains Rob Hango-Zada, Shippit cofounder.

“This indicates that more consumers are now trained to buy earlier and exclusively on ‘deals’ ahead of the annual gift-giving period. 

“This means that Black Friday has now become not just the key event in the annual retail calendar but a crucial time for retailers looking to stem leakage to competitors.”

Future Publishing Australia’s Consumer Confidence Report reveals that Australians are prioritising value, with many seeking out discounts and promotions due to economic pressures. Online shopping continues to grow, as shoppers prioritise ease, convenience, and wider options.

Looking forward to Christmas and Boxing Day, 56% of Australians are planning to spend the same as last year on gifts, and 21% are prepared to spend more.

Black Friday might just be overtaking Boxing Day as the go-to shopping event of the year!

SEO tips for Black Friday

To create a stronger SEO foundation this sales season, start by focusing on user intent. Understand what your customers truly need from your company and deliver content that resonates. This will transform engaged shoppers into loyal customers.

While it may be tempting to chase quick fixes for rankings, sustainable SEO success comes from consistent, strategic efforts that build lasting value.

As mobile shopping continues to dominate, offering a seamless and intuitive experience on mobile devices ensures you don’t miss valuable opportunities. Pair this with high-quality, user-focused content. Finally, concentrate on metrics that genuinely impact your business, such as conversions and revenue, to guide your efforts with purpose.

One common SEO mistake during Black Friday is forgetting to create a discount page or then forgetting to optimise it. Sales and discount landing pages can be powerful traffic drivers. Depending on the industry your business operates in, you may consider opening up a dedicated Black Friday discount page, Boxing Day discount page, etc.

For example, a shopper is far more likely to search for “furniture Black Friday sale” during the Black Friday season than searching for a generic “furniture sale.”

Here’s an interesting SEO myth that we hear quite often: “SEO is just about driving traffic, and my company already has enough traffic.” In fact, SEO is about attracting the right traffic.

At Megantic, we target customers who know exactly what they want and are ready to buy, using long-tail keywords like “green floral maxi dress” rather than broad terms like “women’s dresses.” This approach prioritises buying intent over search volume. So we create new pages on your website that display the exact products your customers are searching for, making it super easy for them to check out and purchase. It’s called our single-click purchase strategy.

Takeaways

Black Friday 2024 has once again proven why it’s such an important addition to the global retail calendar.

In Australia, spending patterns revealed a shift towards thoughtful spending, with a rise in big-ticket items purchased. Globally, record-breaking sales highlighted the Black Friday weekend’s expanding reach, with Shopify merchants alone generating $11.5 billion.

As Black Friday begins to rival Boxing Day in prominence, early deals and consumer habits like shopping exclusively during sales periods are reshaping retail strategies.

For businesses, the key takeaways are to focus on user-friendly SEO and offer a seamless mobile shopping experience. Capturing traffic from customers who are ready to buy is also crucial to staying competitive during this busy sales season.

For a blast in the past, read last year’s post, State of Black Friday 2023.