“Black Friday” trend soars in Ireland as social media pitches in
The Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales initiatives are more prevalent in Ireland than ever, according to new research into online trends by social media agenct Sprout Social.
Print29 November 2019
Irish consumers’ social media feeds are a key channel for 2019’s “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” events, with retailers and consumers alike embrace social media as a method for promoting and finding the best deals.
In analysing the trends in 2018, Sprout Social recorded 16,272 mentions of either #BlackFriday or #CyberMonday from Irish Twitter accounts. Black Friday was by far the most discussed by Irish social media users, accounting for more than 85% of the posts, indicating that this U.S. retailing phenomenon has gained more traction this side of the Atlantic than its newer cousin Cyber Monday.
Another key identifier of the trend’s growth is its extended nature, with many retailers kicking off Black Friday sales ahead of the day itself – traditionally the last Friday of November, one day after Thanksgiving in the USA. Harvey Norman, DID Electrical and Littlewoods have all introduced Black Friday deals more than 2 weeks in advance of the date.
The Marketing Institute of Ireland has predicted that €250 million euro will be spent during Black Friday in Ireland, equally spread between online and brick and mortar retailers. In addition, 45% of Irish consumers surveyed by the IE Domain Registry said they planned to buy items on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
Gerard Murnaghan, Sprout Social’s General Manager and VP for EMEA, said further growth in online engagement is expected along with the sales increases. “Marketers who have planned campaigns and promotions to tap into this trend stand to benefit in what is an extremely competitive retail landscape,” Murnaghan said.
“There are real opportunities for retailers to leverage social media to boost sales,” he continued. “At this time of year, it pays for consumers to be keeping an eye out for the best deals – but also for retailers to be connecting with customers to drive loyalty for offline and online sales.”
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