Pictures in the press of customers punching each other to get to cut-price TVs convinced Asda the discount day wasn’t worth it. As did the lack of a sales boost. People came in for cheap laptops and left with little else, eroding profit margins of struggling retailers still further.

Yet Black Friday persists and it is not just one day anymore. Amazon is running Black Friday deals for a week, as is John Lewis (which is forced to price match its competitors due to its ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ promise).

There has, however, been a shift. Black Friday is more of a digital phenomenon than a high street one now. Footfall on the high street is expected to be down 4.5% this year, as people opt to get their deals online.

There are also more blanket deals. In tech, there might be specific offers on certain products, but in fashion the likes of Ted Baker, Kate Spade and Hobbs are going for across-the-board discounts of up to 50%.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.marketingweek.com