Is Black Friday worth the hype?
Every year, alongside the usual festive traditions, another ritual takes over in marketing and sales – and that’s Black Friday.
Some shoppers will scroll through deals on their commute. Some will watch the countdown for that one big purchase. Others will be geared up to stand in queues all weekend.
But behind this predicted hive of activity is a question that really matters to brands, retailers, and agencies when planning their strategies for the year:
Do people care enough to buy your products?
That’s a question we took out to the public in our Vox Pops Pool. We interviewed high-street shoppers – and a few clear themes emerged about who leans in and who opts out.
What shoppers told us
One shopper summed up the appeal as “fun to go in store and see things reduced”, while another talked about enjoying the “freebies” that sometimes come with a promotion.
Others were more cautious. One respondent felt the deals were not that great – “not good enough to buy” – while another said he did not believe in it at all, summarising it as “hysteria”.
Put together, their voices capture a mix of opinions that represents how British consumers feel. But we know that’s not the only market that matters to brands and retailers…
Getting global shopper insights
Black Friday first took off in the United States as the Friday after Thanksgiving – a day that became known as the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season, with retailers using big promotions to nudge people into shopping early.
While we’ve captured how shoppers in the UK feel about Black Friday, we’ve also asked people in the United States the same question. We filmed in Los Angeles and New York City to produce vox pops that represent how people in different markets feel for global insight.
Why vox pops – and how to get involved
For brands, retailers, and agencies, this work is a great example of why vox pops are so powerful. In just a few seconds you can spot the deal hunters, the freebie seekers, the cautious sceptics, and the people who opt out completely – this kind of qualitative insight makes a big difference when planning campaigns, promos, or strategy.
It’s the same approach we’ve used with brands like Dove – collecting interviews in markets such as the USA, Brazil, and China to understand how people around the world talk about conditioner, habits, and hair care.
The videos in this blog come from our Vox Pops Pool – our ongoing service where we regularly speak to consumers to create engaging and digestible insight you can share with your teams.
If you’d like to explore how we can run similar research for you, we’d be happy to chat and share ideas. Get in touch – we can help you bring real voices into your strategy for the new year and beyond.
Written By
Frankie Dove
Client Engagement & Marketing Lead
