Shopify has released a summary of its Black Friday weekend sales data, which demonstrates positive YoY sales trends vs. 2020. The YoY improvement in sales is set against the supply chain issues. Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping continue to be a global phenomenon.
UK Sales Data
The analysis indicates 22% of UK sales are cross-border. Apparel and accessories, Health and Beauty, Home and Garden are the most popular cross-border selling product categories in the UK. Additional positive UK YoY sales trends include:
- There was a 474% increase in point of sale (POS) sales made by Shopify merchants since last year. This is set as lockdown measures have eased since 2020.
- The average cart price in the UK was £63.19 GBP, up from £55.17 GBP over 2020.
Shopify supports and continues to support over 1.7 million independent businesses with tools and solutions. This includes Shopify Markets, to easily facilitate cross-border commerce, letting them take advantage of the global market and opportunities.
The data came from Shopify’s 1.7M+ independent and DTC businesses, which includes over 100,000 UK merchants. The data was extracted from over the Black Friday weekend until Sunday night.
UK highlights
UK highlights from Shopify merchants during Black Friday weekend:
- 10:00 AM GMT: peak sales hour on Black Friday.
- Top Selling Cities: London, Glasgow, Manchester.
- £63.19: average cart price.
- Apparel & accessories: top product category.
- 22%: percentage of cross-border orders.
- Top Cities (Curbside Pickup): London, Liverpool, Glasgow.
- Top Cities (Local Delivery): London, Glasgow, Manchester.
- 474%: increase in POS sales made by Shopify merchants since last year.
Global data from Shopify merchants during Black Friday weekend shows:
- $3.1M USD: peak sales per minute, occurring at 12:02 PM EST on Black Friday.
- Top Selling Cities: London (UK), New York (USA), Los Angeles (USA).
- $99.50 USD: average cart price.
- Apparel & Accessories: top product category.
- Percentage of cross-border orders: 15%
- Top trending products based on Shopify’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday Shopping Index: Sheertex: Classic Sheer Tights, Blanket Hoodies: The Blanket Hoodie and AfterShokz: Aeropex Open-Ear.
Enterprise Times: What this means for business?
Shopify’s data reflects sales by Shopify’s more than 1.7 million businesses in approximately 175 countries. Some analysts had suggested that the Black Friday and Cyber Monday’s sales figures would plateau in 2021. However, the robust figures published by Shopify is a good indication of the healthy state of the UK eCommerce market. Shopify merchant’s key target audiences, Generation Z are coming of age. Gen Z is defined as people born in the mid-to-late 1990s and the early 2010s. They grew up with access to the Internet and portable digital technology from a young age and are “digital natives”. Shopify’s data suggests these individuals are continuing to embrace their digital shopping carts. As a result, they are happily spending their way through the holiday season.
