Created in the United States, Black Friday has slowly but surely become a reference for shopping enthusiasts around the world. Decryption.
It all starts with Thanksgiving.
On the 4th Thursday of November, Thanksgiving is celebrated in the United States. Originally a religious holiday in which people thanked God for the harvest, it is now a secular cultural celebration equivalent to a holiday for American families.
Everyone gathers around the table to eat the turkey and national festivities, including sports, are organized all over the country.
It is also the starting point for Christmas shopping. This is how the link is created with the day that follows, the famous Black Friday, a merchants' day where you benefit from advantageous conditions for your end-of-year purchases.
Why Black Friday?
The etymology indicates a connection between the word Black and a time of high affluence, of a large concentration of people or vehicles. This sum of people or travellers materialises on exceptional days.
When the merchants' associations decided to organize a day dedicated to shopping at good prices, the term Black Friday was formed. The idea was to bridge the gap between Thanksgiving and the Christmas shopping season, allowing customers to take advantage of the exceptional conditions, which, in turn, caused a rush of purchases in stores.
We can also refer to the merchants who hope to make their best sales of the year and get their bank accounts out of the red. The money earned replenishes negative bank accounts and allows the numbers to be written again in black ink...
Le Cyber Monday !
Why stop there? True to the typical Anglo-Saxon principle of exuberance and excess and as a mark of recognition for our increasingly digitalized world, Cyber Monday was born!
If you put on Thanksgiving Thursday, Black Friday, weekend... You end up on Monday, which also serves as a platform for your shopping. However, the Cyber indicates an application of generous terms of sale only available online. If your credit card isn't burned yet, we'll tempt you one last time with slashed prices on your favorite products available on digital sales platforms.
By combining Black Friday with Cyber Monday, we total hundreds of billions in sales around the world. What emanated from the United States is now a global phenomenon, even if the Covid pandemic has somewhat reduced the impact of these days dedicated to the retail trade.
Who cares in Switzerland?
Not at all; Many businesses are playing the game of exceptional discounts, both in shopping centre shops and on digital platforms. However, success is not as clear as in other countries and a slowdown has been observed in recent years.
In particular, studies have shown a certain degree of mistrust regarding the proportionality of discounts; discounts that cause a significant decrease in the margins of the brands concerned. "For the first time, some players have chosen to turn their backs on discounts," Credit Suisse analysts say, for example.
There is also a risk of cannibalization, as most Christmas shopping is often already planned, with impulse spending being relegated to a minority of purchases.
To put this in the context of global purchase values, sales totaled only 130 million in 2021, 30 million less than in 2020. A drop in the bucket.
A generational gap is also widening, favoring Cyber Monday more than Black Friday. Cannibalization also plays a role in this.
The Single Day... even for couples?
November is definitely dedicated to consumption.
On November 11 or 11.11 celebrate at the number 1. The number of the individual, the solitary, the single.
In China, single students tired of Valentine's Day decided to create a day celebrating celibacy. This day has grown and has become the platform for brands such as Alibaba or AliExpress to slash prices and encourage young people to buy online.
In recent years, sales records have been broken and the success of this day of Chinese origin now extends beyond its borders.
Flash sales like when your bank account is caught up in a deluge of spending.
Everyone loves a good deal. Slashed prices, limited-time offers, flash sales, promotions of all kinds... Everything is good to attract new customers and empty your stocks.
So yes, why not treat yourself? Might as well take advantage of it, right?
Let us simply pay attention to the principle of necessity and capacity. Is this purchase really necessary? Useful? Do I have the means to make a purchase?
Simple questions and yet, our credit cards and other fast payment methods go hand in hand with the immediacy of a so-called need to buy, an impulse purchase.
Indulge yourself but as with alcohol, consume in moderation.
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