A man with shopping bags hanging from her arm during Black Friday.
15.11.2022

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Single Day... There are days when it's better to hide your wallet!

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.

 

Milenia.

As a leading Swiss financing platform, Milenia is now the partner of choice for thousands of customers wishing to access credit to finance their projects. 

Concerned about the well-being of our customers, we systematically aim for balanced credit, respectful of repayment capacities. 

We advise, guide and protect those who trust us to establish a responsible personal loan file.

That's why we feed our blog with reviews and articles on a variety of topics related to your finances, debts and related risks. This, straightforwardly, without any tongue in cheek.

If you want to finance a renovation project, buy a vehicle, support an entrepreneurial approach, pay for your studies or simply take advantage of purchases on a black-cyber-single-thanksgiving day... Trust us. 

We will be able to help you choose your partner bank, the duration of your loan and the best available rate. 

Milenia is simply that. People at the service of people.

 

 

 



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The big winners? Zoom, Teams, Skype, Webex... It was a good time and the number of users exploded

 

Video conferencing platforms

In order to establish clear and effective communication channels, it is necessary to have instant messaging and video conferencing tools to maintain smooth communication between team members. This transition is being made by different players who bring specificities specific to each sector.

You may have seen that.

Some companies will use the Zoom platform, which allows simple video conferences with a discussion thread, which is easy to use and not very connected to other services.

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Companies are adapting to the demands of employees, especially young people entering the workforce.

They demand flexibility, adapted schedules and, yes, telecommuting.

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Companies are implementing hybrid work modes that allow the employee more time to work from home but require them to be present for a certain number of days in the office. Again, there is no single rule.

Some organizations simply refuse the principle of remote work.

Others impose a fixed day of attendance.

Some leave the choice to their teams.

One thing is for sure, remote work is here to stay, in one form or another.

More than controlling productivity, more than managing teams and workloads, the real challenge is to keep the links between employees, to ensure proximity between managers and their teams.

Finding a balance between the attractiveness of the employer brand, individual well-being and the needs of the company; This is where the effort must be directed for the future.

 

At work and at home, Milenia is always available

Accessing credit through our financing platform has never been easier.

Everything is within your reach, with customization according to your projects, we accompany you from start to finish so that your projects can see the light of day.

For your personal loan, we offer the best market conditions with 0 application fees. Everything is designed to make your life easier.

Your loan application can be done entirely remotely, with support from your personal advisor or both at the same time.

The flexibility, adaptability, personalization of your offer... All of this is embedded in our approach and services.

As the leading credit player in Switzerland, place your trust in us so that your personal dreams and projects come true.

 

 

 

 

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