Record number of consumers intending to shop this Black Friday

Beauty brands and retailers are anticipating a high volume of shoppers in stores and online this weekend, and for good reason. According to survey data from the National Retail Federation, a US retail trade association, a record 182 million people are intending to shop from Black Friday through Cyber Monday in the US. Nearly a third of these shoppers will be looking to buy personal care and beauty products as gifts.

“Even though holiday shopping continues to pull forward, some of the busiest shopping days of the year are during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend,” says Katherine Cullen, NRF VP of Industry and Consumer Insights.

The Black Friday weekend, which follows the US Thanksgiving holiday, is one of the busiest shopping events for brands and retailers within the larger holiday season. To help retailers gauge consumer sentiment, the NRF conducts a holiday survey with Prosper Insights and Analytics.

This year, the survey asked approximately 8,000 US consumers about shopping plans for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Super Saturday and Christmas.

The 2024 holiday survey results indicate overall holiday spending is expected to reach up to US$989 billion, with approximately US$900 spent per person. Among the top gift categories, 54% of survey respondents are planning to buy clothing or accessories, and 44% will give gift cards. 28% of respondents expect to give personal care or beauty items as gifts this year. 

An earlier report from digital PR agency Tank estimates £3.8 billion (US$4.84 billion) will be spent this Black Friday in the UK, up 27% from last year’s retail sales.

Staffing and in-store shopping

Most of the anticipated shoppers, about 131.7 million, plan to shop on Black Friday, with two-thirds of the customers planning to shop in-store that day, says NRF. This highlights that the brick-and-mortar retail experience is still effective, which is why staffing seasonal employees has also been a priority.

NRF spoke to major retailers Macy’s and Target about seasonal staffing. Macy’s is set to bring on more than 31,500 seasonal staff this year through a hiring process that began in August. Other companies are incorporating more tools to support seasonal staff, like handheld devices, says NRF.   

Brands and Black Friday

Among the popular beauty brands and retailers offering deals this weekend, Sephora and Ulta are promoting discounts of up to 50% off certain products. 

Korean skin care brand Cosrx is offering up to 60% off, and Beauty of Josean’s skin care products are on sale at multiple retailers, including Amazon. 

Shoppers can find a plethora of makeup, skin care and hair care products from brands like L’Oréal and Lancôme on sale through online retailers Amazon and LookFantastic.

Alternatively, all Deciem brands, including The Ordinary, NIOD and LOoPHA, have been offering a 23% discount November 1 through December 6 as a part of its ‘Slowvember’ promotion, which it says is an alternative protest to the high pressure of Black Friday sales. 

Online inspiration

Online shopping is still very popular, and NRF data indicates that Cyber Monday will be the second most popular shopping day this weekend. Social media platforms are playing a major role in inspiring gift ideas, according to marketing agency MGH. According to its own consumer survey, more than half of the survey participants said they got gift ideas from TikTok, 39% were in the beauty and skin care category.

Retailers are enhancing virtual shopping experiences, with virtual try-ons increasing 31% in the last quarter, according to tech company Revieve, and a majority of US retail executives plan to use generative AI tools for customer-facing applications.