Black Friday sales shoot up to record levels despite Covid-19

Kiwis spend $248.2 million on Black Friday this year, lifting spending to record levels despite of Covid-19. Photo / 123RF

Kiwis spent about $250 million on Black Friday this year, lifting spending to record levels despite of Covid-19.

Worldline - formerly Paymark - has reported that over the four day Black Friday sale, New Zealanders spent $248.2m this year, an increase of 7 per cent from last year and an increase of 11 per cent from the year before.

Spending through Worldline via the core retail merchants that tend to participate in Black Friday sales – including electronics and appliances, clothing, footwear, home and recreational wares, but excluding food, liquor and hospitality merchants – covered the period from Black Friday to Monday, November 29.

This spending was up 7 per cent on the same four days last year ($232m) and, significantly, was 11 per cent above the pre-Covid levels of 2019 ($223m).

The 2020-2021 growth was strongest in Taranaki (an increase of 24 per cent) and Wairarapa (an increase of 16 per cent).

Spending nationally through Worldline for the core retailers, excluding food, liquor and hospitality merchants was highest on Black Friday (November 26), at $73m, up 32 per cent of the Friday one week earlier.

Spending on the Monday through Worldline was similar to that of the previous Monday, but these transactions were largely in-store rather than the online market being targeted on the day.

The following graph shows spending in the Auckland/Northland region spiking higher over the four-day Black Friday to Monday weekend among electrical goods retailers, compared to the previous weeks.

Worldline's head of data George Putnam: "Overall, this record spend for the Black Friday sales weekend marks a strong start to the Christmas spending season".

"Covid-19 did impact on spending patterns between regions and sectors, but overall, people have gone out and taken advantage of the many sales on offer.

"The Covid effects tended to vary. Spending in regions such as Marlborough, West Coast and Otago was up on last year but remains below pre-Covid levels. Other regions outside the large centres, such as Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Wanganui and Wairarapa, experienced spending between 16 and 28 per cent above pre-Covid levels," Putnam said.

"Auckland and Northland spending growth was near the national average but did differ between sectors. Spending was very strong (an increase of 40 per cent vs 2019) among the large group of hardware and furniture merchants, as has been the case since the November 9 lockdown easing, while merchants selling electrical goods traded below pre-Covid levels ( decrease of 17 per cent)."

"Outside the goods sectors, there also remains lower spending at cafes and restaurants in Auckland/Northland ( decrease of 44 per cent v 2019), in contrast to moderate but nonetheless growth of 0.8 per cent for the rest of the country," he said.