What Might Black Friday Look Like This Year?

As the holiday season approaches, there are growing questions about how holiday shopping will kick off. For the last several years, Black Friday shopping has started on Thanksgiving Day and into Black Friday, but this year, shoppers are shying away from the big event. The latest Accenture Holiday Shopping Survey finds that shoppers are minimizing in-store shopping and choosing home delivery. It also shows that shoppers would prefer stores to remain closed on Thanksgiving Day.

According to the survey, 76% of consumers want retailers to remain closed on Thanksgiving Day, and half of those respondents said retail workers deserved a say off. Another 61% of respondents in the survey said that they plan to minimize in-store shopping this year and that they would be most comfortable shopping in stores that show a high level of concern for health, safety and hygiene practices.

The concern over health and safety in retail stores has been an ongoing challenge for retailers. The CDC has issued strict guidance for shoppers this holiday season, recommending that consumers stay home as much as possible and avoid in-store shopping. For Black Friday shopping, the CDC recommends “shopping online rather than in person on the day after Thanksgiving or the next Monday,” according to the website.

The survey also showed more of a social concern from consumers for retail workers and a preference to support businesses that have shown support for workers. Of the shoppers that plan to minimize in-store shopping, all of them said that they want to reduce risk to essential workers, and 41% said they will not shop with retailers that laid off or reduced workers’ benefits as a result of the pandemic. On the other hand, 57% of respondents said they would be more likely to shop with a retailer that supported staff members through the pandemic. In addition, 40% of consumers are planning to support minority businesses this year.

While consumers are minimizing online shopping and holding retailers accountable, many are also increasing expectations of retailer services. While most retailers are offering curbside pickup, consumers want in-home delivery, and 77% of respondents said that expect retailers to provide this options. Only 11% of respondents said that they were willing to pick up purchases in the store, and 79% of respondents said that they expect both fast and free delivery.

In many ways, these trends will force retailers to adapt to the new market and adopt e-commerce and home delivery policies. “They will need to build resilience and agility into their networks and those of their partners to address rising delivery costs and avoid supply chain crunches,” said Brooks Kitchel, head of Accenture Strategy’s retail industry sector, in a statement.

Of course, online shopping and home delivery aren’t the only ways to attract customers. Accenture recommends that retailers consider appointment-based shopping, and 62% of respondents said that they would utilize such a service.

Retailers are already struggling this year. In 2020, 29 retailers have filed for bankruptcy and 11 filed in the summer months alone. As a result, this year could rival 2010 in terms of retail bankruptcies. The holiday season will be a reckoning moment for many retailers, who will either find a way through this crisis or not.