Retailers have been trying to get people to shop on the day after Thanksgiving since the late 19th century, according to TodayIFoundOut.com. During this time large department stores such as Macy's or Eaton's would host a parade. These parades would be a major source of holiday advertising campaigns for these stores. What the department stores noticed was that after the parade, people would go shopping. Over time this melded into the tradition we have today and because it puts many stores from being in the "red" (debt) to being in the "black" (profitable) financially, hence the term "Black Friday." The actual term, "Black Friday",wasn't coined until 1966 by Bonnie Taylor-Black who noted that the Philadedelphia Police Department coined the phrase due to the heavy traffic jams and over-crowded sidewalks from the commencement of the holiday shopping season.
Who shops on Black Friday?
In any case, over 135 million people go out to shop on Black Friday every year. According to USA Today, an estimated 70% of their readers (97M) say they will be out shopping this Black Friday 2013. And according to Ignition One, consumers will spend 11% more than they did last year in 2012.
Product categories they are most interested in? Electronics, DVDs/Blu-Ray, clothing, video games, computers.
According to MediaisPower.com, predictions for Black Friday 2013 are as follows:
How can you make an impact?
You should make sure that you present an offer that rewards your fans first, then sells your products. Amy Porterfield says that when posting on Facebook for the holidays, remember to think about why people have become fans of your business [in the first place], ...then tailor an offer to them.
This example is a day or two before Thanksgiving, but you get the point:
It's also important to have a really good visual, regardless if you are posting on Twitter, Google Plus, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.
Lastly, according to Nielsen (click for the full infographic), 51% of shoppers say they will be avoiding the crowds on Friday and shopping online this year. This is a litthe higher but correlates to Ignition One's analysis above where they claim 37% will shop via their tablet or mobile phone. And if last year's trends were any indication, we'll probably see an uptick in mobile purchases, especially from Hispanic consumers.
This was data taken from several infographics that hosted 2013 data. Many infographics that are out there are citing data from 2011 and 2010, so be careful about what you read. Obviously we won't know how it all shakes out until post Black Friday.
Happy shopping!