A survey conducted in early November 2016 by One Hour Translation, a large online translation agency, which provides translation services to thousands of global e-commerce companies, indicates that online shopping in Black Friday is expanding beyond the U.S. and gaining popularity in other developed countries.
The survey was performed in cooperation with Google Consumer Surveys among a total of 3,600 participants in eight developed countries: the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Australia and Japan. In the survey, One Hour Translation asked: "In what day or days are you planning to do your online shopping this year?" The respondents could select more than one answer. The survey analyzed 1,000 responses in the U.S., 600 in the U.K. and 300 in each one of the other six countries.
In the U.S., around 26 percent of the respondents plan to buy online on Black Friday, which falls on November 25 this year, while around 28 percent plan to do so on Cyber Monday (November 28).
The average of the eight countries surveyed shows that 16.5 percent of the respondents prefer to buy online on Black Friday, compared to around 9 percent on Cyber Monday—data that clearly shows that Black Friday, which became a popular shopping event in the U.S. during the 1960s, is becoming a significant online shopping event outside of the U.S.
In Canada, 19.5 percent of the respondents said they plan to buy online on Black Friday, compared to 8 percent on Cyber Monday. In the U.K., the scores were 27 percent for Black Friday and 10 percent for Cyber Monday, while in Germany the scores were 12 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
In Spain, 29 percent of the respondents said they plan to buy online on Black Friday, compared to 5 percent on Cyber Monday.
The results in Australia were 11 percent for Black Friday, compared to 6 percent for Cyber Monday. The male respondents in Australia scored 17 percent interest in Black Friday.
Black Friday is still struggling to make it with French online shoppers. The survey showed keen interest among 18 percent of the French surveyed between the ages of 25 and 44 in Black Friday online promotions, but there was no interest whatsoever among those above 45. The overall level in France was 7 percent for Black Friday and 2 percent for Cyber Monday.
Japan seems to show the least interest in the Christmas season online shopping frenzy. The results in Japan were 5 percent for Black Friday and 3 percent for Cyber Monday. Nevertheless, the results show higher rates of interest in the 25- to 34-year-old segment in which 13 percent showed interest in Black Friday and 10 percent for Cyber Monday.
Millennials Lead the Holiday Season Online Shopping Frenzy
According to One Hour Translation's survey, young people between 18 and 34 show a strong tendency to buy online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
In the U.S., 44 percent of the 18- to 34-year-olds surveyed said they plan to buy online on Black Friday and 42 percent on Cyber Monday. For the 35- to 64-year-olds surveyed, the results were 21 percent on Black Friday and around 23 percent intended to do so on Cyber Monday. In the 65 and older category, only 5 percent planned to buy online on Black Friday, compared to around 12 percent on Cyber Monday.
The 35- to 64-year-old age group also shows lower percentages than younger people outside the U.S. In Canada, 18 percent intend to buy online on Black Friday and 8 percent on Cyber Monday. In the U.K., 25 percent plan to buy online for Black Friday and 10 percent for Cyber Monday, while France scored 7 percent and 2 percent, respectively. Germany scored 13 percent and 7 percent; Australia scored 10 percent and 4 percent; and Japan scored 5.5 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Spain stood out, with 31 percent of the 35- to 64-year-old age group opting for Black Friday, but only 6 percent for Cyber Monday.
Other interesting data pertain to those 65 or older living outside the U.S. Cyber Monday draws no interest with this segment in Spain, France, Japan and Canada, compared to around 5 percent in Australia and 14.5 percent in Germany. In contrast, 36 percent of those 65 or older in Spain say they would buy online on Black Friday, compared to 9 percent of this age segment in Australia, 14 percent in Germany, and 0 percent in France, Japan and Canada.
"The Christmas holiday season online shopping events are the culmination of the preparations by the world's largest e-commerce players, which began in early 2016," said Ofer Shoshan, co-founder and CEO of One Hour Translation. "These preparations included upgrading and localizing websites in order to adapt them to shoppers all over the globe. The survey we conducted proves that Black Friday, a shopping event that was considered purely American, is becoming popular even in major non-English-speaking countries."
Shoshan summarized: "The e-commerce players understand that, in order to boost their sales and reach wide audiences all over the world, they have to make their websites accessible to consumers in their own languages.”
