This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30242124
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Black Friday: Websites swamped by record demand | Black Friday: Websites swamped by record demand |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Retailers are forecasting record online sales as part of Black Friday pre-Christmas discounting. | Retailers are forecasting record online sales as part of Black Friday pre-Christmas discounting. |
But John Lewis said its website was having difficulties handling the number of visitors looking for a bargain. | But John Lewis said its website was having difficulties handling the number of visitors looking for a bargain. |
Tesco Direct and Currys' websites were also swamped by visitors and suffered problems. Currys said it experienced "astonishing" demand overnight. | Tesco Direct and Currys' websites were also swamped by visitors and suffered problems. Currys said it experienced "astonishing" demand overnight. |
Apple's iPad mini and a discounted food processor were the fastest-selling products for John Lewis in early sales. | Apple's iPad mini and a discounted food processor were the fastest-selling products for John Lewis in early sales. |
Police were called to a number of disturbances in London and Manchester supermarkets as shoppers fought over goods. | Police were called to a number of disturbances in London and Manchester supermarkets as shoppers fought over goods. |
Website demand | Website demand |
Many retailers traded from midnight to maximise shopping times. | Many retailers traded from midnight to maximise shopping times. |
John Lewis, which offered website deals from midnight, said that between midnight and 6am, traffic to johnlewis.com was up 307% compared with Black Friday last year. | |
The biggest peak in traffic was between 12am and 1am as customers sought bargains. | |
John Lewis said its fastest selling product was the Apple iPad mini. | John Lewis said its fastest selling product was the Apple iPad mini. |
It also said Nutribullet food processors were selling at a rate of one every 30 seconds. | |
About 7% of its customers were unable to access the site first time due to the level of demand. | |
"JohnLewis.com is up and running and working well," a spokeswoman said. | "JohnLewis.com is up and running and working well," a spokeswoman said. |
'Astonishing demand' | 'Astonishing demand' |
Currys PC World said it had seen its "biggest ever start" to Black Friday, with web traffic increasing fivefold from last year. | Currys PC World said it had seen its "biggest ever start" to Black Friday, with web traffic increasing fivefold from last year. |
"Overnight we saw astonishing demand online and implemented a pre-planned queuing system to most fairly support shoppers," said Currys PC World e-commerce director Jeremy Fennell. | "Overnight we saw astonishing demand online and implemented a pre-planned queuing system to most fairly support shoppers," said Currys PC World e-commerce director Jeremy Fennell. |
"We are continuing to implement our queuing system while shoppers take advantage of our great deals online and in-store." | "We are continuing to implement our queuing system while shoppers take advantage of our great deals online and in-store." |
At midday, the queue to access Currys' website was over half an hour long. | At midday, the queue to access Currys' website was over half an hour long. |
Overnight, Tesco Direct also experienced high demand, and was temporarily unavailable. | Overnight, Tesco Direct also experienced high demand, and was temporarily unavailable. |
Business sense? | Business sense? |
However, some analysts cast doubt on the value of Black Friday promotions to retailers. | |
"All Black Friday is likely to do is bring forward business from December, reduce gross margins and undermine consumer's willingness to pay full-price again before Christmas," said retail analyst Nick Bubb. | "All Black Friday is likely to do is bring forward business from December, reduce gross margins and undermine consumer's willingness to pay full-price again before Christmas," said retail analyst Nick Bubb. |
"It is therefore good to see that Next are thinking long-term and preserving their pricing power," he added. | "It is therefore good to see that Next are thinking long-term and preserving their pricing power," he added. |
For decades Next has had two sales - one in the summer, and one at Christmas. The company is expecting a profit of between £750m and £790m for 2014, an increase of 8-14%. | |
US import | |
In the US, the Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday - Black Friday - has been the biggest shopping day of the year since 2001. | |
Consumers in the UK have been becoming more aware of the US tradition, and UK retailers have been investing in Black Friday promotions. | |
The number of visits to UK shops on Black Friday only really started to pick up last year, according to research firm Experian Footfall, rising 5.6%. |