Over half of UK consumers - 55 per cent- plan to shop during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, according to research from Shopify.

The e-commerce platform’s research, which surveyed over 2,000 UK consumers, found 36 per cent plan to spend more than in 2020.

The survey found UK consumers are planning an average spend of £363 over the long weekend.

Many Brits - 43 per cent - are planning to make in-store purchases at local shops over the weekend, while 31 per cent plan to shop at independently owned businesses according to Shopify.

There is an increased interest from consumers in brick-and-mortar shopping compared to last year, 46 per cent plan to shop-in store, an increase since last year according to Shopify.

Despite this uptick, a large majority - 81 per cent - of consumers are planning to participate in the retail events say that Covid-19 will impact their shopping and as a result, 54 per cent plan to increase their online shopping according to the research.

The research found just over half - 51 per cent - of online shoppers want to get better prices online, while 49 per cent want to take advantage of online sales, and 37 per cent want to easily compare prices and products.

Just over a third - 36 per cent - of UK consumers are looking to online shopping to save time, while 35 per cent want to take advantage of free shipping, and 34 per cent want to be able to buy the product at any time.

More people than ever will use social channels to make purchases over the weekend as the shift towards social commerce continues to gather pace.

Just over half - 55 per cent - of younger shoppers, aged between 18-34, are planning to purchase from Facebook, 49 per cent plan to buy from Instagram, while 34 per cent and 32 per cent intend to make purchases on TikTok or Pinterest respectively.

Electronics are the most popular category of product amongst UK consumers according to the survey.

Four-in-ten - 40 per cent - of them plan to buy these over the long weekend, while 40 per cent plan to buy clothing, footwear, or accessories, 29 per cent plan to buy health, beauty, and personal care products, and 28 per cent plan to buy toys, games, and hobby supplies.

“Customers across the UK will be shopping and spending on all channels for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, and it's more important than ever for brands to learn where their customers are looking for deals, learning about their product, and making their purchases so they can continue to personalise experiences," said Shimona Mehta, managing director of EMEA at Shopify. "With supply chain constraints this holiday, brands adopting an integrated omni-channel approach will be able to manage their inventory and fulfill orders as expected to ensure a strong customer experience, helping to drive loyalty."

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