Discover 10 curiosities about Black Friday: from the American origins to Green Friday, shopping record, discounts and new trends.
Black Friday has now also entered our habits: an appointment that anticipates Christmas and that mobilizes millions of consumers. But behind the sparkling windows and sites on tilt there are stories and details that perhaps not everyone knows. Here are ten surprising curiosities.
1. Black Friday was not initially a commercial event
The term Black Friday He appeared for the first time in Philadelphia in the 1960s, when the local police thus called the chaos of traffic and streets clogged the day after the thanks. Only later did the “black” pass to the positive accounts of the shops.
2. Black Friday in Italy has arrived with e-commerce
If the tradition dates back to over half a century ago in the USA, in Italy Black Friday has spread only since the mid -2000s. Platforms such as Amazon, who accustomed consumers to flash discounts and “time” discounts.
3. Black Friday: at the beginning it lasted one day, now a month
The Black Friday was, originally, a single discounts of discounts. Today many retailers speak of Black Weekand there are those who go further: the so -called Black Novemberwith discounts diluted throughout the month.
4. What is Cyber Monday, the “digital brother”
The Monday following the Black Friday is the Cyber Mondayborn in 2005 to promote purchases exclusively online, in particular in the hi-tech and digital sectors. Over time the two events have merged, so much so that many brands no longer clearly distinguish the offers.
5. Black Friday as an economic indicator
In the United States, economic analysts carefully observe the trend of Black Friday: the extent of the purchases is considered an indicator of the trust of consumers and the performance of the Christmas season.
6. Not only technology: the sectors involved
If in the past smartphones and appliances were the absolute protagonists, today Black Friday also involves fashion, cosmetics, furniture and even travel or food products. A revolution that has transformed the event into a transversal phenomenon.
7. Shopping record and return boom
According to Adobe Analytics data (external source: Adobe Holiday Shopping Trends Report 2023), Black Friday 2022 in the US has generated over 9 billion dollars of online purchases in one day. But there is the downside: the return, which grow up to 30% of the orders, with remarkable environmental and logistics impacts.
8. Green Friday as a sustainable alternative
In recent years, alternative initiatives to the unbridled consumerism of Black Friday have been born.
Some European brands have launched the Green Fridaywith awareness campaigns, donations to environmental projects or promotions related to recycling.
9. The “false offers” of Black Friday
An investigation by Altroconsumo (external source: Altroconsumo Report 2022) showed that many discounts of Black Friday are not as advantageous as they seem: in several cases the prices are similar to those of the previous weeks, only “inflated” to appear lowered. Watch out then!
10. From shopping to the window to the click marathon
Today Black Friday is no longer just a crowded showcase affair: 70% of purchases have smartphones, with apps that send personalized notifications and countdown. Artificial intelligence plays an growing role, proposing tailor -made discounts based on past research and purchases.
From the chaos of the Roads of Philadelphia to the shopping apps on the phone, therefore, Black Friday has traveled a long way. And while for some the feast of consumerism remains, for others it is simply the right time to do business (possibly real).
