Black Friday shift in South Africa

The sales value of tech and durables in South Africa has seen positive growth throughout the year, setting the scene for Black Friday. However, South Africans shouldn’t expect discounts like in previous years.

This is according to the South Africa State of the Retail Nation report by NielsenIQ (NIQ), a marketing research firm headquartered in Chicago, US.

The report highlights that sales of Information Technology and small domestic appliances both increased by 9% during the first three quarters of the year, while those of major domestic appliances increased by 10%.

These increases have become particularly prevalent entering the last stretch of the year, with NIQ attributing this to two pot withdrawals.

Only the telecoms and consumer electronics segments saw a 1% and 2% decrease in sales revenue, respectively.

However, NIQ believes South Africans shouldn’t set their expectations too high this Black Friday.

“While there are major promotional pushes, we anticipate that overall margins for retailers and manufacturers will be higher than in prior years,” said NIQ South Africa’s market intelligence lead, Thomas Woods.

“Most discounts are not expected to be as deep this year as in some other years. However, there is a golden opportunity for retailers and manufacturers to capture revenue growth,” said Woods.

He said that new brand entrants are expected to use Black Friday to enter new markets, particularly for Chinese disruptors. This refers to e-commerce players like Temu and Shein.

However, several online tech retailers have made it clear they intend to satisfy tech lovers’ appetites this Black Friday.

Among them is major technology distributor First Technology, which sells to businesses and end-users.

First Technology e-commerce general manager Wayne Panaino told MyBroadband that its First Shop online store would offer one of its most extensive Black Friday campaigns yet.

The offers will include exclusive deals on a wide range of tech, including laptops, desktops, monitors, gaming gear, and PC components.

“Our goal is to provide both business and consumer clients with unbeatable offers,” the company said.

“Shoppers can expect significant savings on top brands like Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Samsung, Epson, Logitech and more.”

Panaino added that First Shop will have massive discounts on high-performance laptops, AI-ready laptops, ultra-fast SSDs, graphics cards, gaming components, and high-resolution monitors.

“Additionally, we’ll have limited ‘doorbuster’ deals available for early-bird customers,” he said.

As part of the sales event, selected products will also come with extended warranties, free shipping, and the option to spread payments through instalments with select partners.

“We’re also preparing exclusive bundle deals, allowing customers to purchase tech packages at even greater savings,” Panaino said.

First Shop’s deals will run from Monday, 25 November, through to Cyber Monday on 2 December 2024.

“We’ll have different deals dropping throughout the week to keep the excitement going and give customers more opportunities to score fantastic bargains,” the company said.

Another prominent online retailer participating in Black Friday 2024 is Teljoy, which will be offering up to 40% off on several categories such as laptops, TVs, and gaming.

“Teljoy is concluding deals with big-name brands as we speak, to bring the best product offering to consumers during the Black Friday period,” said Teljoy marketing manager Michelle Steyn.

“Consumers can look forward to TV deals from R279 per month with a TV licence included on all TVs, as well as free delivery on all Teljoy products,” said Teljoy marketing manager Michelle Steyn.

Teljoy’s Teljoy’s Black Friday deals will run over the entire November 2024.

Steyn recommended customers be quick to check out the deals as they move fast during the Black Friday period.

“All Teljoy products will be marked down during this period, so don’t wait till the last week,” said Steyn.