Falling the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday marks the first day of the holiday shopping season.

The Christmas period can be make-or-break for even the biggest businesses. It is used as a prompt for Christmas shopping, where retailers launch some of the best deals of the year, introduce new products and – let’s face it – try to shift some old stock.

With Black Friday already trending in the UK, is it worth making a last minute attempt to piggyback on the occasion?

To help you decide, we’ve filtered out the vast amount of data based on US demographics, leaving only UK data – so you can focus only on what’s relevant to your target market.

Here’s our round-up of some of the top Black Friday UK 2017 trends, tips and statistics.

Top Black Friday Stats

Overall, it’s predicted a record-breaking £20 billion will be blown online (with around £10 billion on mobile) and the high street throughout November 2017 – with Black Friday the busiest day of them all. (Forbes)

Prospect of a £7 billion online spend week for the Black Friday peak period in 2017. (IMRG)

Men are predicted to spend more than women, at £381.88 compared to £215.86. (finder.com)

In 2016, UK shoppers spent over £2 billion on their Visa cards on Black Friday, 13% more than last year. Half the spending happened online and through contactless, across all age groups. (Guardian)

There were 13.6 million social media interactions related to Black Friday in 2016. (Netimperative)

87% of social media conversations related to Black Friday were had by women in 2016. (Netimperative)

Consumer Opinions on Black Friday

Our market research team at Rooster Marketing interviewed a large sample of the British public, to discover their attitudes and opinions behind the statistics. Has Black Friday changed their buying behaviour? We detail our findings in our market research report: What do Consumers Really Think About Black Friday?

Tips for Last Minute Black Friday Planning

Left your Black Friday planning until now? That’s okay, there’s still time! Here are our top tips for when you have little time to plan.

1. Get involved in the conversation on social media – whether you are up and running with your own deals, discounts and offers or not, you can join in the conversation on social media at any time. Our infographic shows that women are the best demographic to target with social media on Black Friday.

2. Run a competition or giveaway – this is a great way to get involved, particularly if you’re not an e-commerce business.

3. Reuse a tried and tested campaign – if you don’t have the time to analyse past site behaviour on previous Black Fridays, stick to something that you know works well with your audience and put a Black Friday spin on it.

4. Discount codes – “Black Friday discount codes” is a growing UK search trend and a good opportunity for a quick win. If you already offer discount codes, this is a quick and simple way to get some extra custom. And if you have time, email newsletters with Black Friday discount codes are very effective!