Black Friday sales could surge £200m if payments didn’t fail, study shows
By Puja Sharma
UK online retail businesses could increase their gross sales by up to £200 million during the 2022 Black Friday weekend if failed payments were avoided, according to the latest analysis by BR-DGE’s failed payments calculator.
Recent data from VoucherCodes forecasts that UK shoppers are set to spend £8.71 billion this Black Friday Weekend. BR-DGE analysis of this data suggests that £2.38 billion will be spent online over the weekend by UK consumers. Over the course of the Black Friday weekend, 8.4% of online consumer payment transactions could be unsuccessful based upon average failure rates in the UK market.
As reported by IBS intelligence in its previous post regarding the Black Friday sale and usage of BNPL, nearly 8 million Brits wrongly believe you can’t get into debt using ‘Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services, prompting fears that shoppers are at increased risk of financial difficulty this Black Friday and in the run-up to Christmas.
The confusion is higher among younger generations. Despite 14% of 18-34-year-olds using BNPL in the past – the highest proportion for any age group – and over a third (34%) admitting they use BNPL at least once per month, they have the lowest awareness of the financial risks of using this form of credit.
With Black Friday sales, there is concern that BNPL purchases are set to spike which could put shoppers at risk of falling into debt. Last year, PayPal announced a 400% annual increase in BNPL usage during the Black Friday period compared to 2020, and the cost-of-living crisis will only make this option more appealing this year.
Fragmented payment systems, put under increasing pressure by the massive growth in digital commerce, can result in failed transactions and unprocessed baskets. If this was eradicated, this weekend’s total spending across online retail could be as much as £2.57 billion. Furthermore, with intelligent routing and a greater commercial leverage through payment orchestration platforms, like BR-DGE, online retailers could further gain on operating margins and offer a better service to their customers by keeping up with their evolving payment needs.
Jacob Spencer, Head of Commercial at payments firm BR-DGE said, “This year’s Black Friday weekend has grown in importance as savvy consumers look to snap up the best deals before the pre-Christmas sales finish. Whilst UK consumers will be looking for greater affordability against the backdrop of rising prices, they will also be searching for a stress-free, seamless shopping experience from online retailers. Positively for online retailers, the data shows that e-commerce businesses could generate up to £200 million extra in sales this Black Friday weekend if failed transactions were avoided.
On the flip side, the high amount of likely failed transactions is a blow for retail during this tricky trading period as it holds back online sales, and creates friction in the customer journey. For those looking to tempt new customers with big offers during Black Friday, the knock-on impact of failed transactions is reduced customer loyalty and repeat business as customers look elsewhere. Studies have shown that 62% of consumers abandon their cart when they struggle to complete a transaction highlighting the value of having strong payment systems in place.
“Merchants need to put their best foot forward when it comes to payments infrastructure and invest in more resilient payment solutions that integrate multiple providers and payment methods in order to avoid ongoing failed payments.” Spencer added.
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