RIP Black Friday

The American ‘holiday,’ Black Friday (News - Alert), which in recent years has been notable for interrupting family Thanksgiving dinners, will cease to exist due to complications from digital commerce.

Americans can finally welcome freedom from the hectic shopping spree that was Black Friday. This year, many consumers will bypass the crowds and simply pop open their laptop to scroll through the deals, supporting the projected 20 percent increase in online Black Friday shopping this year. 

We can’t say we didn’t see this coming. In 2013, almost half of consumers turned to their mobile phone, while nestled amongst family members and pumpkin pie, to shop via mobile shopping applications over the Thanksgiving weekend, a number which is predicted to increase this year.

The 2014 holiday shopping survey from Accenture showed that 25 percent of U.S. consumers plan to spend more during the holidays than last year. Omlis predictions for 2014’s holiday shopping support a full cyber week of shopping, with consumers using mobile payments - and a host of security concerns.

Cyber Week

Cyber Monday (News - Alert) will meld into an entire cyber week for the first time this year. Online shopping is predicted to “crush” Black Friday numbers and the deals offered online will likely be the same or better – meaning customers will stay home and shop, beginning before Thanksgiving and continuing through the weekend. With many stores offering discounts on shipping, it is certain that online shopping will grow massively this year.

Retailers will need to concentrate on their online presence rather than long lines and overstocking to succeed in the biggest shopping weekend of the year. Mobile shopping applications will need to be up to par, because two thirds of smartphone and tablet owners who have attempted to buy online had to abandon the purchase due to difficulties with the checkout process. Retailers should ensure that their website is optimized for the web before the holiday season, and will do even better if they offer a mobile shopping app that can accept payments.

Mobile Payments

Mobile Christmas shopping will increase this year, whether or not retailers are prepared. In 2013, 88 percent of respondents to a survey had used their mobile for Christmas shopping. Of these consumers, 71 percent were using the mobile web and 21 percent used shopping apps. Even on Black Friday last year, the amount of consumers using mobile shopping apps rose by 86 percent when compared to typical usage rates. Cyber Monday sales increased 20.6 percent year-over-year in 2013, with 17 percent of purchases made from mobile devices or tablets. With more online deals available throughout the week, E-commerce and M-commmerce with gain higher traction again in 2014.

In-store mobile payments could also see an increase due to the recent launch of ApplePay and increased competition from similar payment solutions. New mobile payment schemes are predicted to coincide with an increase in the number of discounts made available for shoppers using their mobile devices to pay, which could, in turn, drive an increase in mobile point-of-sale transactions.

Security

Payment security will be very important for consumers this year, after the ‘year of the hack’ with prominent retailers such as Target (News - Alert) and Home Depot seeing large-scale data breaches. Almost half of Americans said they try to avoid shopping at stores affected by data breaches within the last year. Those not using digital payment methods in-store will default to cash for security reasons; in fact, 48 percent of major credit and debit card holders plan to pay with cash more frequently this holiday season as a direct response to data breaches.

Security concerns may also influence the death of Black Friday. Although almost half of consumers in a survey said they shop online on a weekly basis, most said that they are concerned about authentication and mobile security.

“Security will remain at the forefront of customer concerns, and retailers must consider implementing secure mobile payment solutions into their apps and mobile stores in order to regain consumer trust,” said Markus Milsted, CEO of Omlis.

Cyber Week 2014 will demonstrate an increase in online shopping, mobile commerce and mobile payments for the upcoming holiday shopping season. Good riddance, Black Friday.

Emma Thompson is the Junior Marketing Executive at Omlis. She covers topics primarily in the mobile payments industry, with a focus on adoption of new payment technologies, security and innovation. Emma has an MSc in E-Business and E- Marketing from Newcastle University with a background in Journalism.

Omlis is a global mobile payment solutions provider bringing highly powerful and effective solutions to all mobile commerce security. The Omlis mobile payment solution was designed for mobile fraud prevention to enhance retail operations and reclaim consumer confidence. The elegant system architecture powers convenient new ways to pay, helping retail service providers answer consumer demand without compromising on security.