South Africa’s leading online retailer Takealot is anticipating its biggest Black Friday yet – a culmination of months of business-wide tech and operational focus to prepare for predicted increased traffic and shopper volumes.
Black Friday was first introduced to South Africa by Takealot in 2012 and has since become a landmark shopping event in South Africa’s annual retail calendar. Year-on-year it has been a record breaker for Takealot. This year the business expects no different, expecting to ship millions of boxes to Takealot shoppers across the country in November alone.
Its iconic five-day Blue Dot Sale famously kicks off 1 minute past midnight, Black Friday (25 November) and sees new deals added daily over the weekend, as well as on Cyber Monday (28 November) and Takealot Tuesday (29 November).
Last year, Takealot sold 5,000 airfyers on Black Friday alone. By Takealot Tuesday, enough airfryers had been sold to kit out every home in Ermelo. The largest purchase made was a cart totalling a whopping R366,967.
Black Friday remains a highlight for shoppers across the country. Last year, FNB noted that sales were up between 15% and 19% while online payment gateway PayFast saw online transaction value spike by more than 30%. Payfast also recorded an increased spend on electronics of more than 120%, indicating shoppers’ willingness to spend more on big-ticket items like TVs, appliances, and consoles.
“We believe that South Africans remain money conscious but in our experience, they have built trust in finding their best deals online on Takealot. During the Blue Dot Sale, we plan on unlocking even more value through phenomenal deals for each shopper,” says takealot.com CEO, Frederik Zietsman.
“We’ve taken our iconic Blue Dot Sale back to its roots – focussing on great savings not only on everyday essentials but also the products shoppers have wish-listed for months – TVs, fridges, washing machines, laptops, fragrances, toys and must-have tech,” says Zietsman.
Shoppers can expect up to 50% off thousands of incredible deals. Once again, Takealot is giving eager shoppers Early Access to Black Friday deals, with select Blue Dot Sale Early Access Deals being released daily from 21-24 November – all at Black Friday prices.
Over the weekend, Takealot will add new deals, giving shoppers reason to come back again and again. On Cyber Monday, South Africans can expect even more deals on tech, appliances and a special emphasis on loadshedding solutions.
Takealot Tuesday shines a light on local businesses trading on the Takealot Marketplace platform, empowering South African entrepreneurs and highlighting SMMEs in the biggest retail event of the year. Takealot Tuesday will also include discounts on brands exclusive to Takealot.
