What to expect from Black Friday: Sales, deals & predictionson November 1, 2023 at 12:00 Tech Advisor
Black Friday is undoubtedly the biggest shopping event of the year, allowing customers to make the most of deep discounts ahead of Christmas. This year, the event arrives on 24 November but major retailers have already started rolling out their deals.
In this article, we’re taking a deep dive into everything you can expect this Black Friday. We’ll look at which devices to keep an eye on for major discounts, which retailers should have sales, ongoing early Black Friday deals and most importantly, top tips and predictions so you’re wholly prepared to maximise your Black Friday savings.
If you’re in the UK, you can start your Black Friday shopping right now by browsing the deals that are live at Currys, Argos, Boots and Dyson.
Currys is shouting about its up to 40% off deals on TVs, large and small appliances, laptops, tablets and PCs.
And if you’re worried about whether you should buy now or wait for Black Friday itself, Argos has a price promise on dozens of its sale items: these items will not be reduced further before the end of the year. If you spot a good deal, just look out for the green price promise badge before you buy. There are plenty of tech and appliances offers included.
If you’re looking for electric toothbrushes or electric shavers, Boots has included these products in its round-up of thousands of sale products.
Dyson, meanwhile, is offering up to £150 off cordless vacuums, heaters and hair tools.
In the US, Best Buy‘s Black Friday sale is live: there are deals on TVs and projectors, laptops and computers, consoles, appliances, cell phones and more. Everyone can shop these deals but Best Buy Plus and Best Buy Total members will have access to further savings.
Walmart‘s online Black Friday sale goes live on 8 November, and on 10 November in store – but only to Walmart+ members. You can preview some of the deals on its website now, and decide if membership (which is now half off at $49 per annum) is worth it to snag big ticket items ahead of everyone else.
Best Black Friday deals
Here are our top highlights for the best Black Friday offers, for both the US and UK:
Best US Black Friday deals
LG Gram 16 (2022)
The LG Gram 16 is an excellent lightweight laptop that will serve you well. This discount makes the 2022 model significantly more affordable.
Best UK Black Friday deals
Get a gift card worth up to £300 when you buy a TV
From: Argos
Was: Buy a TV from a top brand including Sony and LG
Now:
You’ll get a gift card worth up to £300
This Argos deal caught our eye. If you’re already planning on buying one of the TVs included in the promotion – and there are plenty on offer – why not get a little bit extra in the form of a gift card?
Tefal ActiFry Genius XL Air Fryer
An excellent deal on a great air fryer from a popular brand. The capable Tefal ActiFry Genius XL is usually on the pricey side, but this hefty discount makes it much more affordable.
Get a pair of Oral-B iO3 electric toothbrushes for just £105
Ignore the inflated RRP: the best current price for an iO3 is £75. Here, you can get two for £105 – we don’t expect to see this offer bettered this year. Yes, you’ll be sharing a charger and travel case but it’s a brilliant brush and a great deal. Read our iO3 review to find out why you should go for it.
Get a Dyson V8 Absolute for under £270
The Dyson V8 is a classic for a reason: it’s light, powerful and very good value for under £270.
Tech brands to watch for Black Friday 2023
You don’t have to be a fortune teller to predict which devices are likely to see Black Friday discounts – all you really need is an awareness of release cycles, price histories and past trends. Thankfully, that’s our job here at Tech Advisor, so we can save you the trouble.
These are the devices we expect to see on sale within the next couple of weeks, if not sooner:
2022 Apple devices (or older)
In 2023, Apple launched a ton of new products, including the iPhone 15 range (including the Plus, Pro and Pro Max), the Apple Watch 9 and Ultra 2, as well as new Macbooks. This means a number of devices launched in 2022 are all fair game for major discounts, although as new AirPods and iPads did not appear, you may have to go back to 2021 models to find a good discount there:
Don’t forget that Apple also holds a 4-day Black Friday event every year. While it doesn’t slash prices on its products, it does bundle a gift card with select devices. With Apple’s push towards the AirPods line, you’re also likely to see big discounts on Beats headphones.
Microsoft Surface devices
Microsoft recently launched updates to a whole bunch of its Surface devices as well, so Black Friday season will be a great time to pick up discounts on the previous generation devices. We’re tracking deals for the Surface Pro 9.
Samsung Black Friday deals: Galaxy S23 range
Black Friday deals on Samsung’s Galaxy S23 range are likely. And if Samsung stays true to the predicted release cycle, the Galaxy S24 range should release in February 2024. That means Samsung will want to clear out old stock for Black Friday.
Also take a look at the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 – which have been replaced by newer models, so are almost certain to see heavy discounts.
Black Friday Xiaomi deals
Xiaomi is no stranger to deals and often has sales running through the year in the UK – though sadly its phones still aren’t sold in the US.
We’re almost certain to see discounts on the Xiaomi 13 flagships, but your best bet is to head directly to the Mi Store, because the best savings are usually found across its expansive range of more affordable phones, especially those in the Poco and Redmi lines.
Other tech deals to look for
We expect VPNs, Fitbits and Amazon Echo devices to all have Black Friday discounts as well. We’ll be tracking the best offers in our dedicated round ups:
Predictions for Black Friday this year
1. More shopping in-stores?
It’s hard to say at this stage whether people will be trying to get their bargains in store or while sitting comfortably behind their computer screens. But you can be sure retailers will try to tempt shoppers back with very competitive discounts.
While shopping online has ballooned since the pandemic, we’re certain that retailers will want to make the most of their customers’ in-store presence with exclusive discounts, live products demonstrations, and buying advice.
2. Rise and rise of click and collect
The answer to shoppers’ should-I-stay-or-should-I-go dilemma could be click and collect. This hybrid shopping model has gone from strength to strength, with retailers including Primark and Aldi getting in on the act.
With the increasing strain on delivery drivers, retailers might incentivise buying or reserving online and collecting in-store by offering discounts or bundles.
The benefits of C&C are that you don’t have to wait for delivery, and you don’t need to pay for delivery costs. Plus, you can have a look and feel of the item before you pay for it (if you pay on collection).
3. Free next-day delivery
In the same vein, retailers may entice shoppers with free next-day delivery to limit people from crowding stores.
It’s also one way retailers online can compete with Amazon, which often becomes the go-to for shoppers with a Prime membership. Prime allows unlimited next day delivery on eligible items for free. Sign up for a free 30-day trial or check out our full guide to Amazon Prime ahead of Black Friday.
4. Live shopping deals (especially on social media)
In 2021, UK retailer Currys introduced its live-shopping service called LiveShop. At its launch, which coincided with Amazon’s Prime Day, LiveShop allowed customers to tune into a livestreamed demo of Google Nest and Pixel devices, while gaining an exclusive discount on the devices.
It was another way in which Currys competed with Amazon, which in the US similarly served customers exclusive discounts via Amazon Live – Amazon’s influencer-hosted live shopping service.
Liveshopping e-commerce isn’t new. In fact, it’s a massive multi-billion dollar e-commerce business in Asia, but it’s only just finding popularity in the US and UK.
OnePlus has also launched exclusive discounts through its its Instagram and social feeds, and it wouldn’t surprise us if the brand did something similar over Black Friday. We’d recommend following all your favourite brands on social media (if only over the Black Friday season) so you can pick up any exclusive discounts announced on social.
5. More ways to pay: Buy Now Pay Later
2020 and 2021 also saw the rise of Buy Now Pay Later services such as Klarna, ClearPay, AfterPay and PayPal Credit – even Apple’s gotten in on it now. These services allow you to split payments into 3-4 chunks or delay payments without interest (or late fees in some cases).
There are risks associated if you’re unable to pay back, of course, and reports show that it can lead to debt (see our full guide to Klarna), but given the popularity of such services, you’re likely to see more of them at checkout over Black Friday, or retailers offering their own financing options.
We’d advise you to use these services only if you’re certain you’ll be able to keep up with the monthly payments.
6. Slower delivery times
While we mentioned that free next day delivery is likely to be on the cards for many retailers wanting to attract customers, it’s also likely that delivery bottlenecks may make this option unviable for some.
It’s worth thinking about such potential setbacks. Just because you’ve beaten the crowd and bought that last 43in OLED 4K TV, it doesn’t mean you’ll get it in time for Christmas or the holidays (which is another reason to buy early if you see a good deal ahead of Black Friday).
7. Expect more refurbished offers and Black Friday trade-in deals
The refurbished market has skyrocketed since the pandemic, and for good reason. Refurbished devices (if you buy smart – here’s how) are repaired to work just like new, are cheaper, and save the planet from electronic waste.
With new phones and laptops releasing every month, you’re almost guaranteed to find refurbished models of the latest devices – but at lower prices. Keep track of the best refurbished phone deals here.
In the same vein, we’re starting to see lots more retailers do trade-in offers too – from Currys and John Lewis to KRCS (for Apple products), you can expect additional discounts when submit your old device. MusicMagpie is a refurbished retailer that always has competitive prices on refurbished goods.
Keep an eye out for extra savings with trade-ins this Black Friday!
8. More exclusive deals online and better offers
Expect to see more “online exclusive” Black Friday prices, codes, and vouchers.
Retailers wanting to compete with Amazon online are likely to offer big discounts online, some of which you may not see in-store. These are typically earmarked as “online only”.
Some of those voucher codes may only be available via newsletters – which is why we’d highly encourage you to sign up to retailer and brand newsletters right now. Not only does it improve your chance of getting exclusive discount codes, you’ll also know about Black Friday deals as soon as they launch. Similarly, many retailers also have Black Friday sign up pages so you can hear about deals before anyone else. You can sign up to a few below:
9. Slower online experience
With more offers online, you can expect incredibly high volumes of traffic on your favourite retailers’ sites. Brace yourself for being pushed into virtual waiting rooms like Queue-it – especially if you’re after consoles like the PS5 (here’s where to look for stock).
This means you will just need to be more targeted with your shopping. Shop by the product instead of the retailer, so you have other options if the site you’re looking at has any difficulties. Better yet, add those items to your cart now so when Black Friday approaches, you simply have to head to checkout when the price goes down.
Most retailers offer the same prices across the board once sales go into full swing – and if there is a price difference it probably won’t be more than a few pennies.
We’ll be keeping an eye on the best Black Friday tech deals and also offering detailed coverage of the best Black Friday offers.
And if you’re an Apple fan, see the best Black Friday Apple deals on our sister site Macworld.
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