Black Friday offers: UAE, Saudi shoppers get ready for discount season
Dubai’s ‘Black Friday’ promotions offer consumers up to 70% discounts, deciding whether to buy now or wait for further price drops in the upcoming sales season. UAE and Saudi consumers are still showing quite a bit of caution about their spending, given how costs related to rents, transport, daily essentials and on education (where it applies) have been rising.
The CEO, UAE retail franchise predicts that Gulf shoppers may expect to see heavier spending in mid-December due to the potential generous end-of-year bonuses. Local retail giants have offered discounts ranging from 30-70% on consumer tech and durables, with actual retail prices dropping from their 2022-23 highs. This offers shoppers an advantage as the actual retail price on devices also decreases.
According to Erik Windell, Customer Success Manager (T&D), NielsenIQ, the average price trend in tech and durables in Saudi Arabia is downward, with an average discount depth of 5%-15% across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
“When considering the average price trend in tech and durables, (there is) a downward trend ranging from 5% in Saudi Arabia to 8% in the UAE,” said Erik Windell Customer Success Manager (T&D), NielsenIQ, the retail consultancy. “Furthermore, the average depth of discount applied to tech and durable (T&D) products is between 5%-15% across UAE and Saudi Arabia.”
When does Black Friday 2024 Season Discounts for UAE and Saudi Shoppers starts?
- November 25 – November 3, 2024
How does Apple’s Vision Pro on Black Friday?
The Apple Vision Pro has landed in the UAE, and retailers will be hoping that the Dh13,999 headset will feature in the ‘must-buy’ gadget lists of as many shoppers as possible this sales season.
Online retailers say searches for their Black Friday offers have been trending in recent days, and with a good chance that these would translate into actual sales. The anticipation is that actual buys would peak in the November 25-November 30 period (when salaries start getting credited).
“Customers definitely wait for this time of year to purchase big-ticket items,” said Neha Choudhary, Growth & Onsite for the noon marketplace. “During this period, we offer bank discounts, buy-now-pay-later options – and our lowest prices of the year.
“Shoppers absolutely have come to expect deep discounts during this period, making it a prime time to attract and convert new customers.”
Make use of the promotions
That’s the retailers’ mantra – if shoppers were concerned about high prices this year, then now is the time to buy when the discounts are this high.
“Given the inflation, disposable incomes have been squeezed,” said Sandeep Ganediwalla, Partner at RedSeer Consulting. “Hence, the anticipation for this year’s sales season is actually higher. We reckon that fashion expected to be most popular category this Black Friday season, followed by electronics and beauty products.”