Online order volumes on Cyber Monday outperform an already buoyant 2024 Black Friday

UK eCommerce sales volumes on Cyber Monday outstripped the number of online purchases made on Black Friday, as consumers held out until the final hours of discounting to make purchases, according to the latest data from delivery management and post-purchase software provider Scurri.

Data from Scurri’s delivery platform covering the period during Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) period (29 Nov – 02 Dec 2024, inclusive) showed online orders rose +33 per cent year-on-year (YOY). With consistent rises in order volumes each day of the BFCM period, compared to last year, the Saturday of the Black Friday weekend saw the biggest yearly jump in orders, rising +42 per cent against 2023.

Consumers resisted early offers and held out to ensure they bagged the best deals, pent-up demand for discounts took hold on Black Friday itself.  Nationwide reported that by 5pm on Black Friday its customers had made over 7.39 million transactions, +11 per cent higher than in 2023, while Amazon said it had experienced a record-breaking Black Friday period, hailing the sales event as its biggest to date.

Rory O’Connor, Founder and CEO of Scurri, commented: “Retailers will be welcoming the boost to sales across Black Friday – especially after perhaps a slower start than they’d have liked, as savvy shoppers played a cat and mouse waiting game, holding out to convert only when they were sure they’d secured the best deal available.  Of course, the challenge now for retailers will be sustaining that performance into the rest of peak trading. And this will rely on capitalising on Christmas demand as well as unlocking additional sales opportunities within post-purchase delivery experiences – the time in the buying journey when shoppers are often the most engaged.”

As with 2023, Cyber Monday orders once again outpaced the number of sales made on Black Friday, with sales volumes growing by +78 per cent, as shoppers held off making purchases into the final hours of discounting. 5pm proved the peak time for conversions across both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with 27 per cent of all sales taken on Cyber Monday and 25 per cent of all orders placed on Black Friday taking place between 5pm – 6pm.

Urgency and speed of fulfilment featured strongly in the delivery demands of shoppers during BFCM this year – while 21 per cent opted for standard delivery services, 36 per cent chose express fulfilment on their Black Friday orders, with a further 16 per cent selecting Next Day deliveries.

“Speed and convenience are consistently critical factors in consumers’ delivery demands, and no more so than during Black Friday, when the urgency to receive their goods reaches fever pitch, especially if – as we’ve seen this year – shoppers have withheld purchases ahead of the event.  This means a greater need for agility within delivery networks, to ensure fulfilment promises – and customer experience – can be upheld to drive future sales and brand loyalty,” O’Connor concluded.