Here is the 2019 version of the definitive Canadian study of the Black Friday, Holiday, and Boxing Day shopping season. The DIG360 – Leger Canadian Black Friday & Holiday 2019 Report is based on a post Cyber Monday survey of 1,518 Canadians. In it, we ask their behaviour and perceptions over the November Black Friday period. We also explore key indicators for Holiday gift-giving and Boxing Day. We then factored in our understanding of broader retail trends and feedback from retail CEOs.

Click this link to get the latest intel on what happened in Canada and harbingers of the balance of the Holiday Season.
DIG360_Leger_BlackFridayHolidayReport_2019

Between browsing and buying, 55% of Canadians participated in Black Friday over the month of deals. There was a delayed start due to the late date this year. November 29th saw 19% of Canadians snap up a Black Friday offering, online and in-store. We expect little drop after (Black Friday Shadow), given pressure on gift-buying with the close proxity to Christmas. The last Saturday before Christmas will be a massive retail day. Slightly fewer Canadians are expecting to shop Boxing Day (and Boxing Week this year). We are adjusting our prediction to suggest Black Friday patronage will finally match Boxing Day in proportion of buyers (we do not track dollars).

We are introducing some new topics in 2019. For example, Canadian omnichannel patterns for Black Friday, the impact of Amazon, and concerns with using online shopping for Holiday gift-giving.

At a high level, the promotional month-long Black Friday theme has plateaued. Just over half of adult Canadians engage (browse and buy) and the rest sit it out, presumably avoiding the hype. However each year has its interesting nuances and changes.