That was Black Friday Week: bargains will return in 2024

During Black Friday Week, my colleague Jana provided information about the current status and gave a little look behind the scenes:

And now it's over again, Black Friday Week 2023. Our team is currently taking stock and then deciding what our campaigns for Black Friday 2024 will look like. Thank you for all the feedback we received on it too.

Black Friday Week at Galaxus – here’s what you need to know

Every November, Galaxus’s search bar is increasingly filled with those two magic words: «black friday». We hear you. You want to know what amazing deals we can offer you. Are you on the hunt for that special piece of furniture you’ve had on your watch list for a long time? Perhaps, finally, a fully automatic coffee machine to make working from home more pleasant? Or do you long for a robot vacuum cleaner to keep your floors clean? Come now, admit it, you’re really after that one Lego set you’ve been eyeing for ages…

To make this Black Friday something to look forward to, here’s a little list of questions we get asked most often. And the answers, of course.

When is Black Friday?

In 2023, Black Friday falls on 24 November. Black Friday was invented by US retailers. The special holiday was meant to boost business after Thanksgiving Day. There are various theories surrounding the origin of the name «Black Friday». Apparently, the day used to be so lucrative that merchants would end up with black fingers from counting dollar bills.

How big will discounts be on Black Friday?

It all depends on the product. Since margins tend to be low for retailers in the electronics sector, smaller discounts are generally the norm there compared to other sectors, such as furniture or clothing. The better our buyers negotiate with manufacturers and suppliers, the sweeter the deals you get.

Why shop at Galaxus?

Galaxus shoppers should always have a good shopping experience – not just on Black Friday. To this end, our product development, logistics, customer service, purchasing and marketing teams are constantly working on improvements. One feature I particularly recommend is our price transparency. You can see daily price fluctuations across the past twelve months for a large number of products in our store. This way you can see whether a bargain is really a bargain. You can also check whether there’s any truth to the occasional accusation that our prices go up before Black Friday to artificially increase a discount. Disclaimer: such business practices don’t exist at Galaxus.

In addition to the price, you should also know the quality of a product. For this, Galaxus provides rates on guarantees and returns, showing how often customers return a product or how often there’s a warranty claim.

And last but not least, you can also help out logistics employees at Galaxus. If you don’t need your bargain the very next day, you can select the «Slower delivery» option during checkout. This allows logistics to smooth out peaks and lessen the workload in the warehouse and at the post office.

Well, if those aren’t all good reasons to shop at Galaxus.

Is Singles’ Day the same as Black Friday?

No, Singles’ Day is a Chinese invention meant to boost sales. Black Friday, on the other hand, is an American one (see above). In China, people shop until their smartphones are red-hot on Singles’ Day, or 11/11. Retail giant Alibaba alone reported sales of around 64 billion USD on one single day in 2020.

Is Cyber Monday the same as Black Friday?

Okay, chances are you didn't ask this question if you can distinguish between Monday and Friday. Cyber Monday is the last in a series of crazy shopping days. On 27 November, online stores (yes, Galaxus, too) offer one last round of special deals before Christmas. Cyber Monday was also invented by the Americans. Once again. The Monday following Thanksgiving (which is the fourth Thursday in November) was and is a response from online stores to Black Friday, which was originally launched by brick-and-mortar retailers.

Are there still problems in the supply chains and thus in availability?

In 2021 and partially in 2022, certain products were hard to come by due to interrupted supply chains, Which is why they were excluded from Black Friday deals. In 2022, the situation had somewhat improved, but still remained tense. Above all, it was a shortage of raw materials causing difficulties for manufacturers. However, the vast majority of defects have now been rectified, meaning that good product availability can generally be expected for 2023.

At Digitec Galaxus, we’ve prepared with this in mind. Our buyers have ordered products for Black Friday Week and the Christmas season early. The items are already in stock or on their way to our warehouses. So, despite the overall tense situation, you’ll find an enticing selection in our shop. What’s more, we like to rely on more than just a single supplier whenever possible. This means that we’re typically able to deliver your order even if our main supplier is experiencing a shortage.

Most of our Black Friday offers are ready to go, but we won’t be giving anything away prematurely. The only thing we can reveal is that our goal is to provide you with attractive offers across our entire range.

Has the list of Black Friday Week deals been leaked?

No, no, and no again. This has only happened to us once. But it’s almost endearing that so many of you still remember the embarrassing event from four years ago.