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- Sale preparation: the share of purchases in installments on "Black Friday" reaches a third
Sale preparation: the share of purchases in installments on "Black Friday" reaches a third
The share of purchases in installments and credit during the Black Friday sale reaches a third. Russians have become more likely to buy discount goods on credit, banks and retailers told Izvestia. Against the background of rising exchange rates and the Central Bank rate, people are fixing the price of discount goods, experts believe. In the long run, even taking into account the interest, such purchases may be more profitable than those postponed for later. As a result, this further accelerates inflation and forces the Central Bank to raise the rate again, they believe.
Black Friday installments
During the pre-New Year sales - their peak falls on "Black Friday", which this year fell on November 29 - Russians are increasingly buying goods on credit, installments or using payment for goods in installments. Bankers and retailers told Izvestia about it. Thus, the managing director of Sovcombank Alexander Dvorsky records a surge of purchases in installments in November.
- Traditionally , this is the month of maximum discounts in stores and high spending by customers. "If we compare it with the period before Black Friday, in November we see an increase in customer spending by 14%, the growth of turnover on installment cards- by 22%," he told Izvestia.
For less than a month in the financial organization saw an increase in the number of customers who used installment cards by 31%, as well as more than twofold increase in the number and frequency of purchases in this way. Growth in customer spending amounted to 9% compared to the same period last year, says Alexander Dvorsky.
In the Post Bank recorded a slight increase in the number of applications for loans in the first decade of November, reported "Izvestia" in the credit organization. This is due to an increase in consumer activity in anticipation of the selling season, the bank said.
In addition to traditional loans and installments Russian retailers use the format of deferred payment BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later - "buy now, pay later"). This is an option that allows you to pay for goods in installments: the client pays only part of the cost at once, often 25%, and the remaining 75% is paid over a short period, usually 4-6 months.
- Customers of the combined retail network of Megafon and Yota most often pay for smartphones in installments - they account for almost a third of all purchases under BNPL. At the same time, a year earlier the indicator was equal to 22%. The share of "installments" for smartphone accessories is 21% against 18% a year earlier," a representative of the operator told Izvestia.
In November 2024, the growth of sales using credit instruments amounted to 18% compared to the same period last year, told "Izvestia" in "Fridge.ru". This indicates the growing popularity of borrowed funds among buyers, the company believes.
Svyaz.ON has seen an increase in purchases on credit, and in general the company expects that there will be an increase in demand for the use of various fintech tools.
In 2024 in the week of "Black Friday" for November 25 and 26, clients of Svoy Bank with credit cards bought goods and services by 4% more (in 2023 the increase was 2%), Vadim Shamin, deputy director of the department of retail business development of Svoy Bank, told Izvestia.
- Therefore, we believe that the main purchases of customers are still ahead. They fall mainly on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We expect that our customers directly on the day of "Black Friday" will spend 1.5 times more than on other Fridays in November. For example, in 2023, customers spent 45% more money on this sale day," he told Izvestia.
However, the growth of interest in debt purchases is not felt by all market participants. MTS does not record an increase in the number of purchases with credit instruments in the second half of November, the company told Izvestia.
What is bought in the Russian Federation on Black Friday?
Market participants note that mainly electronics and household appliances are bought in installments and credit. Thus, sales of game consoles increased by 44% compared to last year, which is largely due to the release of PlayStation 5 Pro, pre-orders for which exceeded forecasts by 3.2 times, told "Izvestia" in "M.Video-Eldorado". High performance is demonstrated by built-in appliances and stoves - their sales increased to 43% compared to last year: among the most popular brands stand out Haier, LG, Beko and Indesit.
- In the smartphone segment, the greatest growth during Black Friday was demonstrated by iPhones - their sales increased by 24.5% compared to last year. The new iPhone 16 series is in great demand. Users most often choose the regular iPhone 16, as well as the 256GB versions of iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max," the company said.
On "Black Friday" especially high demand was also enjoyed by goods from key categories: the most noticeable sales growth was noted in the segments of refrigerators, washing machines, televisions and built-in appliances, noted in "Refrigerator.ru". These categories traditionally attract the attention of buyers during the sale period due to significant discounts and promotions, the company said.
At the sale, which started on Avito on November 8, discounts are up to 90%, says a representative of the trading platform. In three weeks, the number of transactions within one of the marketing campaigns has increased three to four times compared to the indicators of similar campaigns last year. The most popular category was "Lifestyle", the share of sales amounted to 53% of all transactions at the sale. The most popular here were clothes (40%), goods for children (3%), sports (3%), listed in "Avito".
Compared to October, the fastest growing category on Wildberries during the November sale was holiday goods (+78% in pieces and 115% in total sales). In addition, sales of goods for interior decoration (25 and 26%), lighting category (24 and 22%), game consoles and games for them (16 and 36%), handicrafts (15 and 16%), toys (15 and 24%), groceries (14 and 13%) and jewelry (13 and 8%) showed significant dynamics, the marketplace said.
Compared to the November sales period last year, purchases on Wildberries Digital increased the most in terms of sales amount.
- The average growth in the top 30 categories from last year was 94% in terms of the amount of sales and 67% in the number of goods sold," the platform representatives said.
This year, in the week of Black Friday - from November 22 to 28 - customers of Yandex Market most often purchased household appliances - demand for these goods during this period increased 3.3 times compared to the same period a year earlier, its representative said. According to him, the top popular categories also included electronics and auto goods (twofold growth), clothes, shoes and accessories, including for New Year celebrations (26% growth).
- This year "Clothing" has become the fastest growing category on Ozon - at the end of the third quarter demand doubled year-on-year. During the sale most often buy women's, men's, as well as outerwear - jackets, sheepskin coats and fur coats - noted in the press service of the company.
Interestingly, the marketplace began to buy more often even such a sensitive category as wedding dresses - the demand increased by 1.6 times year-on-year, they added.
- On Black Friday, we see a general revival of consumer demand for many categories of goods. During this period, sales of durable products grow by 10-15%. One of the most demanded is household appliances and electronics, this year it is in high demand among consumers. In addition to it, the top best-selling segments include game consoles, smartphones and tablets," said Igor Karavaev, Chairman of the Presidium of the Association of Retail Trade Companies (ACORT).
Also traditionally high interest in the period of "Black Friday" buyers show high interest in clothing and footwear, the highest sales show women's and children's segments, he said. In addition, there are growing categories in the group of everyday goods - these are household chemicals, deodorants, shampoos, personal care products, as well as home goods and Christmas gifts, decor, the expert added.
Why it is profitable to shop on "Black Friday"
In general, the number of purchases on credit, in installments and with the help of BNPL in this season of sales compared to last year's sales season has approximately doubled, said the leading analyst of Mobile Research Group Eldar Murtazin. According to him, first of all, the number of purchases in installments or through BNPL, where interest overpayment either does not exist at all, or it is minimal, the expert said. At the same time, the sales turnover under various schemes related to loans or deferred payments has increased by at least 10%, he said.
- People tend to fix the purchase price. Yes, some overpayment is possible, but against the background of the growth of exchange rates of major world currencies against the ruble and the increase in the Central Bank rate, even such a purchase can be profitable and allow you to save money - especially since the goods are purchased at a discount, - said the expert.
Rapid inflation leads to a constant rise in prices for goods and services, noted in "Kholodilnik.ru".
- Buyers understand that it is more profitable to buy goods now, even if it is associated with overpayment for interest or use of installment programs, rather than save money and postpone the purchase for the future. With the rising prices of goods and services, after a while the purchase will cost much more," said his representative.
The ruble exchange rate is falling, goods are becoming more expensive, so people want to make purchases here and now, says Denis Kuskov, general director of TelecomDaily. Some consumers have already put their money on deposit, so from their point of view, it is reasonable to borrow for purchases, he says.
- Buyers are not frightened even by high interest rates," he said.
According to the expert, this may be due to the peculiarities of the psychology of Russian borrowers. Surveys conducted when consumer lending first appeared in Russia showed that people are much more important not the rates, but the size and affordability of the monthly payment, the expert added. Such demand further accelerates inflation and forces the Central Bank to raise the rate again, he summarized.
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