Black Friday preview is marked by cell phone sale and supermarket item

Consumption in the preview of Black Friday follows the trend of other years and is driven by home appliances and cell phones. The two categories account for 41% of revenue from internet sales last week, according to data from consultancy NielsenIQ | Ebit released this Thursday (25).

Despite the replacement of devices during the pandemic —with the intensification of online activities—, the product remains one of the main items for scheduled purchases in Brazil.

Electronics, in general, are in fourth place in sales, with only 9%.

In preparation for Black Friday, large retailers are betting on more aggressive discounts for premium products, in order to hook the population that managed to maintain their purchasing power and did not have their budget much harmed by high inflation.

Large televisions, smartphones and three-door refrigerators are among Magazine Luiza’s sales bets, which tripled the iPhone inventory and scheduled Anitta’s show to be broadcast during the announcement of offers on pay TV and YouTube.

“Inflation has eroded part of the income of a large portion of the population, but, on the other hand, there are segments that forced savings in the pandemic, without being able to travel, for example, and they can take advantage of discounts to fulfill their consumption dreams”, says Luiz Rego, the company’s commercial executive director.

The company also bought 25% more TVs over 55 inches compared to last year.

Even with general consumption affected by the loss of income, the company maintained its plans for high demand. Until Christmas, it had hired 4,000 people for the logistics area and 250 for the technology. The fleet was also added by 6,200 vehicles for the season.

At Casas Bahia stores, televisions, smartphones and home appliances are among the most sought after items in recent days. A newly opened large establishment on Marginal Tietê, in São Paulo, will be open for 24 hours.

The retailer also included a 30 installments method without interest to cover the population that buys in installments and will have higher installments compared to last year.

Given the escalation of prices, the average value of sales in this edition has already grown 14%, to R$ 533, according to Nielsen, which counted, from November 18 to 24, an increase of 11% in orders (compared to the same week 2020), which represents 5.1 million items.

The perspective is that Black Friday, once again, beats the nominal sales volume. The event has already earned R$ 2.8 billion, an increase of 31% compared to the same week last year.

With the discount for inflation, however, the retail date should show the first drop since 2016, according to a projection by the CNC (National Confederation of Commerce).

Despite the high value items, Mercado Livre, one of the largest digital sales platforms in the country, detected a change in the consumption basket: supermarket products, such as food and drink, soared.

“Electronics, tools, sport and leisure are very popular sectors, they have a higher value and people still want a discount”, says Leandro Bassoi, vice president of logistics at Mercado Livre for Latin America. “What draws attention is the departure of the item from the supermarket. The Brazilian is very price sensitive, especially beer.”

In the company’s distribution centers, the supermarket category features the biggest highlight in the week before Black Friday, with a 250% growth compared to the 2020 edition.

Drinks, food (especially chocolate), pet food and cleaning products are the best sellers.

The company says it is close to hitting the target of investing R$ 10 billion in the country this year, when it opened three distribution centers. During the Black Friday period, work in the warehouses will be “24/7”, that is, 24 hours a day.