With high expectations for a boost in liquidity from the commercial world and an enhanced purchasing mood of the consumer public, the top commercial celebration of the year began. Already on Friday, November 29 (Black Friday), stores are in a battle position with big discount offers and consumers are looking for economically advantageous, smart and safe purchases.

On Sunday, December 1st, stores will be open throughout the territory, while the peak of the offers is expected on Monday, December 2nd (Cyber ​​Monday), when commercial traffic is transferred almost exclusively to digital stores.

At the cutting edge of the offers are the technology products with the chains electrical and electronic items to take the lead in promotional actions Black Friday-type sales are carried out, among others, by all large chains of household appliances, companies of cosmetics, sporting goods, furniture, home goods, clothing, footwear, seasonal goods and also supermarkets.

At the same time, controls on the market are being intensified with the main aim of protecting consumers, while fines have already been imposed for misleading discounts on 14 companies.

At last year’s levels the market

“The biggest discount event of the year is Black Friday and it’s a good smart shopping opportunity for over eight out of ten Greeks. Although consumers can find offers and make pre-purchases weeks in advance, the peak of discount shopping takes place in the last week of November, in the context of Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday” said in a statement, the president of EBEP and PESA , Vassilis Korkidis.

He also emphasized that the purchasing movement in the Greek market is estimated to fluctuate at last year’s levels with about 3 million sales with average receipt close to 100 euros and total turnover at the level of 300 million. euro.

What are we shopping for?

Clothing and footwear, as well as technology products, are at the top of preferences, with more than half of consumers ready to take advantage of discounts. Next are the small and large household appliances, which are also attracting considerable interest.

Men show a greater preference for technology products, while women focus more on clothing and footwear.

Among the technology products, devices smartphones dominate preferences, with televisions and laptops/notebooks following. In addition, many consumers intend to take advantage of the discount season to buy essentials such as supermarket products.

Tips for safe shopping on Cyber ​​Monday

On the occasion of Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday, the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce appeals to consumers to be especially careful when shopping. It also provides useful advice for safe purchases, in accordance with the instructions of the Consumer Advocate and the European Consumer Center of Greece.

In particular:

1. It is recommendedcarefully checking and comparing product prices before and during the sale period. The evolution of prices over a period of several months can be easily done by consumers using relevant online tools.

It is good to choose stores not only based on low prices, but also on the basis of their good reputation and long-term presence in the market. The positive experiences and reviews of other consumers are also a parameter that can help in the final choice.

2. Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday are an opportunity for the astute to defraud unsuspecting consumers with a preference for online shopping. It is recommended that consumers visit secure store websites, starting with “https” (with an SSL certificate).

It is also recommended to avoid transactions with online stores that operate exclusively through social networks, without having a physical headquarters at the same time and without disclosing full contact details (postal and electronic address, landline phone number), as well as registration number in the General Commercial Register (C .E.MH.).

It’s good to avoid storing sensitive personal data, such as credit card numbers, on store websites that consumers do not deal with often, and making online purchases while connected to public Wi-Fi networks.

3. In some cases, the initial cost of a product can be significantly increased by add extra charges in the shopping cart, such as shipping, cash on delivery and insurance costs. To avoid unpleasant surprises, we always check before completing the transaction total value of each purchase.

4. Online email scams increase rapidly during the sales season. Consumers are advised to pay particular attention to commercial offers sent by email from strangers or with very attractive prices, as they may constitute phishing traps for sensitive personal information by opening malicious external links (links) or attached files.

Any sales event that promises low prices encourages overconsumption. It is necessary to focus on real needs and on purchases that have absolute priority, making proper planning based on the budget.