Our round up of the best Black Friday deals on the hottest
tech and best-ever phone deals exclusively for RushToStores readers
Black Friday 2017 is expected to be the biggest day of spending
the UK (and the world) has ever seen - and the deals are now less than one
month away.
On Black Friday weekend last year, adults in the UK specially
spent an average of £117 each. That's a total use up of £6.45 billion – sufficient
to buy every British man, woman and child a Fire TV Stick, a pair of glasses
that make your eyes think you're on magic mushrooms and 16 of those awesome
twangy things that also act as door stops.
Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, every
year, and this year it falls on November 24. The deals will start will before
then while – expect crazy offers at all of the big retailers like Argos,
Amazon, John Lewis, Tesco Direct and Mobiles.co.uk from the beginning of
November and throughout the month until the big day itself.
It’s actually satirical that Black Friday drives so much traffic
to websites like RushToStores, because the term used to pass on to more
traditional types of traffic – the name was first used by US police to explain
the traffic gridlock that occurred when everybody hit the shops at the same
time before the holidays.
Black Friday still happens on the elevated street, but more
and more the best deals – and the most shoppers – are online. And that's why
every year RushToStores rounds up all of the best deals, so you can locate the
best-value offers on the nicest stuff and be confident you're getting the best
price.
What's extra, we'll be bringing you elite deals on top
mobiles phones like the iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy S8 and Google Pixel with
prices cheaper than at any other position of the year - these deals will be wholly
available to RushToStores readers so stay with us if you're looking for a new
mobile phone this November and December!
Black Friday deals 2017: UK quick links:
- Amazon Black Friday
- John Lewis Black Friday
- GAME Black Friday
- Currys Black Friday
- Argos Black Friday
- Tesco Direct Black Friday
- eBay Black Friday
When is Black Friday and what is it exactly?
Black Friday is forever the Friday that immediately follows
the Thanksgiving holiday in the US – so Black Friday 2017 will take place on
November 24. No matter that the UK doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, Black Friday
is now a global trend.
Black Friday – and increasingly by the year, Black November
– is now the starting gun for the Christmas shopping season, and it’s famous
for what retailers call 'doorbusters' – deals so good that shoppers will try
and break down the front doors of stores to get at them.
Inevitably that means it’s also slightly infamous, with each
year delivering a new selection of YouTube delights depicting keen shoppers
slugging it out for the right to claim a limited number of probably-awful but
definitely super-cheap 4K TVs.
Things got so awful on Black Friday three years ago that
ASDA, Walmart’s UK brand and the firm mainly responsible for bringing Black
Friday to the UK, made the choice to not 'do' Black Friday at all. That proved
to be an expensive decision.
That similar year
John Lewis UK reported that its Black Friday performance returned the maximum
weekly sales in the company’s 150-year history. Check out our best John Lewis
Black Friday deals 2017 center for more information on that.
However, this November, guess all the major retailers like Amazon,
Argos, John Lewis, Currys, ASOS to be running deals
crossways every range of products. Black Friday is traditionally the home of
deals on electrical, clothing and shoes, but you can also expect hot promotions
on everything else from mobile phone contracts to VPN services and broadband
subscriptions.
Black Friday 2017 @ the UK's biggest retailers:
Argos.co.uk:
Argos loves Black Friday - and it's really good at it too.
Argos was one of the very first retailers to see Black Friday for what it
really is - an amazing opportunity to shift large quantities of electrical
from games consoles to coffee machines and tumble dryers. So, you can expect
Argos in 2017 to go at it firm with Black Friday deals running all the way
through November. The deals at Argos tend to get stronger as the month goes on,
so it's value keeping your powder dry in the first few weeks. That being said,
last year Argos did promise that if it cheap the price of any deals before the
end of November, they'd refund you the difference. See our Argos Black Friday
article
Amazon.co.uk:
Amazon is debatably the one site responsible for creating
Black Friday as an online shopping phenomenon. It always takes an very
innovative approach to Black Friday as both a retailer and a market place.
Expect Amazon to run Black Friday deals across every imaginable product
category. Many people consider it to be the benchmark for online prices - it's
always value checking Amazon before buying things online. There's a good chance
you'll discover a cheaper price. See our Amazon Black Friday articleJohn Lewis:
John Lewis has never seemed too intense on Black Friday. The
high street and online department store has always refrained from using any type
of "Black Friday!" signage and messaging, preferring in its place to
use more on-brand words such as "Sale" and "Clearance". If
Argos is the best retailer for leaving all-out on Black Friday, John Lewis is
the best for custody it all a bit more reserved. Expect to see a
precision-based move toward from this site - plenty of strong deals on well-liked
items it things it can shift in bulk like outside Pro 2-in-1 laptops, iPads,
Motorola smartphones and 4K TVs. As always, John Lewis' excellent 'never intentionallyundersold' scheme will also be in play, so if you spot a cheaper price at any
of its high street + online competitors like Currys, John Lewis will match it.
See our John Lewis Black Friday article
Currys.co.uk
Currys.co.uk is one more high street + online brand that
doesn't be apt to talk about Black Friday too much. Its part of the Dixons
Carphone group, which also includes brands like PC World, Carphone Warehouse,
Mobiles.co.uk and iD Mobile. Most Dixons Carphone brands converse about 'Black
Tag' deals - "it's not Black Friday, it's a Black Tag event!"
Nevertheless, Currys will be a consistent and reliable source of strong deals
throughout November (and we noticed it did experiment with some Black Friday
branding last year). The trade power of Currys means it's often able to
undercut its rivals and offer elite products to its customers. Expect loads of
tempting deals throughout November and particularly in the week before Black
Friday, starting Saturday November 18 - and then a huge explosion of mega deals
on Black Friday itself. See our Currys Black Friday article
Mobiles.co.uk
Mobiles.co.uk is the place to be if you're planning on
upgrading your phone between now and the end of the year. You'll find that all
of the best deals of the year will all be found within the month of November,
with strong offers becoming more frequent from as early as the beginning of
October. Expect absolute pandemonium in the mobile deals market throughout the
whole period as the voucher code machine goes into hyperdrive, with cheapest
ever deals on popular phones like the iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy S8 and probably
even the iPhone X. Because Mobiles.co.uk is part of the Dixons Carphone group,
it's able to utilise its buying power and economies of scale to offer prices
that its rivals simply can't match.
Game.co.uk
Game.co.uk usually launches all its mega Black Friday deals
on consoles and games on the Thursday evening. The last couple of years, the
deals have gone live at 8pm but we wouldn't be surprised if it happens even
earlier this time. The site tends to struggle under the load as soon as it puts
its offers live - many of the very best offers have limited stock allocations
and so you need to be quick if you're going to get a dream bundle deal. Expect
great prices across the spectrum, from console games, consoles, bundles to
PlayStation Network and Xbox Live subs and GTA V shark cards.
Tesco direct
Tesco straight has developed a reputation as being
the source of many of the very best deals on Black Friday each year. The
buying power it has developed with its highstreet stores puts it in a very
strong position to offer cheapest ever prices on games consoles and 4K TVs. It might
not be the first retailer that springs into your mind when you think about
online retail, but it's a big name and it's getting bigger. Tesco direct was
the first site to sell the Sony PS4 for £149.99 last year so you can be sure
it'll be going hard at it again this year. See our Tesco Black Friday article
Black Friday deals 2017
So which product categories are warm on Black Friday? Here are the best deals that Argos, Amazon relaxes will be running this year:
Mobile Phone Black Friday deals - Black Friday is the ideal
time of year to buy a new phone, particularly if you're going to get it on agreement.
All of the best prices on the best phones come into view in November, with the
best deals of all going live on Black Friday itself. It's also a great day to
pick up SIM only deals. Keep your eyes on Mobiles.co.uk, Mobile Phones Direct
and Carphone Warehouse!
Gaming Black Friday deals if you're after a great cheap deal
on a PS4 or Xbox One then Black Friday is definitely the day to buy. Last year
we saw consoles going for £150 so this year you can be certain we'll see prices
even lower than that. Stay your eyes on Game, Argos, Amazon and Tesco direct!
4K TV Black Friday deals Christmas has forever been the most popular
time of year to buy a new TV, so it makes sense that 4K TVs now sell by the
hundred thousand while it comes to Black Friday. This year you'll find
discounts athwart the spectrum - so you'll be able to pick up ludicrously cheap
TVs from small brands as well as get substantial discounts on better TVs from
more prominent brands. Stay your eyes on Currys, Argos, Amazon, AO.com and John
Lewis.
Tablet Black Friday deals - iPads and Android tablets are
always up there when it comes to the the majority popular items on Black
Friday. They're superb Christmas presents and we rarely see prices as low as
the ones at the end of November. Prepare for middling iPads and cheapo Android
tablets from Samsung to be on sale all over the place. Keep your eyes peeled at
John Lewis, Currys, Argos and Amazon.
Toy Black Friday deals - Deals on Toys are legion on Black
Friday. Toys are always popular at this time of year for obvious reasons so
retailers are always a bit reluctant to discount the most popular items. But
the profit margins on toys are actually very good and so there's always room
for discounting. Whether you want to buy LEGO or a trampoline this year, you'll
definitely find a great deal! Watch out for great deals at Amazon, Argos, Toys
R Us, Smyths Toys, Tesco direct.
Clothes and shoes Black Friday deals - Electronics like TVs
and phones are the main order of the day on Black Friday. But clothes and shoes
are also popular items and there's always a whole batch of awesome deals to be
had. Watch out for deals at Amazon, ASOS, John Lewis, Office.co.uk and Schuh.
The impact of Black Friday in the UK
Black Friday has transformed the Christmas shopping season,
for better and for worse.
James Miller, senior retail consultant at Experian Marketing
Services, told the BBC that “there is little doubt Black Friday has dramatically
changed the way people shop in the run-up to Christmas and has created an
expectation of deep discounts that arguably did not exist before,” while a
report by LCP Consulting found that nearly one-third of UK and US retailers
believe that Black Friday is “unprofitable and unsustainable."
Before Black Friday became a big deal, the run-up to
Christmas was a great period for retailers: we’d buy loads of presents for
others and for ourselves, and retailers would make huge piles of money. After
that Black Friday happened, and all of an unexpected many of us were browsing
the bargains for the presents to put in Santa’s sack. Money spent on intensely
discounted products in November is money that won’t be spent on more profitable
products in December.
According to research by Verdict Retail, there is “no
evidence” that Black Friday “stimulated demand”: Black Friday is essentially a
black hole that sucks in a big part of people’s pre-Christmas shopping. We buy
more but pay less for it.
According to Mike Watkins of Nielsen UK, “Whilst Nielsen
analysis shows that Black Friday in November 2014 did not deliver incremental
food sales it did serve to kick start what was the slowest start to Christmas
trading in over 10 years. Perhaps that’s the primary objective in these
changing times.”
Gary Booker and CMO at Dixons Retail reported in the
Marketing Week that "Black Friday" impartially influences purchases
in the coming weeks: "She takes sales from what would have been introduced
earlier this week in December," he said, and several reports show that
since Black Friday in use in the UK we are spending less money on Boxing Day,
our previous favorite for good hunting.
This means that retailers need to think very carefully about
Black Friday: they can save in the hope that they will make up for a lower
margin with higher volumes, or they can decide not to participate in Black
Friday and potentially lose sales to rivals who do,
Prediction of the best deals of "Black Friday" in 2017:
iPhone 8 Black Friday Deals
We know that the Apple 2017 iPhone 8 is likely to be very
different from the current model, we can reasonably expect that it will go on
sale no later than September or October, and we know that the iPhone 8 Black
Friday deals will be very popular - so it's one of them. Expect similar
discounts until 2016, chopping £ 100, plus an advance price, and Apple offers
gift cards for the entire range. We expect worthy deals with the iPad as well,
since Apple will update the lineup this year.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Black Friday Deals
Black Friday last year saw really good deals on the Samsung
Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, and the black voucher code BLACKFRI2, completely removed
the original cost of just 29.99 pounds sterling per month. It was a fantastic
deal, and we expect to see similar Galaxy deals on the Samsung Galaxy S8 in
2017.
PS4 Pro Black Friday Deals
The Black Friday of 2016 was dedicated to PS4 Slim, and
Black Friday 2017 was all about the PS4 Pro. As in 2016, we expect that the
best deals will be in packages, with some of them costing just a little more
than the PS4 Pro itself, so start working on a list of your game's desires: the
package is very good if it includes games that you really want to play. So far,
the PS4 Pro keeps its RRP, but you can expect it to change later this year,
especially when Microsoft launched the Xbox One X ...
Xbox One X Black Friday Deals
Microsoft also has a console, and if something goes wrong
with the release schedule, it will be sold on November 7 - just at the time of
Black Friday 2017. As with the Xbox One in 2016, we expect to see the best
deals on the bunches, not on the console itself: the store has more room for
maneuver, so they can afford to be more bold with discounts.
4K HDR OLED TV Black Friday Deals
Black Friday, 2016, was positively packaged in television
deals, including almost half the price of selected OLED TVs. High-quality sets
- that's where really expensive RRP, and the ever-growing world of
telecommunications technology means that prices can be sustained only for a
relatively short time. If you are on the TV market, whose price tag will not
look out of place on the car, Black Friday 2017 can be a very good day for you.
Transactions on the Black Friday of 2017 will not be so crazy
Black Friday, 2014 was especially stupid in Britain: while
adult men and women knocked each other out to try and get cheap Polaroid TVs in
supermarkets, men and women also knocked on a lot of sites. Many retailers were
not prepared for the volume of Internet traffic, and their servers could not
cope.
Other firms that did not think that Black Friday was a
particularly serious deal, tried to take part in the action. The result was
like that some firms were running with a pricing gun, devaluing everything they
noticed.
Black Friday of 2015 was quite different. Web sites have
handled just fine - although some raised eyebrows with "oh!" We are
so busy that you have to stand in line! "Warnings that were more about
marketing than reflecting actual demand, and sellers had a strategy. Where
previous black Fridays were crazy, Black Friday 2015 was calm. Difference?
Planning.
Retail traders knew what to expect, made deals with
suppliers in advance and approached Black Friday, like any other trade event.
So far, there have been no deals, but, of course, they did not feel that buyers
who trade the deal are deceiving the sellers.
The Black Friday of 2016 was different: for many large
companies, but not for everyone going on the same day, their sales were sold
out for a whole week from Monday to Black Friday to cyber Monday on Monday
right after. Cyber Monday was usually a separate event, the day everyone
panicked and thought "Oh no! It's almost Christmas, and I did not buy any
gifts! "Before you visit Amazon on your working PC. But in 2016 it was
another part of the Black Friday Deals Week.
As Richard Jenkins of Experian Richard Jenkins said,
"Black Friday's action at the end of November is the beginning of a
longer, more protracted peak season that starts with most of the activity on
the Internet, and then moves in the store as it gets closer and closer to
Christmas."
The best black Friday deals last year:
Every year we download pizza and energy drinks to light up
the whole internet for the best deals. These were some of our favorite deals
from "Black Friday" for the last time:
1. £ 125 from the iPhone 7
Apple iPhone 7 may have been new, but that did not mean you
could not get a deal with Black Friday. With code BLACKNOV125, you could get £
125 from the original cost of the iPhone 7 - and no, the contract was not more
expensive to compensate.2. £ 130 from PS4
The PlayStation 4 was a shiny console, and the last black
Friday was a brilliant deal: on the 1 TB model it was only 130 pounds sterling,
which costed only 189 pounds sterling. Very sliced 34% off the price of some
of its PS4 and Amazon packages to cut 20%.
3. £ 40 from the iPad Air
There have been many iPad deals on Black Friday 2016,
including £ 40 from iPad Air, £ 30 from iPad Pros and up to £ 50 from iPad
Minis. Apple did not offer these discounts, but she collected gift cards with
various products.
4. £ 900 from LG OLED TV
As it is for the discount: "Black Friday" meant a
huge 900 pounds sterling from the LG OLED55B6V TV, which led to a drop in its
price to a less than terrible 1,899 pounds. From Sony 4K TVs there were also £
550 and up to 300 pounds from Panasonic TVs.
5. Huge savings on Xbox One bundles
The 4K Xbox One S cost only £ 199, and Minecraft and Forza
Horizon were dropped, and prices were cut everywhere for every conceivable
combination of consoles, controllers and games. There were also good offers on
accessories.
What to expect from the Black Friday of 2017:
In the last few periods of transactions on Black Friday,
many retailers were taking baby steps, but in 2017 they all grew. This means
that they have been browsing their spreadsheet models from the previous black Friday,
and they know exactly what they will do this year. And the first thing they
will do is try to defeat Black Friday, having started their deals before. What
began with the day the weekend at Black Friday became a black Friday week, and
this year we expect some large retailers to start discounting long before that.
Early discounting makes sense for many reasons: it spreads
the burden on their sites and stores, and more importantly, it means that news
of their transactions will not be buried amid the avalanche of black Friday
announcements. So keep your eyes peeled - and continue to visit our home page
of transactions - from the beginning of November and, probably, even earlier.
Something that we saw in 2016 and expect to see even more in
2017 is a sliding scale of discounting: we noticed that with the course of the
month the deals have become bigger and better. This is likely to happen again
in 2017, with reasonable deals early in the Black Friday period and more
exciting but limited deals on
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