Black Friday kicks off Christmas shopping in Italy too. E-commerce predominates

• Amazon, couriers on strike for Black Friday on November 26th.

  The answer: no pressure

• Black Friday discounts, Italians first for purchases

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November 26, 2021 One in two Italians, 53.1%, will buy Christmas gifts by taking advantage of discounts during

(November 26) and

(29). On the other hand, 34.9% still declare themselves undecided and 12% will not buy gifts, notes Confcommercio. The appointment with discounted shopping is therefore confirmed as a consolidated habit also among Italian consumers.

According to

, there are more women than men, aged between 18 and 34, more concentrated in the Center and North East of Italy, the buyers most fond of the pre-Christmas offers. In his survey carried out in collaboration with Format Research on the purchase intentions of Italians, it appears that the lion's share is made by e-commerce platforms: just think that 71.7% of those who will buy Christmas gifts during these periods will make online purchases.

In any case, the hard core that continues to shop in the traditional way remains: 23.5% in proximity points of sale, 40.6% in shops inside shopping centers and 23.3% in organized distribution chains. Among the purchases, consumer electronics, clothing, food and wine products prevail.

Black Friday as the starting date for Christmas shopping is also confirmed by

, with slightly different percentages: 38% of Italian families will take advantage of the discounts, again preferring online purchases: mainly TVs and decoders, bikes and electric scooters are sought. .

For Federconsumatori, "the strong push towards online purchases this appointment represents an opportunity for revenge that many shops and chains do not want to miss" and for weeks they have been organizing their own promotional campaigns, "extending and extending the discounts for several days later. Black Friday, or anticipating them for a selected clientele ".

also

estimates an increase in products purchased during Black Friday: 27 million Italians will do so (+ 8% compared to 2020), while a large slice of undecided will monitor offers and discounts to decide at the last minute whether to participate. Codacons sees "Black Friday as an opportunity to relaunch trade and an opportunity for consumers to anticipate Christmas gifts by saving their wallets".

"Black Friday, a promotional initiative that from the United States, has now also spread to our country, instead of becoming a possibility for our merchants, in the end, it has become a negative driver because it only favors the online sales of large chains, causing the collapse of Christmas purchases and those linked to the sales period ", notes the association.

Even the category of small artisans has doubts about the goodness of the operation: "The possibility of applying such important discounts is naturally only within the reach of large retailers which in this sense damages the neighborhood trade, already strongly tested by the effects of the pandemic. this,

Commercio Roma asks that even in the case of Black Friday serious regulation is implemented on the subject, to protect all those neighborhood businesses that are garrisons of decorum and animation of our neighborhoods, otherwise abandoned to decay ", says Federico Mondello , president of the Lazio section.

Replacing "Black Friday" with "Green Friday", denouncing the alleged scams on false discounts applied, boycotting Amazon: these are some of the requests of environmental activists, who denounce the unbridled consumerism of the end of the year holidays. And they do so with protest actions in Great Britain as in other European countries:

, coinciding with the anniversary: ​​"Black Friday embodies an obsession with excessive consumption that is not consistent with a livable planet, "said the group. "Amazon and similar companies have capitalized on our desire for convenience and fueled rampant consumerism at the expense of nature," they added.

In the port of Tilbury in eastern England, protesters blocked the entrance to the depot with banners that read: "Black Friday exploits people and the planet", "Amazonian crime" and "Infinite growth, finite planet". Extinction Rebellion says it has blocked Amazon fulfillment centers in cities such as Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol, as well as warehouses in Germany and the Netherlands. In response, Amazon said in a statement: "We have a large network of hubs across the UK and are working to minimize potential disturbances for customers." Meanwhile, trade unions and NGOs from 20 countries are also proposing a boycott of the e-commerce platform: "The giant takes too much and gives back too little," they declare.

Amazon presented in Rome, at the Lanterna di Fuksas, the Amazon Made in Italy Rooftop event, created to celebrate

and to tell the story of Amazon's support to Italian small and medium-sized enterprises. Present 15 companies from the food & beverage, beauty and design sectors, which exhibited their products to visitors, with gift ideas for Christmas 2021 and a selection of products on offer for Black Friday. For some Italian companies that are not yet part of the Made in Italy showcase, the event was an opportunity to receive free advice from the experts of the e-commerce platform who illustrated how to take the first steps to undertake a process of digitization and internationalization through the Made in Italy showcase.

“This event was an opportunity to renew our strong support for Italian SMEs and Made in Italy, which we have always supported.

During the Christmas season, we know that our customers love to buy local products and support the Italian entrepreneurship ”, said Rita Polarolo, manager of the showcase.