This festive season, eBay UK is urging shoppers to consider pre-loved or refurbished goods, as new research from the marketplace reveals that the cost of living crisis has left 50% of the nation holding off on deals throughout the year in order to make the most of deeper discounts this Black Friday.*
Compared with other generations, the retail sale period is looking to be most popular amongst Gen-Zs (16-26 year olds) where 68% predict they will make discounted purchases with almost two-thirds (62%) of them specifically considering making non-new purchases, suggesting a reimagined Black Friday is on the horizon.*
While money-saving continues to be a top driver to shop non-new, for Gen-Zs hoping to snap up some non-new bargains this Black Friday, 19% have said it’s because vintage and pre-loved is more “fashionable” and “on-trend” today.*
On eBay, customers can expect to see ‘Better Than New’ deals being showcased this Black Friday, helping customers save money and reduce waste. In fact, if everyone shops for only pre-loved or refurbished items, new data reveals that the nation could save a huge £9 billion per year, equating to as much as £320 per household.***
In 2022, 9 of the top 10 Black Friday deals sold on eBay.co.uk were refurbished**, with Dyson products, Hotel Chocolat Velvitisers and iPhones topping the list of most popular products. The nation’s hunger for pre-loved and refurbished items was also echoed across the whole of the year, with almost 2 million kg of fashion waste avoided through pre-loved fashion buys on eBay UK, and 2.8 million kg of waste avoided through refurbished and used tech buys - an equivalent to over 23.5 million phones spared from landfill.
This year, items such as air fryers, Airwraps, phones and vacuum cleaners will be up for grabs, alongside deals on pre-loved fashion from top brands.
Eve Williams, General Manager of eBay UK said: “It’s clear that amidst a cost of living crisis, shoppers are approaching Black Friday with a money-saving mindset. What’s been really promising to see this year is that although great deals and savings are still front of mind, Gen-Zs are actually leading the charge with what we’re terming a ‘reimagined Black Friday’ - one that’s got both economic and environmental benefits.
“Last year, we made a big bet by focusing exclusively on non-new and refurbished products in eBay’s Black Friday marketing, and we saw an unprecedented appetite for it. With a new generation of more conscious shoppers emerging, we want to ensure we’re providing the best deals on our non-new and refurbished offerings, in the hopes that the trends we’re seeing with the younger generation of Brits continues to grow.”
Anne Wingfield, Managing Director, GB&I at Dyson adds: “Selling our Certified Refurbished range on eBay brings our robust and innovative engineering to a new audience. Whether you’re looking for an Airwrap or a vacuum cleaner this Black Friday, all Dyson Renewed technology is refurbished with our renowned quality-control and the goal to help you get great value while keeping unnecessary waste out of landfill.”
Black Friday is not just important for shoppers looking to save money, but is a crucial calendar moment for UK businesses following a tough year of high bills and stubborn inflation. Half of UK SME business owners (52%) are investing significant resources to ensure that they have a positive Black Friday trading period and nearly a third (32%) note that Black Friday is vital for bolstering their bottom line for 2024 and beyond.****
The good news for thrifty shoppers is that more than two-thirds of SMEs (68%) will be actively offering Black Friday discounts this year, with a whopping 73% of SME owners expecting a positive trading period.****
Through focusing on pre-loved and refurbished goods, the eBay platform is supporting businesses and retailers to drive more circularity of their stock in the run up to the festive period. This includes brands such as Dyson, Ninja, Sonos and Peloton whose products are typically top of Christmas lists across the country.
Notes to editors
* eBay consumer research carried out by Markettiers with 2,007 nationally representative UK respondents (aged 16+) respondents (20th October - 24th October)
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Almost half (48%) of Brits will be shopping on Black Friday this year
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Just over two -thirds of Gen Z’s (68%) will be shopping on Black Friday this year
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Gen Z are the most likely to consider shopping for pre-loved or refurbished items on Black Friday (62%) followed by Millennials (56%) and Gen X’ers (40%)
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19% of Gen Z are planning to shop second-hand or refurbished because vintage / pre-loved is more fashionable / on trend now
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Over half of Brits (55%) have previously bought products on Black Friday
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Over 70% of Gen Z’s have previously bought products during the Black Friday sales, compared to over a third (35%) of Baby boomers
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The top three reasons for Brits shopping on Black Friday are: to save money (40%) , because Black Friday deals offer great value for money (34%) and to buy Christmas presents (34%)
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A third of Gen Z’s that shop throughout black Friday (32%), do it because it offers great value for money
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Half of Brits (50%) would delay buying an item in order to get a deal on Black Friday
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Millennials are most likely to delay buying an item in order to get a deal on Black Friday (67%) followed by Gen Z (65%) and Gen X (47%)
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Just over two fifths (42%) of Brits would consider buying pre-loved or refurbished items during the Black Friday sales
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Gen Z are the most likely to consider shopping for pre-loved or refurbished items on Black Friday (62%) followed by Millennials (56%) and Gen X’ers (40%)
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The top three reasons for Brits planning to shop for pre-loved or refurbished items this Black Friday are: it is cheaper than buying something new (41%), so they can save money (40%) and because it is better for the environment (32%)
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A third of Gen z’s (34%) claim they’re planning to shop for pre-loved or refurbished this black Friday because it’s cheaper than shopping new in
** eBay owned data
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In 2022, 9 of the top 10 Black Friday deals sold on eBay.co.uk were refurbished
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Pre-Loved Fashion Savings: In 2022, through pre-loved fashion buys, eBay UK avoided almost 2M kg of fashion waste (in other words, the weight of almost 5 million shirts) and over 60,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e), swerving the equivalent of over 64,000 return flights between New York and London.
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Refurbished and Used Tech savings: In 2022, over 250,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions were saved from being released into the atmosphere, including over 13,000 on refurbished. The total is equivalent to saving over 4 million new phones being made. Plus over 2.8 million kg of waste was avoided, equivalent to over 23.5 million phones being spared from landfill.
*** WRAP (in partnership with eBay), 2023, Prepared by Keith James
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Data from WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) also suggests that shopping second-hand and reusing items could save 340,000 tonnes from disposal per year, which would fill the Royal Albert Hall seven times over, and reduce carbon emissions by at least 2.1 million tonnes, an equivalent of taking 1,000,000 cars off the road for 1 year.***
**** Markettiers polling research with 505 SME Business Owners aged 18+ (19th October - 25th October)
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Nearly a third of SME business owners (32%) agree that Black Friday is vital for bolstering their bottom line for 2024 and beyond
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More than half of SME business owners (52%) agree that as a business, they have invested significant resources in ensuring that they have a positive Black Friday trading period
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More than two-thirds (71%) of SME business owners agree that Black Friday is one of their most important sales moments of the year for their business
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Almost three - quarters of SME business owners (73%) are expecting a positive trading period this Black Friday
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More than a third of SME business owners (34%) agree that if their business has a poor Q4 trading period, they are at risk of shutting down
More than two - thirds of SME business owners (68%) actively offer discounts on across Black Friday