This year’s Black Friday ‘busiest shopping day on record’, Nationwide says

This year’s Black Friday was the “busiest shopping day on record”, according to Nationwide Building Society, as shoppers shook off cost-of-living woes to make the most of festive deals.

Nationwide members made 9.92 million purchases on Friday, which the bank said is equivalent to more than 114 transactions every second.

The figure is 2% higher than on Black Friday last year and 12% higher than on the same day in 2021.

Mark Nalder, director of Payment Strategy at Nationwide Building Society, said: “This Black Friday was the busiest shopping day on record, up 2% on Black Friday 2022, with our customers making 9.92 million purchases – equivalent to over 114 transactions every second.

“While some of this would have been everyday spend, many will have used the day to help them get a bargain on Christmas presents or a treat for themselves.

“While most will be happy with their purchases, others are likely to regret their impulse buys and it is likely we will see a few refunds into customers’ accounts over the next few days and weeks.”

The record is based on Nationwide’s own data, looking back at spending by their members.

By 5pm on Friday, Nationwide customers had made 6.66 million transactions – 11% higher than a typical Friday and 3% more than Black Friday last year.

Analysts MRI Software said data up to 3pm showed footfall across all UK retail destinations was up 8.2% compared with the week before.

Retailers launched sales and shopping deals hoping to lure in shoppers with discounted prices in the run-up to Christmas.

Electricals chain Currys said sales of some of its tech products more than doubled this month as it rolled out new deals.

Strong demand for games consoles saw sales jump by 131% in recent weeks, compared with average weekly sales over the previous six weeks, amid the launch of a new Call Of Duty video game – which it said was a Black Friday bestseller.

Beauty tools soared by 190%, coffee machines up by 105%, and air fryer sales were up by 75% over the same period, Currys revealed.

Meanwhile, banking group Barclays revealed that the volume of purchases leading up to Black Friday was higher than this time last year, as retailers continue to launch sales earlier in the month.

Data from the firm, which processes nearly half of the UK’s credit and debit card transactions, showed spending volumes were up 1.4% in the week to Wednesday compared with the equivalent week last year.

Supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer launched new savings on Black Friday across their food, clothing and homeware brands, while Amazon had deals across its website for a week.