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Since Black Friday is American, let's have a “pop quiz”. What year did Black Friday begin in the US?
 
It's 2010, only five years ago, but in the last couple of years it has really taken off the UK and already the phrases Black Friday and Cyber Monday are part of our vernacular.
 
According to statisticians at Experian and IMRG, a record £1.1billion was spent online in the UK on Black Friday, with the sale weekend estimated to have drummed up £3.5b in total.
 
On Black Friday, online sales were up an estimated 36% compared to last year, with Cyber Monday up by 31%.
Use of mobile phones to make an ecommerce purchase:
 
Our previous article on Black Friday mobile sales in the US showed this was a major growth area, with just over a third of sales taken via a mobile device (iOS proving more popular than Android, and smartphones winning over tablets).

Figures have not yet been released showing this breakdown, we will look at these once they are available. Knowing the popularity of shopping on smartphone, the blog at internetretailing. net did a snapshot of how mobile versions of website from the top 25 retailers were doing during the early stages of Black Friday. You can see the post here.
 
Shopping tracker company Springboard noted that retailers with reliable online shops would be the ones to benefit most from the sales. While we do not have the figures for mobile device sales, it is fair to say that shoppers will purchase through desktop, tablets and mobiles. Thinking about iOS and Android mobile development could help make sure you do not miss out on sales through these devices..
 
How did the websites and mobile apps cope with the traffic?
 
It seems mostly well, with a few of the large retailers leaving customers staring at a screen while it loaded, slowly and painfully.
 
According to consumers, Tesco's site was slow, although the company denied this was the case. John Lewis has a bit of a catastrophe ecommerce-wise, as their website was actually offline for an hour on Friday afternoon, although they said server capacity had been increased by a third in preparation.
 
Argos was also criticised. Consumers reported a slow website, with several crashes throughout the day. Argos also launched a new Fast Track delivery service prior to Black Friday, leaving them with a huge task, and some undelivered orders.
 
About Eastpoint Software:

We are a web and mobile development company based at the Hauser Forum, Cambridge. We also have an office in London. Our developers have decades of experience. We specialise in web and mobile apps, including iOS and Android mobile app development.
 
Eastpoint Software Web, Mobile App and eCommerce Development London, Cambridge and UK. We have experience working with partners and agencies  on software products. Call us on 01223 690164 to discuss what you need  and how we can help.
 
Visit us:  https://www.eastpoint.co.uk/