Does it pay to spend in summer Vs Black Friday?

 A fifth of Brits save up their shopping for sales events, with four in 10 holding back the bulk of their shopping until Black Friday. With lockdown measures easing, non-essential shops reopening, and holidays cancelled, many Brits may be enticed to shop a bit earlier this year. But can they expect value for money? 

We analysed some of our data across popular product categories and found you may just bag a better deal now, rather than waiting till Black Friday. 

Last year, electronic products were the fifth most-sought-after in the UK during Black Friday, with laptops high on the list. When taking a closer look at specific products, the Apple MacBook Pro (2018) was £200 more expensive during Black Friday than in summer last year, whilst the price of the Lenovo ThinkPad T480 soared by £259.02 on Black Friday, compared to its lowest summer price.

Staying on the electronics theme, tablets are also a popular purchase saved for sales events. Our data, however, suggests that Black Friday might not be the best time to get the best price on these. Tablets were also slightly cheaper in summer last year compared to Black Friday. If we take a closer look at some of the most popular products, the iPad Air  256GB rose by £58.14, while Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S5 was £9 more expensive.

Cosmetics are another go-to for UK shoppers during key sale events. Last year, cosmetics were the second post-popular Black Friday purchases, after clothing. One of the priciest products in the cosmetics category is perfume, which was marginally more expensive on Black Friday than summer last year. One of the most popular perfume products, Hugo Boss Boss Bottled Intense 100ml rose from £37.30 in summer to £41.40 on Black Friday, so summer could offer you value here. 

So, can you expect value for money during summer? Yes. Summer presents a great opportunity to get some of the best deals on the products you’re after, before the prices start to inflate ahead of being dropped for Black Friday. 

If you are waiting for the big sales events later this year, remember to make a list of your top products and set up price alerts. This will help you get the best deals without spending over the odds.