Australia’s Black Friday sales have transformed from a once-niche shopping event into a national retail phenomenon, evolving over the past decade into a critical component of the retail calendar. Amar Rizvi, Chief Strategy Officer at iMile Delivery, provides advice heading into this frenetic time of year.
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
Now falling on the last Friday of November, the weekend extending into Cyber Monday consistently draws large crowds and substantial online traffic.
In 2023, Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw a combined shopping spree, offering enticing discounts on electronics, fashion, and home goods across both digital and physical storefronts.
For Australian retailers, however, the season’s success is inseparable from its logistical challenges, where heightened sales volumes and delivery demands place intense strain on supply chains.
During the 2022 Black Friday weekend alone, Australian consumers spent more than AUD$7 billion, according to data from the National Australia Bank (NAB).
Retailers like Myer, Australia’s flagship department store, saw record-breaking sales, moving everything from skincare products to dinnerware at discounts ranging from 10 to 50 percent.
This trend, which saw foot traffic flood malls like Melbourne’s Chadstone Shopping Centre, has continued into 2023, with the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) forecasting AUD$6.36 billion in sales.
Yet behind the booming numbers lies an intense operational effort to deliver goods to customers amidst an unprecedented spike in demand.
PEAK SALES PERIODS
In this fast-paced environment, last-mile delivery companies have become essential players, transforming behind-the-scenes logistics into crucial customer experiences.
iMile Delivery (iMile), a global leader in last-mile logistics, has pioneered a raft of tech-driven solutions to help manage the heightened pressures of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
“We leverage data analytics and cutting-edge technology to cope with increased demand for fulfilment during peak e-commerce sales periods, such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and during December in the lead-up to Christmas,” explains Chief Strategy Officer, Amar Rizvi.
“This helps us optimise delivery routes and streamline logistics, ensuring faster and more efficient service for our clients. Our commitment to seamless last-mile solutions becomes even more crucial during these high-demand periods, where the stakes for timely delivery are at their highest.”
By investing in real-time data analytics and automation, iMile keeps its logistics agile, prioritising speed and accuracy even amidst surging order volumes.
“This approach is central to our strategy in Australia, ensuring a dependable service that retailers can count on during these peak periods,” notes Rizvi.
Yet as the demand for rapid fulfilment grows, the stakes continue to rise. According to the ARA, Black Friday has reshaped Australia’s pre-Christmas shopping season, creating a compact, high-stakes period for retailers to capitalise on demand and meet customer expectations.
For many consumers, this event has eclipsed earlier holiday shopping, with some delaying purchases to take advantage of Black Friday deals.
Retailers and delivery services must balance these changes with ongoing inflationary pressures and fluctuating consumer sentiment, which compound the logistical pressures.
DIGITAL PRESENCE
Social media has also amplified Black Friday’s impact, as Australian retailers increasingly rely on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to drive engagement through countdowns, limited-time offers, and influencer partnerships.
This digital presence not only reaches a broad audience but also drives a sense of urgency, with user-generated content further expanding reach and feeding a ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO) culture that heightens purchasing behaviour over the Black Friday weekend.
iMile’s investment in Australia’s logistics infrastructure exemplifies the crucial role of technology in meeting consumer expectations in the e-commerce age.
“Our approach is far more than a response to peak demand,” Rizvi emphasises.
“As we continue to invest in our Australian logistics infrastructure, iMile will prioritise seamless deliveries for our Australian customers, ensuring we meet expectations during these critical sales periods and beyond,” he concludes.
For retail managers and supply chain strategists, the takeaway is clear – Black Friday’s rapid rise in Australia demands an equally fast-paced and resilient response.
By leveraging advanced technologies, data-driven insights, and a keen understanding of consumer behaviour, innovative delivery companies can ensure that Australia’s Black Friday shopping experience runs smoothly, guaranteeing standards for e-commerce fulfilment are maintained despite record sales volumes.
