Black Friday 2023 will arrive in a couple of weeks faithful to its autumn date. And we are talking about its original date on the last Friday of November, because most retailers have already started it with those ‘Pre-Black’ that are starting earlier and earlier, joining Cyber Monday and extending almost until the beginning of the Christmas campaign in early December.
The original essence of the American ‘Black Friday’ has been lost for years. The enormous presence of e-commerce in these massive discount campaigns has blurred the line between the virtual and the physical and Black is no longer limited to a single day (last Friday in November after Thanksgiving) or to the physical store as in its origins.
In Europe (and virtually the entire planet, including China with its own 11/11 imported from Black Friday). you can find ‘deals’ in the most unsuspected places and throughout the month. Perhaps the retail channel would have to rethink the situation to prevent consumers from fleeing from them due to saturation. But you know how the market and marketing is. In any case, you can always find products with good discounts, although increasingly you have to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Black Friday 2023: before you buy
Shopping is an art, the same as selling and during this month you will be bombarded with all kinds of offers and the most unexpected commercial. As we do every year and in advance of the discount selections that we will offer you, we remind you of these general tips that you should keep in mind to take advantage of the campaign.
Prepare shopping cart and budgets
Although you should always be open to the arrival of an offer that you can not refuse, do not get hot, think about your needs and make a budget in advance. If you are clear about the product you want to buy and you expect (or have already seen it advertised) to be offered at a discount, you can prepare in advance the shopping cart with those items. You can also mark them as favorites or activate “wish lists” as a basis for your shopping intentions. And be prepared to end up empty-handed if you don’t find those promised bargains.
Update your online shopping accounts
In the U.S., the physical store still counts for a lot in these promotions, but outside the U.S., e-commerce is winning by a landslide. Be prepared. On some e-commerce platforms, the speed of clicking the buy buttons is key to accessing the best deals.
The best deals (called flash deals) last minutes or seconds. Invest some time in reviewing your online accounts, personal data, shipping and billing addresses and payment methods. If the online retailer supports it, activate one-click shopping. Remember that every second counts when it comes to accessing massive products with the best discounts. In Europe there are not too many, unfortunately.
Trackers
Keeping track of all the deals from all the retailers on a day like Black Friday 2023 can be a real headache for a user because there is no standard for ads. However, there are trackers that do the job for us by filtering the deals.
In the United States, services such as GottaDeal, FatWallet and Slickdeals are the reference while in Spain, firms such as ValorTop offer a similar service. Also interesting is the activation of alerts to receive email notifications with the offers. And if not, don’t worry, at MuyComputer we will be bringing out a wide selection with the best ones as we do every year.
Demand guarantees
As in other “sale” periods, the warranty for products purchased on Black Friday is the same as in any other season. Demand your rights as a consumer. In Spain, two-three years minimum for any electronic product. The same for shipments and returns (14 days from receipt of the product) or maximum delivery time (30 days for online purchases if no longer time is specified).
Large retailers reinforce staff especially for logistics and customer service. There should be no problems, but make sure, the guarantee has to be the same as during the rest of the year, whether you buy in physical store or use e-commerce, in Black or Cyber Monday that will arrive later and will last until the end of November.
‘Black Fraud’, scams and malware.
If in the United States we see year after year price reductions that are as real as they are spectacular, in Spain and Latin America they don’t even come close. Moreover, in the country that invented the rogue trader, unscrupulous retailers even manage to raise prices during the campaign and in the crudest way: they raise prices weeks before and then lower them on Black as if they were “bargains”..
It is essential to act as responsible consumers, know the official price marked by the manufacturer, the historical price of the products and make a thorough comparison between different retailers. You may be surprised by the price differences. Or that the desired product is more expensive than in October…
And the security
It is common for cybercriminals to take advantage of these massive shopping campaigns to make fraud, scams, attempt to sneak in malware or collect data. personal data with high-profile breaches we’ve seen in other years on major platforms such as Target, Home Depot and eBay.
It is advisable to reinforce security so as not to get into trouble by following a series of tips for online shopping that are extensive to any period of Internet shopping and as general security measures that must be observed (among others) for all use in the network of networks:
- A single card. As a security measure it is important to use only one credit card to minimize risks and make sure it has fraud protection, 2FA or similar. The same with any other payment method, PayPal or on-line banking passwords.
- Use strong passwords. Do not reuse the same password twice, especially bank account passwords. Enable two-factor authentication. Consider using a password manager to enhance your online experience, while keeping you secure.
- Avoid open Wi-Fis for shopping. Free or open-access Wi-Fi networks are not secure: cybercriminals can get their hands on data transferred over unprotected Wi-Fi networks, including credit card numbers, passwords, banking information and more.
- Beware of “Lookalike Webs”. Attackers create look-alike websites that mimic those of well-known brands. These fraudulent sites may sell counterfeit (or non-existent) products, be infected with malware, or steal money or credentials.
- Avoid potential Phishing and Smishing attacks.. Phishing emails lead to unsecured websites that collect personal data, such as login credentials or credit card details. Also watch out for phishing attempts via SMS -also known as ‘smishing’- or messages through social networks. And instant messaging, which is becoming more and more widespread.
- Do not click on links. Go directly to the advertised offer page by typing its web address directly into your browser. If they are special promotional codes, type them in and check if they are legitimate.
- Verify before you buy. Fraudulent ads, websites and apps can be difficult to identify. When you download a new app or visit an unusual website, spend some time reading reviews about it, as well as any user complaints.
Finally… the usual. The world does not end with Black Friday 2023. Let’s be responsible and take care of our needs and budgets. Prepare your mind to end the campaign empty-handed and avoid compulsive shopping. But at the same time, as we see embarrassing “bargains” there are also many opportunities and the lowest prices of the year on some products.
