Black Friday got off to a very good start, according to electronics retailer Fust.“We've been recording very high traffic in our online shop since the early morning, and we've also received reports from the shops about numerous customers,” said a spokeswoman when asked by the news agency AWP. Many had planned their purchases in advance and compared prices.

Digitec Galaxus, the Swiss online retailer with the highest turnover, reports a similar story:“The sales achieved during Black Friday Week so far are significantly higher than last year.”

Interest remains high. Furniture retailer Conforama confirms this. It is observing that customers are looking for more bargains, and increasingly online, it said.

+ Fewer retailers accept cash in Switzerland

Although surveys in the run-up to the event suggested a certain reluctance due to the uncertain economic environment, retailers are currently feeling little of this.“Black Week has been a success for us so far, which was not necessarily to be expected given the subdued consumer mood,” says a spokesperson for online retailer Brack. Customers are buying significantly more products this year, but these tend to be cheaper.

The number of orders yesterday was already in the mid single-digit percentage range above 2024. Brack is therefore even expecting to exceed the previous year's record.

+ Swiss economic sentiment brightens slightly

Electronics are once again in particularly high demand, as several retailers report: notebooks, monitors, smartphones, TVs. But classic toys, lighting, sofas, box spring beds, robot vacuum cleaners and baby care products such as nappies are also popular.

However, it is still too early to draw a definitive conclusion, as many promotions will continue over the weekend. In addition, online retailers traditionally entice customers with further offers on Cyber Monday.

As in other years, however, there are also retailers who are not taking part in the wave of discounts. A few shops and workshops are putting repairs in the spotlight instead. For example, bag manufacturer Freitag is opening a“repair kiosk” around Black Friday for express repairs, free spare parts and do-it-yourself bags.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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