By Nelson Belen, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – According to figures from the information services group, Serasa Experian, retail sales across Brazil for this past Black Friday weekend, beginning Friday, November 25th to Sunday, November 27th, rose eleven percent compared to 2015’s Black Friday weekend. These figures also surpass 2015’s nine percent increase from sales figures in 2014’s Black Friday weekend.
In the last few years, Brazilians have embraced the American pseudo-holiday of Black Friday, which takes place in America the day after Thanksgiving. With Americans on holiday, the day signals the beginning of the holiday shopping frenzy as hundreds of brand names, stores and online retailers advertise super sales and discounts for Friday and into the weekend.
Here, in Brazil, many merchants have taken up the Black Friday mantle, and judging by the sales figures of the last few years, Brazilian retail shoppers have taken advantage of the sales and promotions.
According to the report, “[S]ales on Black Friday in 2016 reveal that this date is gaining importance among other important dates of the national retail sector.”
However, the Serasa Experian report cautioned that this is not a predictor that holiday retail sales will be strong, in fact, the data usually shows the opposite. “[It] is important to emphasize,” explained the report, “that a stronger movement on Black Friday tends to anticipate and probably lead to a weakening of Christmas sales.”
The Serasa Experian report is compiled from a sample of consultations culled from Serasa Experian’s vast commercial database.