Black Friday report identifies beauty as third largest category and encourages UK companies to gear up

An estimated £3.8 billion (US$4.84 billion) is up for grabs this Black Friday in the UK and beauty products are primed for the big day with direct traffic up by 48%.

The Black Friday Readiness Report by digital PR agency Tank analyzed 165 of the UK’s biggest online retailers across ten product lines from November 2023 to October 2024. It investigated the monthly organic search traffic for Black Friday-specific keywords. 

The sale falls on 29 November and has become a “major event” for beauty brands. Tank says that retailers will have spent months planning their promotions, ads and campaigns to capture consumer attention.

Last year, retail sales increased by £13.3 billion (US$16.95 billion), and shoppers spent more than a billion (US$1.27 billion) online during Black Friday. This year, sales are expected to grow by 27%.

Tank explains that in a competitive market, being seen by search engines like Google is critical to generating sales.

Martin Harris, head of digital at Tank, says: “Fierce competition is standard during events like Black Friday and while retailers probably didn’t expect to compete with news sites in search engine results, they can stand out by maintaining high positions in organic search. Not only can they drive traffic to their website and improve sales, but they can take back traffic and revenue from affiliate content.”

Category growth

Fashion retailers were found to be on top, with a 123% increase in estimated traffic. The home appliances category is predicted to have a 42% increase in traffic and health and wellness will see a 19% jump.

Tank predicts the beauty sector to preform well during Black Friday.“This year, the run-up to Black Friday is even more important as sales are expected to rise dramatically. It’s never too late — retailers [should] strategize and improve visibility, whether creating Black Friday keyword content, implementing paid ads or social media marketing,” says Harris.

Tank expects Marks and Spencer to lead the way with the most considerable estimated increase in Black Friday-specific traffic from all the products and retailers, with a 1456% leap.

In the beauty and wellness space, Sephora is predicted to rise 248%  and Specsavers by 57% during Black Friday sales. In home appliances, Very will reportedly jump 185%, John Lewis, by 134% and Ninja Kitchen by 129%.

Meanwhile, The Body Shop is projected to have a 184% increase despite its turbulence this year. The Body Shop has faced store closures worldwide following Aurelius’s purchase of the brand but failed to boost its bottom line and placed it under administration.

The body care company has been declared bankrupt in the Netherlands, as confirmed by a notice from the Central Insolvency Register and the company’s social media channels.

Last month, The Body Shop returned its headquarters to Brighton, UK, as part of a “significant cultural reset” under new ownership.