• by Ray Schultz , November 13, 2020

Boomers will skip Black Friday this year, according to a study by the consumer insights platform quantilope.

Only 29% of people ages 55 and over plan to buy on Black Friday — they are 32.6% less likely than Gen Z, 39.6 less likely than millennials, and 35.8% less likely than Gen X to buy on that day. 

The reason is that will have already begun their holiday shopping.

The lesson for brands is that they should offer Black Friday deals throughout the month, via targeted email. 

In fact, 67.3% of all consumers expect to shop online this year, a 12% increase from 2019. The contributing factors are convenience and fear of COVID-19. 

Not all shoppers seem to welcome the season — 37% are excited, while 50% are neutral and 14% are stressed. 

Boomers are the most likely to be neutral and the least likely to be excited. Gen X and millennials are the most stressed, although that feeling is far outweighed by excitement.  

The top retail categories in pre-holiday shopping are Apparel & Accessories, Health & Beauty, and Footwear. But there is no clear winner for the preferred shopping method.