The number of consumers taking advantage of the ‘Cyber Weekend’ is growing at a faster rate than those making purchases on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to Bazaarvoice.

The Saturday and Sunday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday grew by 26 per cent year-on-year, as people take advantage of ongoing deals on the days they are more likely to be doing their shopping. At the same time, though, Black Friday still grew 20 per cent and Cyber Monday by 18 per cent.

In five years, Cyber Weekend has grown by 102 per cent, versus 86 per cent for Black Friday and 82 per cent for Cyber Monday.

The Sunday prior to Cyber Monday also had the greatest increase in total page views, growing 20 per cent, compared to 2018, which may show that consumers are using the day to put in their final few hours of research so they can capture any deals they may have missed in the final day of the popular long weekend for shopping.

“What we’re seeing is entirely natural – and tactical – shopper behaviour,” said Sophie Light Wilkinson, VP of marketing EMEA at Bazaarvoice. “Reacting to the huge demand for deals and bargains on Black Friday we’re seeing customers shift to invest more time shopping in the days leading up to Black Friday. For brands and retailers this is only a good thing as not only is the purchase window expanding, but so too is the time spent considering new and alternative products.”

Bazaarvoice’s research also found that mobile continues, as you’d expect, to play a key role as the point of purchase, accounting for 47 per cent of transactions. Furthermore, the survey of 2,000 consumers from across the UK, US, France, and Germany found that a growing number of consumers are placing high importance on being able to discover and purchase directly through social media, rising 38 per cent over 2018.