Costa Rican consumers are increasingly joining the trend of starting their holiday shopping on Black Friday or “Viernes Negro.” The made-in-the-U.S. shopping date is currently “known and accepted” by more than half of the people surveyed in Costa Rica by consultant company UNIMER.
Six out of ten people in Costa Rica’s Greater Metropolitan Area, which includes San José and parts of Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago, said they had shopped during past Black Fridays, driven by special offers and promotions. In addition, 50 percent of respondents said they are considering taking advantage of offers that will be available this year on Nov. 27.
Those who said they plan to shop that day tend to be looking for technological gadgets (63 percent) and clothes (58 percent). Thirty-six percent said they planned to shop for shoes on Black Friday in Costa Rica and 21 percent said they would shop for home appliances.
Gadgets generate more interest among male shoppers, while clothes and shoes are the favorite among women, according to the survey.
The number of people who have shopped in the past and intend to do so again this year increased mainly among young adults age 18-44 with a college degree.
Respondents were split on where they plan to shop: 37 percent of those surveyed said they will buy exclusively online, while 36 percent said they will do so in local shops. The remaining 27 percent said they will shop at both virtual and physical stores.
The main challenge for retailers this year, according to UNIMER, is to come up with more compelling offers. Two-thirds of respondents said the deals they found last year were either “bad or unconvincing” while just one-third said offers were “good or very good.”
UNIMER conducted its survey online among 865 adult residents of Costa Rica’s Greater Metropolitan Area. The study was conducted from Oct. 15-20 and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage and a 95 percent level of confidence, the company reported.
