Black Friday 2023: Belgians spent 145 million euros on consumer electronics

Leuven, 7 December 2023 - As the consumer technology, durable goods, and homewares markets navigated the challenges of 2023, hopes were high for a transformative Black Friday week. Newly released sales data from GfK's point-of-sale retail intelligence, reveals a robust performance in the Belgian consumer technology market with sales of €145 million, marking an impressive 8% increase compared to the same period last year. The hero product is Deep Fryers, emerged with an +81% year-on-year sales. 

Discover the Black Friday Belgium 2023 infographic 

Week Prior to Black Friday unleashes remarkable growth in sales 

In Week 47, sales increased by an impressive 8%, a substantial increase considering that in 2022, sales remained static compared to 2021. The evolution of Black Friday is clearly visible, expanding its influence beyond a single week of promotions to encompass the entire month of November. The pre-Black Friday week initiated a robust growth trend compared to the previous year. Once again, this year witnessed a remarkable boost in the week leading up to the official Black Friday week, with Week 46 showcasing sales of €105 million—an extraordinary 22.7% increase from 2022. 

In stark contrast, consumer spending experienced a decline of -11% in Italy and -1.3% in France this year. Meanwhile, the Netherlands saw a positive trend, with spending increasing by +1.1%, also the UK experienced a rise of +1.2%.

Source: GfK Market Intelligence: Sales Tracking, Comparable selection of retailers across reported periods. 

Growth in small household appliances and consumer electronics 

During the Black Friday week, standout performers include Deep Fryers with an impressive +81%, Visual Cams capturing attention with a remarkable +50%, and Hair Stylers with a +47% surge in popularity. Deep Fryers were not in the top 3 of last year at all, the biggest climber last year was Electric Heating. The popularity of the Deep Fryer can be attributed to the remarkable increase of its sub-segment, the Hot Air Fryer, experiencing an impressive uplift of 104%. 

Source: GfK Market Intelligence: Sales Tracking, Comparable selection of retailers across reported periods. 

Online sales shares declined  

The overall online sales of technical consumer goods experienced a slight dip of -1% compared to 2022. The driving force behind this shift is Telecom, registering a -3% decline in sales, impacting the overall trend. Meanwhile, small domestic appliances, major domestic appliances, and consumer goods—steal the spotlight with a remarkable surge in sales. 

The biggest increases within online small domestic appliances are Deep Fryers (85%), Hot Air Fryers (+97%) and Hair Stylers (78%). The biggest increases within online major domestic appliances are tumble dryers (+31%), dish washers (+23%), Built in hobs (+22%) and microwave ovens (+24%). 

Discover the Black Friday Belgium 2023 infographic