On Black Friday 2022, these were the best-selling items on Takealot

On Black Friday 2022, the online retail giant reported record-breaking growth, noting a 33% increase in value sold through its Blue Dot sale.

It claimed that 3 million customers visited the site looking for bargains on the day, with the Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) exceeding any other Black Friday in its history.

The group predicted that demand for TVs, large appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers, load shedding essentials (power stations, UPS), laptops, smart watches, fragrances, sports equipment, and household essentials would dominate Black Friday.

“This projection held true, with these products being amongst the first to be snapped up when the clock struck midnight,” it said.

The most popular item in its catalog, however, was Ballantines Finest Scotch Whiskey, which sold the most units.

According to Takealot, the item with the highest GMV was the Hisense 58′′ Smart TV, while the most valuable item sold was the Samsung 75′′ Smart TV.

• Top item sold by units: Ballantines Finest Scotch Whiskey
• Top item sold by GMV: Hisense 58” Smart TV
• Most valuable item sold: Samsung 75” Smart TV

“The most orders placed by a single customer on the day was 58 orders, and the biggest single basket value was R190,179,” it said.

In addition to the item trends, Takealot highlighted other “interesting check-out patterns and behaviours” on the day, such as a large wave of midnight shopping.

“Orders were also consistently strong throughout the day, with purchase peaks seen during the early morning, lunchtime and early evening,” it said.

The group also ran a 24-hour live shopping experience, which it described as a huge success both operationally and in terms of customer response.

During the sale, nearly 10,000 South Africans participated in live shopping streams on social media, where 7,000 coupons were distributed to shop boosters.

The top selling event during the 24-hour live shopping experience was for Hisense TVs, with an offer for an extra R1,000 off the already discounted price point on the Blue Dot sale.

Under Armour products were featured in the fastest-selling stream.

“Ultimately, Black Friday has confirmed once again that South Africans actively look for unprecedented value and deals that are customised to their lifestyle and budget, together with superior shopping experiences,” Takealot said.

According to FNB data, its customers spent more than R3 billion on the day.

According to payment gateway PayFast, the most expensive single purchase on Black Friday was R284,625, and the most expensive basket was R397,317.

The average basket size was R1,255, which was slightly higher than the R1,208 per basket average in 2021. The majority of sales were driven by electronics, appliances, beauty, and fashion during the bonanza discount weekend.

E-commerce activity peaked between 09h00 and 10h00 on Black Friday itself, with many shoppers already making purchases just after midnight, according to the group.

Overall, the number of transactions processed by PayFast increased by 20% over the previous year.