Even we can thank god it's Black Friday

Black Friday sales, an American import marked by the jumma that follows Thanksgiving Day, are picking up in India, but (understandably?) not quite at a pace global brands would like. This is due to the placement of weekend sales in the Indian shopping calendar, and the more spread-out pattern of festival shopping in these shores. The discount shopping day kicks off the festival season in the US, leading up to bigger dates for retail sales in December. In India, Black Friday follows Diwali, our biggest festival of shopping. Again, Indians have more festivals round the year that provide brands more opportunity to push merchandise through sales. The global phenomenon does, of course, add to the list of calendar events in India, allowing retailers to clear inventory. Brands are using TGIBF! to pitch to younger consumers whose buying habits are far more global than their elders. It helps push premium brands to a new market segment that's aided by the growth of ecommerce.

The event itself is fighting consumer fatigue in the West. Brands have become sensitive to the downsides of deep discounting, and prefer to spread their marketing budgets over longer periods to build stronger sales pipelines. eCommerce is better able to gauge consumer behaviour at a more individual level, and customise pitches accordingly. New avenues like influencer-led marketing make calendar-based marketing less relevant. Social commerce is pushing boundaries of overconsumption, but is also heading a pushback over concerns of sustainability. India finds itself in the middle of these cross-currents even before Black Friday becomes a desi fixture. Offline channels are yet to jump on the bandwagon. So the phenomenon is unlikely to acquire the dimensions it has in mature markets.

Marketers are, however, unlikely to let go of an event so deeply ingrained in the consumer consciousness, and will shape it to local conditions. A more connected desi consumer won't be isolated from the global trend. But it will take a while before it reaches OMG! proportions here.