"Instead of cashing in on discounts for mega TVs and luxury appliances, consumers this year are just trying to get by. Spending priorities are shifting because inflation has hit consumers so hard in 2025 that one in four consumers say they plan to use Black Friday only for everyday essentials like groceries, toiletries, and household basics, according to survey results released by point-of-sale and payments system platform Lightspeed."
""Black Friday is still a make-or-break moment for retailers, but shopper behavior is shifting," Dax Dasilva, founder and CEO of Lightspeed Commerce, said in a statement. "Shoppers are still under the pressure of a higher cost of living, so fairness, transparency, and empathy matter more than ever." Lightspeed surveyed 3,000 adults in the U.S. and Canada for the study, and found nearly half of respondents said they plan to split spending between necessities and premium purchases."
"Although President Donald Trump claims to have "defeated" inflation, claiming in September at the United Nations General Assembly grocery prices are down, there's not much evidence for that. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said during a high-profile speech in August just before the first rate cut this year "inflation, though still somewhat elevated, has come down from its post-pandemic highs.""
A Lightspeed survey of 3,000 U.S. and Canadian adults found one in four consumers plan to use Black Friday only for everyday essentials like groceries, toiletries, and household basics. Nearly half of respondents intend to split spending between necessities and premium purchases. Inflation and a higher cost of living in 2025 are pushing shoppers away from mega purchases and toward essentials. Retailers face a critical sales period and must emphasize fairness, transparency, and empathy as budgets tighten. Central bank comments note inflation has eased from post-pandemic highs, while some economists warn grocery prices could rise further this winter.
Read at Fortune
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