Black Friday: No great increase in sales in Corfu

A slight increase in their turnover, around 8%-10%, has been estimated for the retail shops in Corfu that participated in the dual promotional events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Merchants say that activity in the Corfu market during these days was restrained, a fact related to the low disposable incomes of consumers. However, compared to the previous period, the market seems to have performed better, with ppeople seeking products they had been eyeing for a while at more economical prices.

Technology products, in particular, remained at the top of sales with better and larger offers.

The President of Corfu Trade Association, Yiannis Alegris, told Enimerosi that the estimated increase of 8%-10% in the turnover of shops can be attributed to the abolition of intermediate sales periods. As a result, a significant portion of consumers took advantage of this opportunity.

"Yet again this year, consumers are highly constrained, with limited disposable income to allocate towards consumption. However, the dual promotional activities of the past few days is estimated to recorded a slight increase in turnover, around 8%-10%," Mr. Alegris said. "Restraint has been observed, and I believe that the Christmas markets will be similarly affected. They will see an increase compared to last year, but with lower value due to limited disposable income."

As for the offers, they varied according to product type, ranging from 20% to 50%. However, the higher percentage discounts were applied to selected items. Consumers, nevertheless, avoided unnecessary spending and acquired only what they truly needed.

According to Mr. Alegris, technology products such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, and gadgets remained the best sellers. The second category in consumer preferences was household appliances (washing machines, refrigerators, etc.), followed by small appliances. Subsequently, in the following order, clothing, footwear, cosmetics, decoration items, and gifts were highlighted.

Increase in online purchases

There was an increase in purchases  in online stores (e-shops). It appears that the habit of online shopping, which dominated during the pandemic period, has now been well-adopted by Corfu consumers. As the President of Corfu Trade Association commented, consumers seem quite familiar with online shopping following the COVID-19 period.