What you should be buying in Black Friday sales

Black Friday sales are known for massive discounts on things like TVs and computers, so deal hunters could be forgiven for assuming the best Black Friday strategy is all about bagging one of these 'doorbusters'. However, research into the deals available in the past two years has revealed that if we focus on technology, we will miss out on the best deals of the day.

HotUKDeals.com looked into the deals posted by its members over the past two Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays. They discovered that consumers were most interested in technology - with a 75% increase in people looking for savings on computers, a 67% increase in people searching for deals on TVs and speakers, and a 66% rise in people hunting for discounts on consoles and games.

They weren't disappointed either, because the average discounts on these items has been pretty impressive for the last two Black Fridays. TVs, for example saw average reductions of 31%, while gaming was 23% cheaper and smartphones 38% less expensive.

Better deals

However, those who focused on technology to the exclusion of everything else missed out on some much bigger savings. The site found, for example, that items for babies and children (such as toys) have been, on average, 50% cheaper. Meanwhile items for the home and garden (like furniture) have had average discounts of 47% over the last two years. For those looking to purchase clothes, HotUKDeals has found that fashion products are, on average, 41% cheaper during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The biggest savings for Black Friday (over the past two years)

1. Baby and kids 50%
2. Home and garden 47%
3. Groceries 46%
4. Restaurants 45%
5. Travel 45%
6. Entertainment 43%
7. Fashion 41%
8. Mobiles 38%
9. Computers 31%
10. Audio-visual 31%
11. Gaming 23%

Danny Munday, general manager of HotUKDeals said: "Fashion is, in particular, a category to watch. Fashion sales are in decline after seven years of growth so retailers will need to compete – especially online – to attract customers."

He also thinks gaming will see some good reductions this Black Friday, adding: "We've already seen huge PlayStation 4 discounts at the end of September and with the launch of the PS4 Pro on 10th November, we expect to see much more in the way of gaming deals as retailers discount to capitalise on what has become a vital annual trading event."

However, he concluded, before we buy anything on Black Friday, the same rules apply as any other day of the year. He says: "With so many deals available during this time, it's easy to miss some and harder to know which ones are genuine deals. Consumers should check and compare prices and monitor comments on deal-sharing websites like HotUKDeals, where deal-savvy members share price histories and retailer experiences to ensure you're paying the right price and for a quality item."