Boots forecast to match Currys for Black Friday searches as beauty gains

Boots is on course to rank among the UK’s most searched-for retailers during Black Friday, according to new data from MediaVision.

MediaVision forecasts a 17 per cent annual rise in searches for the retailer, to 1.78 million over Black Friday week, which would put it joint fourth with Currys.

That would shake up an order long led by electronics retailers and big-ticket items.

Amazon is predicted to stay comfortably in first place with 7.19 million searches, although that would be one per cent down on last year. Argos is expected to remain second with 2.83 million searches, a fall of two per cent, while interest in Currys is also forecast to drop two per cent.

Next is on the rise, with searches predicted to grow 10 per cent to 1.9 million. Apart from Boots, it is the only top-five retailer expected to post double-digit growth.

MediaVision analysed four years of consumer search behaviour using its Metis platform. The findings suggest shoppers are widening their attention beyond the usual Black Friday heavyweights.

Louis Venter, chief executive of MediaVision, said: “Black Friday has traditionally been dominated by retailers offering big-ticket discounts, particularly in technology and electronics. But consumer interest is no longer concentrated in those categories alone.”

“Brands that have built strong relationships with shoppers throughout the year are in a good position to capitalise when the sales period arrives,” he added.

Mixed outlook for beauty brands

Of all retail categories, beauty is predicted to get the biggest seasonal boost in search interest this Black Friday, with demand forecast at 1.6 times a normal week.

The gains will not be shared evenly. Boots is expected to attract over three times the searches of Superdrug, its nearest beauty rival, which is forecast to see a seven per cent rise to 527,000 searches.

Sephora is forecast to do well with an eight per cent increase, and Rituals is tipped to climb 18 per cent.

Searches for Charlotte Tilbury are predicted to drop 14 per cent, with Cult Beauty down nine per cent and The Perfume Shop down eight per cent. Sol de Janeiro, a big riser in popularity last year, could see a 45 per cent plunge in search demand.

Molly Goffin, senior manager at MediaVision, said the category’s reliance on social media trends and product launches could make momentum hard to sustain.

“Black Friday gives brands opportunity to convert existing interest into sales, but discounts alone won’t necessarily bring shoppers back year after year,” she said.

“The brands best positioned to succeed are those giving customers reasons to engage beyond promotional periods, whether that’s through products people genuinely want, cultural relevance or strong sense of brand identity.”

Spending and method

Separate research from Omnisend predicts UK shoppers will cut spending by 32 per cent over Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, even though more people plan to take part. The latest BRC figures also show consumers delayed big-ticket purchases in October in anticipation of November discounts.

The forecasts cover UK Google searches for 1,006 retail brands and 471 products, using Black Friday search patterns from 2022 to 2025 together with more recent consumer interest.

The data tracks searches rather than sales, but gives an early sign of which retailers are catching shoppers’ eyes before Black Friday on 27 November.