Gen Z Americans More Susceptible to Black Friday Than Any Other Generation

Three out of four Gen Z Americans will likely buy something on this year's Black Friday, which is traditionally seen as one of the most important days for e-commerce platforms and brick-and-mortar retailers. This is the result of a Statista Consumer Insights survey conducted in the U.S. at the end of October. The survey also shows that Cyber Monday, which is more focused on online shopping, is more relevant for the other three generations.

The divide is especially visible with Baby Boomers born between 1960 and 1964, where 45 percent will be shopping on Monday and only 35 percent plan to buy something for Black Friday. On the other side of the age spectrum, 59 percent of Gen Z Americans are rather or very likely to spend money on Cyber Monday deals.

The five-day period after Thanksgiving is one of the most important timeframes for the holiday shopping season. According to data from the National Retail Federation (NRF), 200 million people in the U.S. bought something between November 23 and 27, 2023, up three million or 1.5 percent compared to 2022. Total spending for the period between November 1 and December 31 will hit $980 to $990 billion according to a recent NRF forecast.