Every year, the traditional Black Friday boosts consumption with its promise of lower-than-usual prices, but this promotional period also raises doubts and concerns. A survey conducted between October 1st and November 3rd, to measure consumer expectations before the official date, showed that problems finalizing purchases lead the complaints , representing 38.5% of the total volume of complaints from people who have shopped during Black Friday in previous years. The survey, conducted by Lilian Carvalho, coordinator of the Center for Digital Marketing Studies at FGV/EAESP, in partnership with Polis Consulting, gathered 124,000 mentions of the topic and 182 million impressions, revealing important patterns for digital marketing strategies and customer experience management in Brazilian retail.
Lilian explains that this category of complaints encompasses technical difficulties at checkout, failures in payment systems, unavailability of platforms, and problems in order processing. "This is a considerable concentration and suggests significant inefficiencies in the technological infrastructure of retailers during periods of high demand," she assesses.
The reversal of payments appears as the second largest complaint, corresponding to 23.8% of the total, highlighting critical problems in the management of returns and refunds, processes that are fundamental to consumer confidence. “This is a point of demand that requires even greater care because it directly affects consumers' wallets. Delays in refunds impact satisfaction and increase the reputational risk for brands,” warns the PhD in marketing.
Subsequently, delivery delays account for 22.1% of complaints, indicating significant deficiencies in logistics and in meeting promised deadlines. During Black Friday, the peak volume of orders often overloads distribution systems, resulting in operational failures.
advertising , a topic frequently discussed during promotional periods, accounts for 15.6% of registered complaints. “It’s not uncommon during Black Friday to see reports indicating fraudulent promotions, such as the famous ‘everything for half the price of double.’ It may seem like a minor problem to many, after all, there’s the saying ‘you buy what you want,’ but it’s important for brands and companies to understand that this type of discrepancy between the expectations created by marketing campaigns and the reality of the offers available can not only compromise the credibility of retailers but also generate legal consequences related to the Consumer Protection Code,” reinforces Lilian Carvalho.
