Annually, the traditional Black Friday drives consumer activity with the promise of prices lower than conventional ones, 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 Issues during checkout completion lead the complaints, representing 38.5% of the total volume of grievances from people who have previously made purchases during Black Friday in prior years. The survey conducted by the coordinator of the Center for Digital Marketing Studies at FGV/EAESP, Lilian Carvalho, in partnership with Polis Consulting, gathered 124 thousand 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, payment system failures, platform unavailability, and order processing problems. “This represents a considerable concentration and suggests significant inefficiencies in retailers” technological infrastructure during periods of high demand," she assesses.
The Refund of the amount paid appears as the second biggest complaint, corresponding to 23.8% of the total, highlighting critical problems in the management of returns and refunds, processes fundamental to consumer trust. “This is a demand point that requires even greater care as it directly affects consumers” pockets. Delays in refunding amounts impact satisfaction and increase brands' reputational risk," warns the marketing doctorate holder.
Following that, delivery delays account for 22.1% of complaints, indicating significant deficiencies in logistics and meeting promised deadlines. During Black Friday, the peak order volume often overloads distribution systems, resulting in operational failures.
Already a Misleading advertising, an aspect frequently discussed during the promotional period, corresponds to 15.6% of recorded complaints. “It is not uncommon during Black Friday to observe reports indicating fraudulent promotions, such as the famous ‘everything for half of double’. It may seem like a minor problem to many, after all, there is the maxim of ‘you buy if you want,’ but it is 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 made available can not only compromise retailers” credibility but also generate legal consequences related to the Consumer Defense Code," reinforces Lilian Carvalho.
