What is White Friday? White Friday Review

origin

"White Friday" originated from the American "Black Friday" promotion day. However, since Middle Eastern people usually hold a very grand worship or prayer on Friday, they believe that Friday is a day that symbolizes happiness and harvest. At the same time, in many countries and regions in the Middle East, the weekly rest days are not Saturday and Sunday, but Friday and Saturday. Therefore, in 2014, when Souq, the largest e-commerce company in the Middle East, introduced the "Black Friday" promotion day, it changed the name of "Black Friday" to "White Friday".  

scope

"White Friday" is just a cross-border peak season promotion event targeting the Middle East.

time

White Friday is usually from the third Wednesday to Saturday in November every year, lasting four days.

Souq Activities

The 2014 “White Friday” event saw 200,000 items sold.

In 2015, it increased to 600,000 items, with 25,000 exclusive new deals

On White Friday 2016, Souq sold 1.2 million products, more than double the number in 2015.

In 2017, Souq (now acquired by Amazon) successfully held the White Friday shopping festival, selling 2.4 million items, an increase of more than 100% year-on-year. In this promotion, Souq website will update a batch of promotional products every hour, with prices starting from 10 dirhams. It should be noted that when consumers purchase goods worth more than 100 dirhams, they can enjoy free delivery services, and even same-day delivery in core areas.

In 2018, Souq's White Friday promotion was moved forward by one day. Souq's White Friday promotion was mainly held in the six Gulf countries and Egypt, the current largest market for traffic. About 2 million products were involved in the promotion, and 14,000 sellers around the world, including local brands and international sellers, participated in the White Friday promotion. The product discounts covered all categories, from electronic products to furniture, fashion and toys, with discounts of up to 70%. Leading brands such as Samsung, Tommy Hilfiger and Sony had more than 2 million transactions.

Other platform activities (2017)

During the promotion period, Mumzworld will release some products at very low prices every day.

Wadi's big sale started on the 21st and will last until the 24th. The official website has been completely redesigned to a "crazy sale" style.

During the event, Namshi will have discounts on different categories every day, and users need to enter the promotional code at checkout.

Awork is participating in the White Five sale for the third time. Awork has released some super low-priced products for regular purchases, such as iPhone X for AED 729, Dell computer for AED 187, Samsung Note 8 for AED 699, etc.

Jollychic, during the event, will offer discounts of up to 80% on products priced around Dh50.

The SheIn page turned completely black, with price cuts of up to 80%.

Zaful, a subsidiary of GlobalEasy, has been running promotions since Double Eleven.

Promotional points

1. Due to the geographical location, the climate in the Middle East is relatively hot, so summer clothes are preferred. As for shoes, locals love sandals, and they mostly wear flip-flops all year round.

2. In terms of customs and habits, just as Chinese people like the color red to represent joy and the numbers "6" and "8" to represent auspiciousness, Middle Eastern people also have their own preferences in colors and numbers. In the Middle East, green is the most popular color, followed by white, gray, gold, etc., while "5" and "7" are the locals' favorite numbers, representing auspiciousness and reunion respectively.

3. There are few outdoor activities in the Middle East, which may be related to the hot weather. The main sport is swimming, and swimwear is another option. People travel mainly by private cars, and there are relatively few bicycles and electric vehicles.

4. Choose products that are small in size, lightweight, and resistant to falling, so that it is easier to ensure safety during transportation. At the same time, Middle Eastern people also pay great attention to after-sales and shopping experience. Since most consumers choose to pay cash on delivery, the rejection or return rate is also high. This requires choosing products with simple functions and relatively durability. Products with complex operations can only be used under guidance and are not suitable for cross-border products. This can effectively avoid subsequent complaints and save high customer service costs.

5. The word "God" should not be used on product promotion and packaging, especially when shipping to more conservative countries. Cross-shaped patterns and shapes are also not allowed. The six-pointed star shape is also not allowed, because it will conflict with the pattern of the Israeli flag. In addition, there are strict regulations and restrictions on cigarettes and alcohol.

References

• 1. In addition to "Black Friday", the "White Friday" that is popular in the Middle East is not inferior: brand clothing [reference date 2017-07-24T16:00:00.000Z]
• 2. What is White Friday? What is Black Friday? : Paidai [reference date 2019-11-16T16:00:00.000Z]
• 3. You know Black Friday, but do you know what White Friday is? : Sohu [cited on 2017-11-21T16:00:00.000Z]