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You can tell it’s November when the Christmas decorations start going up, Mariah Carey sends out that first tweet, and the Black Friday emails begin hitting the inbox.

Dust off those credit cards, South Africa, and prepare to buy things you don’t need at prices that aren’t that much of a saving.

Takealot, which has come under fire in the past for dubious pricing policies in the lead-up to a big sale, will once more lead the charge this year as the county’s biggest online retailer.

According to MyBroadband, it will host its first-ever 24-hour marathon live shopping event on Black Friday:

The offer will run concurrently with the first day of Takealot’s Blue Dot Sale, the retailer’s version of Black Friday, starting one minute past midnight on 25 November 2022.

“Not only can shoppers expect up to 50% off thousands of deals on Black Friday, but Takealot will go live on Instagram at midnight and continue on the hour, every hour for 15-minute live shopping sessions each time, offering shoppers even further discounts on Black Friday products,” the retailer said.

Takealot says the sale will be “fastest fingers first” in order to grab those coupons.

Nothing like the panic of immediacy to drive home a sale.

Of course, just one day of shopping FOMO isn’t enough so there will also be a Blue Dot Sale, or Takealot Day, on Tuesday, November 29. That will come just after what has been dubbed ‘Cyber Monday’, which falls on November 28.

When do the pre-Christmas sales start? It’s beginning to look a little like that shop that has a ‘SALE’ sign outside all year round.

You don’t have to buy anything on Black Friday, or those days that follow, but it is interesting to see how retailers play on our psyches to drive sales.

Takealot is easy to single out as the largest online retailer in the country but the methods are the same across the board.

The South African College of Applied Psychology has a great article on how this FOMO plays a big role in our decision-making:

Neuropsychology shows us that events like Black Friday have interesting effects on our brain chemistry. When we swoop in and snatch up that last big flat screen TV, our dopamine (pleasure hormone) levels spike. The rush this gives us, lights up the reward centre of our brains making us feel great!

…Additionally, research shows that the type of crowd can influence behaviour. Essentially, Black Friday shoppers are an Acquisitive Mob – a large group of people fighting over limited resources. Due to infighting over specific items, they tend to look chaotic.

I have no doubt that we will see those videos of crowds storming through the doors and wrestling over items again this year, just as we do every time Black Friday rolls around.

Be sure to start looking at the prices of things you might want to buy now as well. Certain outlets have been accused of hiking prices in the lead-up to Black Friday, before dropping them on the day so that the percentage saving appears greater.

This price-tracking tool may also come in handy.

[sources:mybb&sacap]