Extended discounting and the halo effect of Black Friday saw international online same store sales grow by 18% over the first weekend of the Peak trading period (Saturday 28^th and Sunday 29^th) compared to 2019, according to data from cross-border ecommerce leader, eShopWorld (ESW).

The increased sales activity during the weekend comes off the back of a 15% YOY growth in international online same stores on Black Friday, with total ecommerce sales growth in the week ending on Black Friday increasing by 29% in comparison to 2019.

This latest data follows early figures showing international online same store sales increased by 88% over the first two weeks of November as ecommerce has emerged as the predominant sales channel in 2020, as the pandemic continues to impact physical shopping.

ESW’s sales data reveals the top 10 markets for YOY cross-border sales across Black Friday weekend with Singapore (+167%), Malaysia (+165%) and South Africa (+118%) recording the highest increases as the most prevalent emerging international ecommerce markets.

Tommy Kelly, CEO of ESW, commented: “Our data shows the Black Friday effect is in full swing, as the unstoppable force of global consumer demand is meet by retailers and brands delivering not just discounts but the kind of effortless international online sales experiences needed to convert customer browsing into sales, regardless of wherever in the world they originate from.”

“More than any other year, 2020 has shown the absolute necessity of cross-border trading for retailers and brands as the challenges of the pandemic mean ecommerce has become the transactional engine driving growth for retailers. With several weeks of Peak trading still to come, the current trajectory of cross-border commerce sales growth is set to continue marking out 2020 as the year Christmas shopping became a predominantly digital experience.”

Tommy Kelly, CEO of eShopWorld