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High hopes for commerce

November begins with stores open for the long weekend and the arrival of the cold; surveys show that online shopping for under 23s is slowing down

All Saints, and Catalan stores can open and most, especially in large cities, will do so, as the cold this year has arrived on time and people already need warmer clothes. November 1 is not simply the start of a long weekend but also the start of a month that, with BlackFriday, on the 23rd, is a month for which the sector has high hopes.

“Indeed the cold has already arrived and this benefits everyone,” explains Joan Carles Calbet, president of Retail.cat, who confirms that “November, despite not being historically an important month, is now one of the most significant months for commerce, especially with the consolidation of Black Friday, which, in addition, marks the beginning of the Christmas campaign.” Calbet is also optimistic about December, and even without concrete data, he believes that October was also be positive. The political situation and demonstrations of last October are behind us and consumers are reacting accordingly.

However, Alex Goñi, president of PIMEComerç, regrets that some establishments are already making discounts when the winter campaign has not yet started.

Two other factors point to a good season. A study by IAB Spain, Ecommerce 2018, analysing online consumer behaviour has shown that the under 23 sector is beginning to show less confidence in online shopping and returning to traditional habits. There is also a second study by Hamilton Global Spain which reveals that showrooming (visiting stores but buying online) has lost weight and webrooming, (exactly the opposite, looking in the Internet for information but buying in the store), has increased.

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