Industry leaders agree that Black Friday in Puerto Rico will not go back to the old days of long lines at dawn, with shoppers poised to take advantage of door-busting discounts available only on this one day.
In Puerto Rico, as in the states, online shopping is growing in importance — and some digital shops have been touting Black Friday deals since October. Shoppers are using their smartphones to do their comparison shopping and even to place orders. Many are bringing artificial intelligence into the mix, relying on AI to compare prices and recommend products.
A lot of the excitement of the hunt and the thrill of finding great bargains on Black Friday is now a thing of the past.
Consumer confidence is down
Many shoppers predict that they will spend less on gifts this year than they did last year. The cost of living is up and consumer confidence, though it has perked up slightly recently, is still low. Nearly half of Puerto Rico residents face food insecurity and there is still a sense of general economic uncertainty.
The U.S. as a whole is also experiencing a lack of consumer confidence, with a sharp drop in the index in November. Many Americans intend to spend less on gifts this year, citing tariffs, the lengthy government shutdown, and general economic uncertainty.
That might be good for Black Friday
Consumer nerves and negativity may turn out to be good for retailers on Black Friday, though. Since so many shoppers plan to spend less this year, the prospect of finding some good deals on Black Friday can bring them out.
For younger generations, Black Friday is also a social event. An estimated 71% of American shoppers plan to do most of their shopping online, with only 29% expecting to hit the physical stores (nobody seems to have collected this data for Puerto Rico), but “show rooming” can still be fun. Roaming the malls and markets with friends can be a fun sensory appetizer, even if most of the real Christmas shopping ends up happening at AI-assisted online stores.
2025 could be a great year to shop with local businesses on the Island!
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