Black Friday: From Traffic Chaos to Global Shopping Phenomenon

“Black Friday is a term that’s been in use for quite a long time to refer generally to negative events that happened to fall on a Friday.”
- Ben Zimmer, Language Columnist, Wall Street Journal

Then how did the most dreaded day turn into the biggest shopping event of the year?

1950s: Philadelphia cops dub it ‘Black Friday’ after post-Thanksgiving traffic chaos from the Army-Navy game.

1961: Local businesses try rebranding it as ‘Big Friday’ to sound a bit... friendlier.
But, it didn’t catch on.

1975: Retailers spot a sales surge and mark Black Friday as the unofficial start to holiday shopping.

1990s: The term gets a new twist and popularity—retailers finally ‘go into the black’ (meaning they make a profit).

Today: One day? Try an entire week. In-store, online, global—Black Friday is now a marketing spectacle with no limits.

Back in the 1950s, Black Friday wasn’t even about shopping. It was a nickname used by police in Philadelphia to describe the traffic jams caused by tourists attending the Army-Navy football game. Retailers quickly caught on, realizing all that extra footfall could be turned into sales.

Fast forward to today, and Black Friday has become synonymous with deals, discounts, and shopping.

What made it so big? Three key strategies: scarcity, urgency, and FOMO.

1. Scarcity

“Limited time only.” “While supplies last.” Ever seen these phrases all over Black Friday ads? That’s scarcity at work, my friend.

Psychologists have found that when something is rare or limited, it suddenly becomes way more valuable. By creating the illusion of scarcity, retailers make you believe you need to act now or risk missing out. Whether it's a TV that’s ‘75% off, only 5 left in stock!’ or the latest gadget that’s ‘available for 24 hours only,’ scarcity works like a charm. Suddenly, waiting for a better deal feels like a gamble and nobody wants to lose.

2. Urgency

Tick, tock. The clock is ticking, and those Black Friday deals won’t last forever.

Urgency is another tactic that marketers love to use, especially on Black Friday. Flash sales, countdown timers, and one-day-only discounts are all part of the strategy to get you to make quick decisions. The more time you spend thinking, the less likely you are to buy—so why give you time to second-guess? The faster you act, the better your chances of snagging that unbelievable deal (or so they say.)

3. FOMO

On Black Friday, FOMO is in overdrive. It’s not just the fear of missing out on a great deal, but the fear of missing out on the experience itself.

Whether it’s being the first to own the latest gadget or scoring that once-a-year discount, FOMO keeps shoppers glued to their screens, refreshing until the last deal drops. With the rise of online shopping, Black Friday has evolved from a day of mall madness to a weekend-long (and sometimes week-long) event that lives online.

Black Friday for Indians

Black Friday has long been the king of sales in the U.S., but it’s also stealing the spotlight in India. Shopping is in every Indian's DNA. It doesn’t matter what the occasion is, when a dhamakedaar offer pops up, everyone wants to add to their carts.

Thanks to online giants like Amazon and Flipkart, Black Friday deals have arrived on our doorstep, and Indian consumers are quickly getting hooked. With a growing number of global brands entering the Indian market and e-commerce on the rise, the future of Black Friday here is looking nothing short of exciting.

Sure, we might not have the same in-store rush as abroad, but our online shopping sprees are just as thrilling.