Boots Achieves Record-Breaking Digital Sales on Black Friday

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Black Friday resulted in the highest sales day ever for Boots, with strong sales across its digital platforms. The website, boots.com, and the app were particularly popular for sales throughout November, with the website also recording its highest-ever month of sales.

Digital sales now account for nearly one-fifth (19.2%) of all retail sales. Boots.com saw a 17.5% year-on-year increase in sales, and the Boots app currently has 7.2 million active users as of November 30th.

Seb James, the managing director of Boots UK and ROI, expressed his optimism, stating, "I am very encouraged by the way in which people are responding to the changes that we have made, especially in our digital and beauty businesses." The brand reported that the "record-breaking Black Friday" resulted in the largest ever day of online and app sales in its history.

The brand has been strengthening its digital capabilities since the start of the pandemic, with plans to expand its online presence. Additionally, the retailer has made significant investments in brand marketing, which CMO Pete Markey believes will enhance overall business performance. According to Markey, investing in the brand leads to improvements in paid search, digital marketing, and cost per sales, as well as an increase in brand awareness and consideration for Boots.

After launching its first brand campaign searches for Boots increased 15%, for example.

In-store sales growth

Boots has experienced digital growth over the last quarter, as well as an increase in foot traffic and sales at its retail stores. During Black Friday week, sales in stores increased by 7%, driven by strong performance in electrical beauty, skincare, and premium beauty categories.

During a call with investors to discuss Boots' results and the wider performance of the Walgreen Boots Alliance business, Manmohan Mahajan, interim global CFO for the Walgreens Boots Alliance, reported that retail sales at Boots increased by 9.8%, with growth in all categories, particularly in beauty and health and wellness. Year-on-year growth was also seen in all store formats, with flagship and travel locations performing especially well.

The brand experienced its 11th consecutive quarter of market share growth, with beauty leading the way. Sales in the beauty sector increased by 11.4% for the quarter, driven by consumers' focus on value and their demand for Boots' own brand products. The company specifically highlights the success of its own label skincare and healthcare products in meeting this demand.

The brand expanded its Boots Everyday own brand range last year, introducing new products such as vitamins and skincare. In addition, the brand saw a significant increase in sales of the successful No7 beauty products, which grew over 13% over the quarter. Due to its strong equity, the No7 range was spun out of the Boots brand to become a standalone brand in April 2021.

The most recent results do not include the Christmas results, but Boots has indicated a strong festive period based on early indications. Sales from the Black Friday week until New Year are expected to surpass last year's performance.