LONDON — Halloween and Mother’s Day have become staples of the United Kingdom shopping calendar. Now Black Friday looks as though it may be the next big retail import from the United States.
Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving is becoming an event in Britain, too, thanks mainly to the marketing efforts of major retailers.
Online seller Amazon is widely perceived to have first introduced Black Friday deals to the United Kingdom in 2010. A steady slew of retailers has joined the fray, with a major jump last year when the Asda supermarket chain, owned by Walmart, embraced the event.
This year, it’s gotten bigger. People are talking about it and promotions are being aired across the media.
‘‘It’s been building for a few years, a lot of retailers have planned their Black Friday strategies and consumers seem to be ready for it,’’ said Patrick O’Brien, retail analyst at Verdict Research.
The Friday after Thanksgiving has for decades been the biggest shopping day in the United States as millions of Americans go in search of bargains and the countdown to Christmas begins in earnest.
Given its link to Thanksgiving, it was a particularly US event. That is changing, though, primarily in the United Kingdom, which shares many of the retailing customs and traditions of the United States in a way that other European countries, such as France and Germany, don’t. The English, however, generally do not celebrate Thanksgiving.
According to Verdict, retailers’ heavy investment in Black Friday promotions looks set to pay off as awareness of the retail event reaches a record high in the United Kingdom. In its online consumer survey of 10,000 shoppers, Verdict found that 47 percent say they will participate in the event. It also found that 61 percent of women expect to make a purchase.
Many of the UK’s leading retailers are planning promotions. Some, such as supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, are getting involved for the first time. Videogame seller Game is promising ‘‘stunning deals” and is opening stores the moment clocks strike midnight.
This is a big change in the United Kingdom’s shopping habits. Usually, the day after Christmas is when retailers make the big promotions. Boxing Day, as it is known, is when your average Briton goes in search of bargains.
Visa Europe thinks Britain’s ‘‘love affair’’ with online shopping will reach a new high on Friday.