Betterware, the country’s biggest homewares company, has responded to a survey showing that a third of families in the UK are planning to do their Christmas shopping this Friday, potentially making Black Friday the years busiest.

The research, reported by the Independent earlier in the week, suggests that millions of British shoppers are expected to spend roughly £1.7billion online on Black Friday, with millions more expected to be spent on the British high street.

According to Retail Week and Microsoft, 1/6 of us will use Friday to fill up half of our total seasonal shopping basket. It was also found that 3/5 shoppers consider prices to be the most important feature when shopping.

The predicted figures are impressive when you consider that Black Friday was a completely foreign concept up until only a few years ago, when Amazon imported the American tradition in 2010. In the space of a few years, it’s become one of the biggest shopping days in the country, with sellers in all industries providing considerable discounts on products in the run-up to Christmas.

Financial company Visa have also predicted that this Friday there will be £360,000 spent every minute and a total of 8.5million transactions.

More companies than ever are expected to get in on the action this year.

Executive editor of Retail Week, George MacDonald, said: “Retailers need to remain highly sensitive to pricing in order to succeed and the increased spike in the growth of Black Friday amongst retailers across the UK reflects how incredibly nimble and fast-moving the retail sector is when it comes to meeting the ever-changing demands of today’s consumer.”

Betterware is a seller of homewares who regularly share their thoughts on industry news. They’re bracing themselves for extra traffic on Black Friday and believe it could be one of their busiest days of the year.

A spokesman for the company said: “Black Friday has gone from relatively obscurity in the UK to being a media talking point in the space of only a few years. Last year we had a spike in website visits and sales on Black Friday and this year we’re expecting more of the same. Like most retailers, we’re bracing ourselves.

“We have a number of quality Christmas items and deals available on our website, all of which you can take advantage of this week if you’re planning your very own Black Friday shopping spree.”

Betterware was launched in 1928 and specialises in homewares. Betterware are based in the Midlands and serve millions of customers each year. Visit their website at www.betterware.co.uk and start shopping for affordable Christmas products today.