By Annelia Nixon

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian entrepreneur yesterday said he enjoyed a 15 percent jump in sales due to offering Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals - an increase he aims to maintain once his storefront is completed.

Operating primarily through WhatsApp and Facebook Marketplace, 23 year-old Cruz Johnson said he will soon open his first storefront. Currently operating under the name Quick Unlocks, Mr Johnson said the new storefront will also feature a new name, Tech Wave Electronics, which will encompass all his services including the sale of electronics, gadgets and accessories as well as his gadget unlocking and repair services.

Having acquired the store lease in November, Mr Johnson said renovations should be completed by the end of the week. “My storefront should be completed most likely, the end of this week, because I just got to finish putting up the shelves and then also stocking up the store,” he said.

“And I should be putting up one more signage and then I should be completed. I'm going to actually work on that after this Christmas run, because I know it's going to be hectic. I still allow customers to pick up from in the store, but it would only be possible whenever I have my brother or Dad go there to allow them to pick up.”

The opening of a physical structure for Mr Johnson’s business is only one of the factors contributing to what he said is a Christmas gift. He added that he has also seen a 15 percent in business, attributing it to his Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals which will continue to run until Wednesday.

“The sale hasn't even finished yet, and I still selling more than what I usually do on a Black Friday sale,” Mr Johnson said. “It feels like I'm already in Christmas now. This is more than my Christmas gift. This is a blessing from God. 

“I haven't had much Black Friday sales over the previous years because, at first, I only used to do unlocking and repair services. But for the last two years of selling electronics now, it's been hectic. Everybody calling me, left, right and centre. Everybody want to pick up, buy this or that. It's just hectic now that so much traffic coming in and purchasing from me, now that I have the sale ongoing.”

The Fitness Connection, which operates from two physical locations and an online store, also saw an increase in sales with its founder and owner, Demeko Nesbitt, reporting a 50 percent uptick during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Noting that his business is usually busy during he former day, he said they have been planning the deals for three months.

“We are normally busy during Black Friday, and we've been planning for this for about three months,” Mr Nesbitt said. “So this year, as we anticipated, we did have an increase in traffic; about 50 percent more customers coming through, both online and in-store.

“Cyber Monday was not as busy as Black Friday or Black Friday weekend was. We had different specials from Monday straight through Sunday as of yesterday. So we had a variety of deals. And then on the Black Friday itself, we had some even deeper discounts. But right now we have some specials online. They've been moving at a good pace, but not as not as crazy as the Black Friday time.”