Little more than a third of Scottish consumers have reported an interest in this year's Black Friday sales with UK spending across next week's discount event projected to plunge by more than 20% on last year.

A new analysis by accountancy group PwC shows interest in Black Friday has waned across the UK, falling from 61% in 2022 to 44% in 2023. Anticipated spending is expected to tumble to £5.6 billion, down from £7.1bn in 2022.

Appetite in Scotland for Black Friday is below the UK average with just 13% saying they will "definitely buy" and 22% saying they "may buy". More than a third (37%) said they were "not interested", with 14% vowing to completely avoid bargain-hunting.

READ MORE: Scots set to snub Black Friday as financial pressures mount

The findings echo similar research released earlier this month by Accenture which found that while more Scots will be Christmas shopping earlier this year in a bid to save money, the majority said they wouldn't be taking advantage of Black Friday deals.

“Just a few weeks ago, our autumn consumer sentiment survey revealed that almost a third of Scots had plans to cut back on festive spending - and it seems this even applies to bargain-hunting for Black Friday," PwC Scotland partner Susannah Simpson said.

"The decreased interest in the annual shopping event north of the border could be indicative of the fact that many people told us they planned to start Christmas shopping even earlier than usual - meaning they’re not holding off for Black Friday offers to bolster their festive haul. Rising costs in other areas are still impacting households, with consumers opting for a more planned and methodical approach to spending."

READ MORE: When is Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the UK 2023?

A survey of 2,000 UK adults carried out last month by Mortar Research on behalf of Livat Hammersmith found an estimated nine million purchases from last year's Black Friday sales went completely unused, with 9% of shoppers admitting to buying at least one item left untouched. Furthermore, 59% said they purchased an item they no longer use, with clothing (11%), electronics (9%) and shoes (8%) topping the list.

PwC found that among those in Scotland planning on Black Friday purchases, most are likely to do so online with 77% saying they will opt for online delivery - higher than the UK average of 68%.

While only 6% plan to use click and collect options, almost one-fifth (18%) say they will do their Black Friday shopping in-store. Ms Simpson said this should provide a "welcome pre-Christmas boost" to retailers.

The greatest interest in Black Friday in the UK is from those under the age of 45, though this has fallen by between 15 and 20 percentage points. 

READ MORE: Retail sales: Just exactly how robust is the UK consumer?

The main reasons for the drop in interest in Black Friday vary by age group with older generations saying they have nothing they want to buy, or are less interested in sales and promotions generally. People in this category are also more like to prioritise holidays and leisure spending.

Among families, the most common reason for not shopping over Black Friday is because they are cutting back on spending this year. Among those not participating in Black Friday, 30% between the ages of 35 and 44 cited this reason.

Among those under the age of 25, a large proportion blamed not having enough money to buy anything this year. PwC said this was consistent with the fall in sentiment experienced by this age group since earlier in the year.