A study of 2,000 people by GoCompare found over a third (36%) will try to bag a bargain in the November sales bonanza and 22% have delayed a major purchase hoping to find the item discounted in the sales.

Black Friday officially kicks off on 23 November but many stores have already launched deals and slashed prices.

Households plan to spend £165 in this year’s sales, a 53% increase on 2017’s planned spend.

Clothing and accessories remain the most sought-after items on bargain-hunters’ shopping list followed by toys and games and small electricals such as coffee machines and food processors.

According to the survey, 57% intend to shop online this year and 17% will use their smartphone, up from 9% in 2017.

Georgie Frost, consumer advocate at GoCompare Credit Card said: “In just a handful of years, Black Friday has grown rapidly to become one of the UK’s biggest shopping events, and has transformed from a one-day event on the high street to a three-week long, online marathon.

“There will be some good deals to be had in the sales. However, it’s always wise to do a bit of research before you buy, especially if you’re looking for big ticket items such as a laptop or TV.”

Top tips for bagging a bargain in the sales:

1. Make a list of the items you would like to buy. This will help focus your sale shopping on things you want, rather than buying something simply because it’s cheap.
2. Where applicable (e.g. electronic items and gadgets) research product features, reliability, warranties and check any extra costs, including delivery charges.
3. Look at prices ahead of the sales. This will help you to judge how good a deal is.  Some retailers make discounts look more generous by inflating prices ahead of a sale or by basing the percentage discounted on the recommended retail price rather than the price they usually retail the item for.
4. Set a budget and keep to it.
5. Shop around – compare prices from different online and high-street retailers.