New US tariffs killed the Black Friday peak that small South African exporters would normally expect in November, the SME Export Index shows.
In a normal year, Black Friday is a clear peak. The US-bound gross monthly volume GMV of shipments for Black Friday 2024 was around 60 above average monthly shipments, says Craig Lowman, CEO and co-founder of South African international shipping platform, TUNL.
This year, after the new US tariffs and the loss of the 800 de minimis threshold below which low-value exports use to be duty-exempt Black Friday came in 46 below the monthly average, and down 66 year-on-year.
