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Nevertheless, consumers aren't retreating, with 48% intending to participate in sales, and younger shoppers are even more committed, as 68% plan to spend their money.

Last year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw AI involvement in $60 billion of sales, with expectations for dramatic growth this year. Autonomous chatbots, also known as "agents," are designed to execute purchases on users' behalf, alongside cutting-edge recommendation systems that enable surprisingly personalized deals and products, reducing decision overload, and optimizing the shopping experience.

"In an era where consumers can compare prices with a button click, the genuine battle unfolds beneath the surface, in the subconscious," Itai Aniel, a brain and memory researcher pursuing his doctorate at Bar-Ilan University, explained. "The question becomes how to make customers linger longer in stores, purchase unplanned products, and forge emotional brand connections. The experience builds not merely through attractive promotions but also via space design, music, scents, and visual language speaking to the brain. Future advances in understanding neural purchasing mechanisms will enable crafting more personalized experiences that excite and convince consumers from store entry through their eventual return."

Discount distrust also surfaces in purchase regret – the study found that 32% of consumers anticipate regretting purchases within a day, with particularly elevated rates among Generation Z. Furthermore, one-third of buyers, predominantly younger ones, plan to return portions of their purchases.

Many purchase decisions stem from desires for belonging, prestige, or self-expression – successful brands translate this into campaigns that sell not merely products, but identity and significance, particularly around major consumer holidays. "Holiday advertising presenting warm family imagery doesn't just market products or services," Aniel explained. "It reinforces belonging values, family connections, and shared memories. This represents an emotional marketing strategy addressing our most fundamental psychological needs."

Priority-wise, the study showed 23% of consumers concentrate Black Friday spending on essential products, while 47% allocate portions of their budgets to premium items alongside everyday purchases. "Recent years have witnessed profound shifts in Israeli consumer shopping behavior as buyers investigate, compare, and pursue genuine added value," explained Yaniv Feinschneider, CEO of Seven Stars Shopping Centers Group. "In competitive markets, especially surrounding prominent sale days like Black Friday, attractive pricing alone no longer suffices – it's a baseline expectation. Our genuine challenge involves creating additional attraction anchors, providing real added value beyond the seller. Consumers seek integrated shopping experiences that are convenient and especially ones delivering worthiness and overall value sensations that prompt return visits."

Beyond skepticism and transparency obstacles, Black Friday offers many consumers a sense of economic freedom and fulfillment of desires and cravings, sometimes extending back months. Desires to acquire expensive products, ranging from innovative electronics to home furnishings and vacations, intensify throughout the year yet are frequently postponed due to budget considerations. "November, distinguished by sales abundance, constitutes a unique opportunity window where patience proves worthwhile – consumers finally actualize dreams and acquire long-awaited items, now with substantial discounts easing expenditures," explained Asaf Mizrahi, VP of Marketing and Sales at Daniel Hotel Herzliya.

The AI revolution represents the most impactful force in this season's sales. Chatbot shopping popularity is skyrocketing – for instance, third-party chatbots generated a 1,950% surge in retail website traffic during the first week of November's shopping season, and over 50% of consumers plan to utilize these tools for price comparisons and personalized recommendations before making a purchase. The trend encompasses visual technologies enabling real-time product detail discovery and even platforms presenting virtual measurements and online item "trials." "Consumers seek shopping optimization, knowing precisely when and where to locate optimal offers, executing intelligent and accurate purchases," summarized Tal Raz, CEO and co-owner of the Gentleman chain. "Black Friday no longer confines itself to a solitary day – it has evolved into a series of sales and experiences spanning a month and sometimes beyond."

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Government aid during the COVID-19 crisis proved critical to preventing the standard of living in Israel from dropping by 10%, according to the findings of the National Insurance Institute's annual Poverty Report.

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 Released Wednesday, the report noted that while overall, the standard of living went up by 2.4% in 2020, some 1.92 million Israelis – 21% of the population – still fell below the poverty line, 864,600 of them children, and 158,700 thousand of them people over retirement age, according to financial daily Globes. This was a decrease from 2019, when 21.6% of the population fell below the poverty line.

Despite the improvement, some 665,000 children and 500,000 families in Israel remain food insecure.

The poverty line is calculated in relation to median net income per capita, which came to 2,811 shekels ($904.69) a month in 2020, Globes explained. The addition of other forms of income from investments and other forms of support outside of that provided by the National Insurance Institute raised the poverty line by 230 shekels (around $74).

A two-person household with a joint income below 5,623 shekels ($1,811), a couple with one child making less than 7,450 shekels ($2,400), and a couple with three children earning under 10,543 shekels ($3,396) would all be considered below the poverty line.

Among families in which at least one member was self-employed, the poverty rate reached 16.6%. Among employees, that rate dropped from 17.8% in 2019 to 17% in 2020.

Israel's Gini coefficient, which demonstrates the degree of income and wealth inequality, shows a decline in net income inequality over the last six months. Compared to other countries, the social assistance provided at this time placed Israel near the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average compared to its low ranking in previous years.

Jerusalem tops Israel's poverty list, followed by the Judea and Samaria region, and the southern city of Ashdod.

The National Insurance Institute has recommended the raising of allowances that serve as a last safety net for low-income families or those in temporary distress, among them income benefits, pension funds, and unemployment benefits.

According to Welfare and Social Services Minister Meir Cohen, "What stands out most from the report is that when a state intervenes and has a welfare policy, it aids the weaker populations and lifts them out of poverty.

"I grew up in the periphery [region]. Every day, I see the people, the stories behind the numbers that appear in the report. If there's one thing that keeps me up at night it's poverty and inequality, and that's why the report sharpens for me the steps that were taken for the good of weaker sectors like the continued doubling of stipends, reforms on rights for people with handicaps, benefits for the unemployed returning to the labor force, assistance for senior citizens, and others will be implemented and in practice lift weak populations out of poverty. That is my mission."   

NII Director-General Meir Spiegler said: "From the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, the National Insurance [Institute] has understood the magnitude of the event and made societal and social decisions like the unpaid leave framework, in parallel with the promotion of legislation aiding populations that found themselves in a difficult situation, like those aged 67 and over, single-parent families, and those eligible for income benefits, which saved hundreds of thousands of families from poverty, and positioned the State of Israel anear the OECD average in investment in citizens during the coronavirus crisis period, which served as a wakeup call to Israeli society on the need for independent and stable national insurance that provides a social safety net and promotes welfare policies for those who need it. This is the human and economic conscience in a properly functioning society."

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According to data released by Israel's largest healthcare provider, Clalit, Sunday, Israel confirmed 1,164 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday. The country currently has 44,728 active cases of the virus. There are 1,394 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 858 of whom are in serious condition. Of those in serious condition, 276 are on ventilators. So far, 5,563 people have died.

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Over 4.25 million Israelis have received their first dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, and 2,881,825 have received both doses thus far.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is highly effective at preventing illness, serious illness, hospitalizations, and death, according to findings published by the Health Ministry's Epidemiology Division, Saturday.

According to the data, 14 days after receiving the second dose, the vaccine was 95.8% effective at preventing illness, 98% effective at preventing fever and other respiratory symptoms, 98.9% effective at preventing hospitalization, 99.2% effective at preventing serious illness, and 98.9% effective at preventing death from the virus.

According to Health Ministry chief Hezi Levy, "Thanks to the State of Israel's strong health system, which allowed us to achieve unparalleled, extensive vaccination of the population, and our ability for comprehensive epidemiological surveillance, we are the first country in the world that can demonstrate the effect of the coronavirus vaccine in a real, clinical world."

He said, "The vaccine significantly decreases severe morbidity and death, and we can see this influence in the country's morbidity data."

"Our goal is to continue to vaccinate all of the population aged 16 and over, and when the time comes, those under 16 to achieve extensive coverage in the population that allows us to return to the routine lives we all long for," Levy said.

Meanwhile, shopping malls and gyms opened for business, Sunday, as the government moved to further ease restrictions put in place during Israel's third lockdown. While all Israelis were allowed to enter shopping malls and street-front stores, those looking to work out at a local gym will need to present either a green passport or certificate of vaccination to enter those facilities.

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Two popular brands – women's lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works – will soon be available to Israeli shoppers.

Israel's Delta Galil has signed an agreement to open and manage Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body retail outlets, in conjunction with a European partner who is the brands' franchisee for a number of European nations. Delta's share of the partnership is 60%.

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The shops are slated to open sometime in the second half of 2021, and will also offer online purchasing.

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A number of shopping malls that opened Friday under a pilot to see if a set of regulations designed to keep them from becoming hotspots of coronavirus infection would be effective saw heavy customer traffic and long lines, as Israelis anxious for a retail fix rushed to take advantage of Black Friday sales.

The malls chosen to open Friday, in addition to three owned by the Ofer Group and three owned by the Azrieli Group, were selected in a lottery. The malls open under the COVID pilot include Big Fashion in Beit Shemesh; Center 1 in Jerusalem, the Arad Mall, M Haderech Mall, Shivat Hakochavim in Herzliya, Sharonim Mall in Hod Hasharon, Lev Hamifratz in Haifa, Arena in Nahariya; and the Mivne Nof Hagalil shopping center.

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Most of the stores in the Ayalon Mall in Ramat Gan were open, except for those owned by Zara Group, which are scheduled to resume operations on Sunday. Stores were only allowed to admit up to 10 customers at once, which created long lines outside many retailers, including Fox, H&M, and even Roladin – which sells sweet (and savory) treats, not clothing or electronics.

All the malls open on Friday were staffed by designed "COVID patrols" charged with making sure customers maintained social distancing.

Sarit Ben Moshe of Holon was so eager to shop that she arrived at the Ayalon Mall at 7 a.m.

"I got to the mall with my daughter, and we bought pajamas, winter clothing, and presents. At 6:30 a.m. I got an update about which malls had been selected to open. No mall around Holon was chosen in the lottery, so we came here … I'm happy to go back to the mall after so long. It's good for the spirit, too," Ben Moshe said.

The malls chosen to open Friday, in addition to three owned by the Ofer Group and three owned by the Azrieli Group, were selected in a lottery. The malls open under the COVID pilot

However, Ben Moshe was unimpressed by the Black Friday offers: "The sales were nothing special, but it's important to support Israeli businesses," she said.

Or Yitzhaki, who came to the mall with a friend to buy clothes at Black Friday discounts, wasn't impressed by the sales, either.

"I waited a long time to go shopping, and to tell you the truth, most of the deals are disappointing … There are better deals online. Still, I have to say that they're really following the [COVID] regulations. There are inspectors here. It's fun to see people, finally," he said.

Bar Ifergan, who was last in line outside the Swedish clothing retailer H&M when Israel Hayom spoke to her, said, 'I don't mind waiting. I've waited for this. H&M doesn't have a site, and I've waited to buy clothes a long time."

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Shufersal said on Wednesday it earned 97 million shekels ($29 million) in the third quarter, up from 55 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 14.5% to 3.9 billion shekels ($1.175 billion), while same-store sales increased by 13.6%. Online sales accounted for 20.8% of its total food sales in the quarter, up from 14.8% a year earlier.

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CEO Yitzchak Abercohen said the results reflect Shufersal's ability to cope with a crisis as a matter of routine. Investments in infrastructure are bearing fruit and have allowed the company to grow, he said.

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Israel's Ofer and Azrieli retail groups have decided to flout government orders and opened a number of their shopping centers on Friday morning, including the Kiryon Mall in Kiryat Bialik, Ofer Grand in Beersheba and the Ofer Grand Mall in Petah Tikva.

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Azrieli Malls opened the Ayalon mall in Ramat Gan; Azrieli Haifa; and Azrieli Modi'in. However, not all retailers in the malls opened their doors. Clothing company H&M, for example, did not reopen its stores against government regulations.

The Gazit Globe mall group has decided to remain closed in accordance with public health regulations.

Inspectors arrived at the mall on Friday morning but did not issue any fines.

While a joint forum representing the shopping mall groups worked with the National Security Council to hammer out a framework that would allow them to reopen, the Health Ministry did not approve it. The forum was established to facilitate dialogue between major retail players and policymakers on issues that affect the sector.

One official told Israel Hayom that the malls that opened on Friday did so "according to the framework the [forum] arrived at. There was discussion and an agreement with the Health Ministry and the National Security council … There is pressure from the businesspeople to open the malls, so if a merchant wants to open – they can."

According to the same official, after the government decided to allow streetfront shops and open-air shopping centers to open for business, 15% of retail outlets were open to the entire population, thus creating "long lines and crowding."

"The malls are not the problem – they are the solution," the official said.

The official went on to say that Finance Minister Israel Katz was in favor of reopening malls, and the retail groups hoped that they would present a reopening proposal on Sunday.

"There are businesses being strangled that want to open. They are saying, 'Max Stock' discount stores are open, we can sell hand sanitizer, too."

The measures proposed by the retail group forum to ensure that malls can open for business without turning into hotbeds of infection include "COVID patrols" that will be responsible for documenting cases of shoppers not wearing masks; preventing crowds; enforcing limits on the number of customers inside stores; and issuing warnings and fines to shoppers who violate the rules. These patrols will be able to use mall security cameras to spot crowding and break it up, as well as employing online technology.

In addition, the forum intends to encourage shopping at all times of the day to space out arrivals, and instate designated hours for at-risk populations, such as the elderly. The malls plan to use social media and phone apps to report heavy traffic to deter more shoppers from arriving when the facilities are at capacity. Waiting areas will be established outside stores, and the patrols will be responsible for making sure that social distancing is observed.

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In a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, Science and Technology Minister Yizhar Shai (Blue and White) opposed lifting restrictions to weekend activities, arguing that shopping centers are a hot spot for coronavirus spread.

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Shai, who is acting as Blue and White's informal expert on coronavirus issues, holds an opinion different from that of Blue and White leader Benny Gantz. In a conversation earlier this week with Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, Gantz asked that the weekend shutdowns be lifted, explaining that business owners were suffering.

At meeting at the Health Ministry on Thursday, as well as a phone conversation with Netanyahu on Thursday evening, most participants felt that the weekend business shutdown should end.

According to cabinet regulations, cabinet decisions can be changed in a phone vote, but only if all ministers agree. If even one objects, the cabinet must convene in full and hold a debate and a vote.

Because Shai expressed reservations about renewing business activity on weekends, it appears that businesses will remain shut this Friday evening and Saturday.

At Monday's meeting, Deputy Director General of the Health Ministry Professor Itamar Grotto will present his recommendations.

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Amazon's Israel operations have been launched after 30 months of preparations coordinated by representatives from Amazon's Berlin office, Israeli financial portal Globes reported.

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On Sunday, Israeli vendors received an official announcement from Amazon saying:  "We are happy to let you know that the local delivery program has been launched on Amazon.com. Feel free to check in with offers of excellent value to Israeli customers. If you've planned marketing or public relations campaigns you can introduce them now."

Amazon had hoped to launch in Israel with its Hebrew site, Globes reported, but pressure from the company's international headquarters to begin services before the Jewish holidays means the service is currently only available in English.

This, according to the report, will adversely affect sales because most Israeli consumers prefer shopping on sites in Hebrew, including a Hebrew search engine.

Product prices on the new Israel site are in shekels and the website includes a feature enabling consumers to filter out products from abroad. Local delivery should mean that products are cheaper and shipped more quickly, according to Globes.

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