Black Friday online sales hit a new record this year as pandemic-wary Americans filled virtual carts instead of real ones.
Consumers spent an estimated US$9 billion on US retail Web sites on Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping.
That was a 22 percent increase over the previous record of US$7.4 billion set last year.
Photo: AFP
Meanwhile, traffic to physical stores plummeted as retailers tried to prevent crowds by cutting their hours and limiting doorbuster deals. US store visits dropped by 52 percent on Black Friday, according to Sensormatic Solutions, a retail tracker.
Jewelry and footwear saw some of the biggest in-person sales declines, according to RetailNext, a shopping tracker.
Apparel sales were down 50 percent, while sales of home goods fell by 39 percent.
Even with that drop, Black Friday is still likely to end up as one of the biggest in-person shopping days in the US this year, Sensormatic senior director of global retail consulting Brian Field said.
He thinks many people would still shop for the holidays in person, but will choose mid-week days when crowds are smaller.
Heavier in-store discounts and concerns about lengthy shipping times could also draw shoppers closer to Christmas.
“Black Friday had a lot to lose, but some of it is going to be distributed throughout the holiday season,” Field said.
One trend that could remain after the COVID-19 pandemic ends is that stores could remain closed on Thanksgiving Day, Field said.
Since 2013, a growing number of stores had opened on Thanksgiving to match their competitors and get a jump start on Black Friday.
However, it is typically not a big day for retailers, and this year many stayed closed.
Thursday’s store traffic was down 95 percent, he said.
Field said stores might be rethinking the cost of paying employees and opening on Thanksgiving when they could easily make up for those sales online.
“I wonder, now that we’re seeing a season where they were able to cut the cord on it, if it will give them pause,” he said.
Adobe expects today to be the largest online sales day in US history, with estimated spending of US$10.8 billion to US$12.7 billion.
One reason for the big numbers is that people are shopping online for things such as groceries and alcohol that they bought in person before the pandemic, Adobe said.
As for more traditional gifts, Hot Wheels cars, Lego sets, video games, Apple Inc’s AirPods and Samsung Electronics Co’s televisions are among the biggest sellers.
Big retailers such as Walmart Inc and Target Corp benefited from the surge, but small retailers did as well, Adobe said.
Sales at big stores surged by 403 percent on Thanksgiving and Black Friday compared with the daily average last month, but sales at smaller retailers also grew by 349 percent.
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