Black Friday Sees Record Online Sales
A record $5.03 billion was spent online by the end of Black Friday, an increase of 16.9 percent compared to last year, according to Adobe Digital Insights, which measures 80 percent of online transactions at 100 major U.S. retailers. Adobe also reported that during the holiday season to date (Nov. 1 – Nov. 24), consumers have spent $38.3 billion online, a 17.8 percent year-over-year increase. Adobe also reported that shoppers increasingly made purchases via mobile devices on Black Friday this year, driving 54.3 percent of visits and 36.9 percent of revenue. Finally, average order volume was slightly higher for Black Friday compared to last year at $135 (an increase of 0.9 percent year-over-year). As far in-store shopping over the holiday weekend, the results were decidedly more mixed. According to ShopperTrak, in-store visits on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday combined declined 1.6 percent when compared to the same days in 2016. Specifically, Black Friday shopper visits decreased less than 1 percent when compared to Black Friday 2016.
Total Retail’s Take: The holiday shopping season is off to a roaring start online, with record sales reported for both Thanksgiving and Black Friday. And the good news didn't end there. According to a CNBC report, Kohl's fulfilled 40 percent more orders bought online and picked up in stores, when compared with Black Friday last year. While much of the in-store sales data from the holiday weekend has yet to be released, it's important to remember that this year a greater number of brick-and-mortar retailers opted to close on Thanksgiving Day, which redistributed shopping visits to surrounding days. And a decease of less than 1 percent on Black Friday is hardly a crisis, especially if that traffic is simply choosing to shop online rather than in-store. What's more, the 10 anticipated busiest shopping days still remain, including Super Saturday, which falls on Dec. 23 this year.
