But why is a random Monday in November so important for retailers and shoppers alike?
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The change in methodology came after the survey fell under scrutiny in recent years, including last year when it showed average spending had dropped 6.4 percent and total spending over the weekend slid 11 percent to $50.9 billion, sparking worries about spending that proved largely unfounded as retail sales over the season rose 4.1 percent.
“US consumers have turned into digital shopping ninjas”, Adobe analyst Tamara Gaffney said. “It is a really challenging time to be a retailer”. He said retail executives he had spoken to were generally pleased with how the weekend went.
Tablets drove 15 percent of sales on Black Friday, down 2 percent from a year ago.
With such online growth expected, even Black Friday – the in-store shopping phenomenon that traditionally kicks off the Christmas shopping season – has relinquished sales typically reserved for the day after Thanksgiving to online promotions.
Black Friday drew plenty of shoppers, but maybe not as many as in recent years, as more people look for bargains online.
The rise of the millennial generation – those between ages 18 and 34 – is what is pushing consumer spending to online. “We’ve seen that in the last few days, and in a big way”. “Consumers have shifted and started earlier”, Martin added.
But the predicted chaos on the high street failed to materialise, with shopper traffic over the Black Friday weekend down by nearly 10%, according to analysts Springboard. CyberMonday was originally named for the first workday after Thanksgiving when people went into the office and shopped using the broadband connections they didn’t then have at home.
The shopping season spanning November and December is crucial for many retailers because the two months can account for anywhere from 20 to 40% of their annual sales.
She said discounting levels online averaged 26 and 24 percent on both days respectively, and remained similar to last year’s levels. The online sales were up by twofold digits, as per information discharged on Saturday. “Traditional retailers… are trying to get their fair share of that against the Amazons of the world”, said Neil Stern, senior partner at McMillanDoolittle, a retail consulting company. Frenzied consumers still line up in front of stores to take advantage of deals on toys and televisions, but crowds were smaller at many US malls Friday. If so, it will be the sixth year in a row that Cyber Monday is the biggest online shopping day ever.
Some smaller online stores also lost out on some potential Black Friday sales, but this was due to problems with tax calculation software from a company called Avalara.
It is clear that the age-old holiday tradition of heading out to stores with family and friends is now equally matched in the new tradition of looking online for holiday savings opportunities, says Matthew Shay, NRF president and CEO.
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Another frustrated user tweeted: “shouldn’t advertise doing Black Friday if your website can’t handle it. Trying to pay and keeps crashing”.
