American shoppers spent only slightly more in stores this Black Friday than they did last year, according to data released Saturday by a national research firm.
Preliminary sales data from ShopperTrak RCT Corp. show shoppers spent $10.66 billion when they hit the malls on the day after Thanksgiving–only 0.5% more than last year.
At the same time, other research showed fresh signs of much stronger online sales during the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, which may mean more consumers shopped from home.
Still, more than a year after the economy’s collapse began rattling shoppers, industry observers said Friday’s shopping sprees offered a strong start to the holiday season as large crowds of shoppers snatched up early morning deals.
The traditional shopping spree–dubbed Black Friday because it often was the day when a surge of shoppers helped stores break into profitability for the full year–has marked the kickoff of holiday shopping for many consumers. But its importance has faded in recent years as merchants started hawking the deep sales and expanded hours usually reserved for that day well in advance.
Still, the day is often used as an important barometer of people’s willingness to spend during the holidays–vital weeks for merchants nationwide.
This year, many of the in-store deals were also available online, causing some websites to overload as pajama-clad shoppers tried to get deals without waiting in long lines in the cold.
Web marketing analyst Coremetrics said its data showed the average amount online shoppers spent on Black Friday rose 35% as shoppers spent roughly $170.19 per order–up from $126.04 last year.
Shop-by-television sales were also strong at the TV shopping network QVC, which said its Black Friday sales totalled $32 million–up almost 60% from last year, thanks to its first-ever push to promote its post-Thanksgiving deals.
