Black Friday weekend 2010 brought out shoppers who were ready to spend, as hot-off-the-presses NRF survey data shows: fully 212 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the long weekend (that’s up from 195 million last year). On top of the sheer number of customers, consumers also reached deeper into their pockets this year, spending an average of $365.34, up from $343.31 last year, for a total estimated spend of $45 billion. Take a look at the full survey results here, provided by the NRF and conducted by BIGresearch this weekend (November 25 to 27). While you’re at it, see also what Terry Lundgren, CEO and Chairman of Macy’s, Inc. had to say about Black Friday shopping trends that he observed (starting at 4 a.m., no less).
Of course, all eyes in retail now are on Cyber Monday, and here is what NRF / BIGresearch data tells us some of what retailers can expect:
- 106.9 million consumers plan to shop on Cyber Monday this year, a nice jump from last year’s 96.5 million.
- Retailers are fueling consumer interest in Cyber Monday with special offers, free shipping promotions and other specials to entice consumers to spend online.
- While 9 out of ten consumers (96 million people) plan to shop from home, over seven million (6.9%) plan to use their smartphone for this purpose also — and that’s even higher among consumers aged 18 to 34. Retailers who have set up their mobile sites with store locator, pricing, and customer review info should do well with these consumers.
- 44.2% of Cyber Monday shoppers plan to shop online in the early morning hours, posing little problem for those retailers who have been diligent about load testing their site for the holidays. Traffic should progressively ease a bit over the course of the day (particularly over the lunch hour — lunch itself appears to be taking precedence over shopping for many), with one quarter of Cyber Monday shoppers shopping in the early evening.
For further detail, please see Cyber Monday Trends 2010, as well as the Shop.org press release.