NEW YORK — Shoppers crowded stores on Black Friday but spent just a little more than last year on the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, according to data released Saturday.
Retail spending rose a slight 0.3 percent, to $10.69 billion, compared with $10.66 billion on the day after Thanksgiving last year, according to ShopperTrak.
Two factors behind the slim increase were heavy discounts earlier in November and online shopping, which saw a big increase.
Chicago research firm Shoppertrak, which tallies sales in more than 70,000 retail outlets across the country, said the total was still a record for the day. It stood behind its prediction for spending to rise 3.2 percent for the season.
“It’s hard to say Black Friday wasn’t a success; it’s just not the success we saw in the mid-2000s, when the day really became a phenomenon,” said ShopperTrak founder Bill Martin.
The sales increase came despite a 2.2 percent boost in store traffic, which Martin said suggests that consumers were in the stores searching for deals.
“This means the American shopper has adapted to the economic climate over the last couple of years and is possibly spending more wisely as the holiday season begins,” Martin said.
ShopperTrak said spending for the first two weeks of the month rose 6.1 percent over last year as retailers promoted the sort of doorbuster deals that normally didn’t appear until after the turkey dinner was finished. Traffic in stores the two weeks ended Nov. 13 jumped 6.2 percent.
Many retailers also offered those discounts and promotions on their websites. Online merchants saw a 16 percent revenue spike, according to research company Coremetrics.
The average order online rose to $190.80. That’s a 12 percent increase over $170.19 on the same day last year; it followed a 33 percent online spike on Thanksgiving Day.
Numbers
$10.69 billion Retail spending on Black Friday, up 0.3 percent over last year
2.2 percent Increase over last year in Black Friday store traffic
16 percent Revenue spike on Friday for online merchants, according to research company Coremetrics
Kimm Anderson, St. Cloud Times
