Business & Tech
Black Friday and Cyber-Monday Sales Hit All-Time Record
Data from the official first days of the holiday shopping season show higher than ever retail sales.
Kohl's and Toys R Us in Northborough Crossing opened at 1 a.m. early on Black Friday and Wal-Mart began its day at 4 a.m. Michele Kershaw, a bargain-savvy shopper, was at Shops Way early, "I went to the new Kohl's at 12:15 [a.m. and] waited in line for 45 minutes to go in. [It was] well worth it. [I] spent $207 and saved $288 plus I have $60 in Kohl's cash to use this week."
She apparently wasn't the only person taking advantage of the holiday weekend deals.
CNNMoney reported that "Retail sales on Black Friday climbed 6.6 percent this year to an estimated $11.4 billion, according to ShopperTrak, which tracks foot traffic at malls and stores. Last year, sales climbed just 0.3 percent to $10.7 billion, which was a record one-day sales amount at the time, according to the company."
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ShopperTrak, worldwide, has more than 40,000 devices in service but does not record personal, identifying data. It is simply a tool for stores to measure the number of people shopping at stores and to aid the businesses in evaluating its performance.
The sales added up online too. NewYorkDailyNews.com reported that "Cyber Monday broke the record for the most e-commerce sales ever, with sales rising a whopping 33 percent, according to IBM Benchmark." IBM Benchmark is another company that tracks sales, but specifically online transactions. The highest number of purchases occurred before and after traditional work hours. The term Cyber Monday was coined in 2005 by Shop.org
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According to NewYorkDailyNews.com, "Feeding the Cyber frenzy is a growing number of shoppers who want to do their holiday shopping whenever they want, wherever they are. Mobile shopping on devices like iPads and smartphones rose dramatically this year, reaching 6.6% of total sales up from 2.3 percent in 2010."
CNNMoney said that sales have been trending strong the whole month of November and stores have rolled out their holiday savings specials earlier than ever this year. As far as cybershopping, stores like Toys R Us are offering online deals all week. and "Kohls.com...gave shoppers an additional 20% off on all orders placed on its site on Cyber Monday. Shoppers could also redeem their 'Kohl’s Cash' earned earlier in the month — $15 for every $50 spent — on Cyber Monday, with no brand exclusions."
