The sales in brick and mortar stores across the U.S. might have exhibited a decline compared to last year, but sales surged on purchases made online. A National Retail Federation (NRF) survey on Sunday has concluded that more people shopped online than in stores during the Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Americans spent about $4.45 billion online on Thursday and Friday, corresponding to a 14 percent surge in Black Friday online sales from a year ago. The data, compiled by Adobe Systems Inc., tracked the purchases across 4,500 online stores in the United States.
The majority of online sales were found to have been conducted on portable devices as well, with smartphone users accounting for nearly 45 percent of the total traffic in the online stores. Though fewer in numbers, tablet users have been found to have spent more, averaging at $136 in total purchases, reports CNN Money.
Overall, digital sales this year have surged 21.5 percent from the previous year, highlighting the importance of investing largely in well-designed and streamlined shopping apps and mobile sites for the country's top retailers.
NRF President Matthew Shay believes that the shift in preference from conventional in-store shopping to online shopping is an emerging trend in American consumerism. "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," he said.
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