Black Friday Shopping Trends: Online Sales, In-Store Activity, and Consumer Spending

Black Friday Kick-off and In-Store Activity

• 🛍️ Black Friday has begun, with activity picking up at malls, including lines at stores like Aritzia and Hollister.
• 📍 Despite the rise of online shopping, traffic counting firms indicate that today remains the largest in-store shopping day of the year.

Online Sales Performance

• 💻 US online sales on Thanksgiving Day grew 5.3% over last year, slightly exceeding expectations according to Adobe.
• 📈 Adobe anticipates Black Friday online sales to exceed 8% growth, reaching nearly $12 billion.
• 📊 Consumers plan to spend 60% of their 5-day holiday shopping budget online.

Consumer Spending and Product Trends

• 🛒 Shoppers are trading up in categories such as electronics, sporting goods, appliances, and home improvement.
• 🧸 Hot sellers include toys like Fisher-Price Little People, Hot Wheels, Lego, and the Nintendo Switch.
• 🎧 Other popular items include heated blankets and Bluetooth headphones.

Discounting and Brand Performance

• 🏷️ Promotions are reported to be deeper and simpler than anticipated, with average discounts around 25% or more.
• 📈 Top searched retail brands on Black Friday compared to last year include Apple, H&M, Samsung, Marshall's, and Adidas.
• ✈️ Experience-based spending is trending, with travel purchases up 33% and concert tickets up 24% compared to last Black Friday.

Retailer Execution and Concerns

• 👍 TD Cowan notes strong execution at Walmart, Gap, Levi, and Ulta, with weaker performance at Target, Macy's, and Kohl's.
• ⚠️ Concerns about inflation and tariffs were present, but discounts appear to be on par with traditional Black Friday levels.