Amazon sees its biggest UK sales day ever on Black Friday

Global information services group Experian has predicted online sales in Britain to exceed £1 billion (S$2.1 billion) for the first time.

“There is shopper and retailer fatigue”. Another key factor: Many retailers are offering bargains long before Thanksgiving, limiting the impact of Black Friday specials. “Expect at best a 4.5 percent increase in spending over past year and a tepid Black Friday”, BCG Senior Partner Michael J. Silverstein said in a Fortune article.

Saks Fifth Avenue pulled up its Black Friday sale to Wednesday to get a jump start to the holiday shopping season.

Business was brisk but not overwhelming at a Macy’s in Kansas City, Missouri at 10 a.m. on Friday as a cold, steady drizzle fell.

“There was a very long line, a few tents and a lot of lawn chairs”, Spencer said.

“I’m getting this four-wheeler for my little boy”.

“My other one was old”, she said. Both artists have decided against streaming the albums online in a backdrop where retail sales are damped because of free online access to songs and albums. Smartphones generated a record 22 percent share of sales, 70 percent more than in 2014. iPhones and iPads continued to drive the majority of mobile sales with 67 and 84 percent respectively.

The shopping season spanning November and December is crucial for many retailers because the two months can account for anywhere from 20 to 40% of their annual sales.

But this year, after dealing with the crowd and disappointing door buster sales, the rest of her shopping will be done from her laptop.

Since Black Friday now starts Thursday evening, stores are spreading out their deals, by day and even hours, giving shoppers incentives to keep coming back. At Target, for example, Black Friday shoppers were greeted with offers to get a $100 gift card with the purchase of an Apple Watch, a $100 gift card with the purchase of an iPad Mini 4 and a $150 gift card with the purchase of an iPad Air 2. On the other hand, a smartphone can be used to pay for items at checkout in the actual store in which the consumer is shopping, a benefit to traditional retailers.

The NRF says that 102 million people shopped in stores over the weekend, while 103 million shopped online.

Retail giant Amazon reported record figures on Friday, with more than six million items ordered, leading to its biggest sales day ever in the UK.

Many stores pushed discounts on holiday merchandise early. Ten years ago, major retailers would focus on the 10 best items and discount them below costs, he said.

Kimberley Turner, a mother in her forties who was shopping with her young son said she found the discounts less compelling.

Inside the command center, workers glued to computer monitors and wall-mounted screens could view the lines outside stores to make sure they were orderly, that shoppers seemed happy and that customers were streaming into the stores at the right pace – not too fast, not too slow.