Cyber Monday sales biggest online shopping day in USA history

Millennials drive increase in shopping. The NRF stuck to its forecast for retail sales to rise 3.6 percent this holiday season, on the back of strong jobs and wage growth.

The NRF says that in its survey, 28 million consumers – or 23% – say they plan to shop using their phones, roughly even with a year ago. With an average of $214.13 specifically going toward gifts or 74% of total purchases.

“It’s really this weeklong flow of deals”, Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at the Consumer Technology Association told the Associated Press. It said the number of shoppers rose to 154 million from 151 million in 2015, on a 4.2% rise in online shoppers and a 3.7% drop in in-store shoppers.

American online shoppers spent more than 5 billion US dollars by the end of Black Friday, a 17.7 percent increase year-over-year, ADI said on Saturday.

According to Adobe, Black Friday online spending surged 21.6% year-over-year to $3.34 billion.

If you missed your chance to score some Black Friday deals, don’t fret.

It all started on Thanksgiving Day.

The BBB recommends shopping with a credit card as they offer more consumer fraud protections than debit cards. While 23% have yet to make any dents to their lists, up 4% from previous year.

During the holiday shopping weekend that kicks off on Thanksgiving and the day afterward known as Black Friday, more and more shoppers decide to skip the mayhem in stores and buy online.

Millennials (ages 18 – 34) continue to drive the increase in shopping during Thanksgiving Weekend.

Holiday shopping discounts are now typically the same offline and online, creating less urgency to come into stores.

“People shop everywhere, people shop at all times in day, people shop in five-minute increments on the bus when they commute home”.

The bump was fueled by shoppers turning to online deals. If you’re cooking for your family, grocery stores, and supermarkets are also quiet Friday evening. According to Worthington-based Prosper Insights & Analytics, 51 percent shopped at department stores, 34 percent at discount stores, 32 percent at electronics stores, 28 percent at clothing or accessories stores and 25 percent at grocery/supermarket stores. Toys are also hot-ticket items, and shoppers bought Lego sets, Shopkins, Nerf and Barbie products. This year Adobe put the figure at 53 percent, which broken down puts smartphones at 44 percent and tablets at 9 percent.