Shoppers pack local malls and stores for Black Friday

The US-based National Retail Federation has said it expects total sales this holiday season to increase by 3.6 percent to US$655.8 billion, mainly due to the rise in online shopping.

Stephanie Sullivan says she’s searching for deals this holiday season on items for her son’s upcoming wedding.

American consumers are increasingly comfortable making purchases via their phones, and the popularity of larger screen sizes is one contributor.

But Cyber Monday, the special day for online retail deals aimed at people in front of computers, began to expand. Shoppers spent $1.15 billion online between midnight and 5 p.m. ET, a 13.6% increase over a year ago, reported Adobe Digital Insights.

This year, she found herself at the Boulevard Mall on Black Friday. Online sales for Friday were at $1.65 billion as of 1 p.m. EDT, the data showed. Some stores saw slower sales this year as the contentious presidential election proved to be a big distraction.

Adobe reported that Black Friday online sales were a record $3.34 billion with $1.2 billion spent via mobile devices.

“We like the environment, the momentum”, the elder Pineda said as he sat on the mall floor next to several bags filled with the family’s Black Friday haul. After all, one of the great things about online shopping is that you can do it in your pajamas – unless you have to go to work.

Target reported more than 60% of its online sales came from mobile customers, while Amazon reported mobile orders on Turkey Day exceeded Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday previous year.

“I thought many (bargains) would be gone” as so many stores opened at some point Thanksgiving Day, she said.

While consumers continue to be deal-focused throughout the weekend, Charlie O’Shea, lead retail analyst at Moody’s Investors Service, notes that the two Saturdays before Christmas will also be “big days” for retailers.

“I noticed this year, there’s not that many shoppers”, Patenaude said. On Friday morning, Trump’s online store announced it was offering a 30 percent discount deal on all campaign products, including a US$149 Christmas ornament.

At Citrus Plaza in Redlands, Tina White sat in her vehicle while going through newspaper inserts displaying Black Friday sales.

USA stores are now opening on Thanksgiving to try and boost in-store sales, while retailers have been offering online deals weeks in advance to cope with lower demand and stiff pricing competition.

Nearly $5 billion was spend online between Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, an 11.4% increase compared to the same two days past year, Adobe reports.

Shoppers carry their purchases as they walk though the steam coming from the underground along Fifth Avenue on Black Friday in New York, Friday, Nov. 25, 2016.

He said: “I’m surprised at how quiet it was”. Walmart has made major investments in its app recently, and the retailer chose to offer certain deals exclusively via app for the first time ever this year. “It’s pretty stress-free, I would say”, owner Gaetana Schueckler said.