According to a preliminary Black Friday shopping survey, conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch, up to 134 million people will shop this Friday, Saturday or Sunday, higher than the 128 million people who planned to do so last year. According to the survey, 57 million people say they will definitely hit the stores while another 77 million are waiting to see what retailers are planning before heading out the door.
“Regardless of what we’ve already seen these last few weeks in terms of promotions, retailers still have a few tricks up their sleeves to excite Black Friday shoppers,” said Tracy Mullin, NRF President and CEO. “With retailers fully aware that shoppers are looking for incredible deals, Americans can expect huge sales on popular items like toys, electronics and apparel.”
Where, When and Why People Will Shop Black Friday Weekend
For the first time, NRF polled Americans about their specific Black Friday shopping intentions. According to the survey, discount and department stores will be the biggest attractions for consumers this weekend with 66.3 percent and 62.4 percent, respectively, planning on heading to their favorite big box store. In addition, four in ten (41.0%) will shop at electronics stores, 36.3 percent will head to a clothing and clothing accessories store and 28.8 percent said they would shop at a grocery store. As an increased number of retailers offer special Black Friday promotions on their websites, more than one-quarter (27.6%) will shop online.
While some people will wait until the sun comes up to head out the door Black Friday morning, one in ten (10.3%) shoppers will brave the elements and get to the store between midnight and 3 a.m. More than one-quarter (28.8%) will check out the early-bird specials and head out between 4 a.m. 6 a.m., while 28.2 percent will go between 7 a.m. 9 a.m. Fervent 18-34 year olds, who likely haven’t yet been to bed, will be the majority of retailers’ early hour shoppers, as 18.3 percent plan to head out between 12 a.m. 3 a.m.
“May the retailers with the best promotions win,” said Pamela Goodfellow, Senior Analyst, BIGresearch. “While consumers are still expected to remain cautious with their holiday spending, the anticipation of Black Friday deals seems to be coaxing shoppers out of hibernation, many arriving to stores early and with coupons in hand.”
When it comes to what influences people to shop in particular stores over Black Friday weekend, coupons (40.6%), newspaper circulars (38.2%), television ads (27.8%) and word of mouth (26.5%) are among the ways shoppers make decisions. However, most (43.2%) people will base their shopping destinations on what types of items they have on their list.
Retailers Use Web to Promote Stores’ Black Friday Specials
As another sign that retail stores and websites are collaborating to boost sales, many companies plan to leverage the web for upcoming Black Friday promotions in stores. According to the Shop.org eHoliday survey, conducted by BIGresearch, 39.1 percent of retailers will increase their use of online vehicles to promote Black Friday savings, while an additional 58.7 percent will use the Internet to drive store traffic as much as they did one year ago. More than three-fourths (78.0%) of retailers will send a special email to customers about Black Friday deals and over half (54.0%) will highlight Black Friday deals on their home page.
CyberMonday.com Announces Black Friday Deals of the Hour
Shop.org’s CyberMonday.com, which features promotions and deals from more than 700 retailers, will feature a Deal of the Hour on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Retailers participating in the Black Friday Deal of the Hour include Overstock.com, Sears and American Eagle. (Click here for the full list of companies and times.) Offers will include free shipping specials, dollars off, percentages off, and free gifts with purchase.
In addition, CyberMonday.com will be distributing $250 in gift cards from major retailers each day through Dec. 25 to its fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter.
