Black Friday marks the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, a make-or-break period for many retailers, and recent data suggests that consumer spending remains relatively robust, reported The New York Times.
Data released on Saturday from Adobe Analytics showed that Americans took advantage of big deals on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, though they were selective about what they bought, according to The Times.
According to the data, shoppers spent $10.8 billion online on Friday. That’s on top of $6.1 billion spent online on Thursday, around 9% more than the previous year.
“Another metric from Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures retail sales across all forms of payment, found that online sales on Black Friday had increased by nearly 15% but that in-store sales had increased by only 0.7%, for an overall increase of 3.4%. It said that jewelry, electronics and apparel were the top purchases, with discounts playing a role in consumer decisions,” wrote The NYT.
According to The Washington Post, these spending patterns are creating winners and losers in corporate America, perhaps most starkly illustrated by Walmart and Target. Target has been losing ground to Walmart, wrote the Post.
“The picture that is forming shows sellers that are focused on discretionary or big-ticket purchases are coming under pressure as shoppers, including more affluent ones, spend more judiciously at places that offer deals and lower-cost items,” wrote The NYT.
These numbers offer an early look at how the holiday shopping season has gone so far.