A record-setting 91 million (37 percent) Americans expect to purchase tech or tech accessories during Black Friday Week (the Monday before Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday), according to a new report released today by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, formerly the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®.
The 2015 Pre-Black Friday Survey finds consumer shopping behavior is moving away from the traditional, in-store Black Friday experience as Americans shop more frequently online and via mobile throughout the Thanksgiving week, alter when they shop and visit fewer physical stores on Black Friday.
“Black Friday is no longer just a one-day holiday exclusively centered on in-store shopping,” said Shawn DuBravac, Ph.D., chief economist and senior director of research, Consumer Technology Association. “Black Friday now spans the entire week, with online and mobile shopping playing an important role as consumers increasingly rely on tech to complete their holiday shopping.”
In total, a record 155 million U.S. consumers plan to shop during Black Friday and the surrounding week, with more than 70 percent of those shoppers (116 million Americans) planning to shop online. The most popular day to shop online this year will be Cyber Monday, with 26 percent of consumers planning to shop on November 30 – a jump of six percentage points from last year.
The use of mobile devices to help consumers shop and make purchases will be more pronounced than ever over the shopping week. More than half (53 percent) of consumers expect to use a mobile device (like a smartphone or tablet) while shopping.
Black Friday will remain the most popular day for in-store shopping, with 25 percent of those surveyed planning to shop the day after Thanksgiving, November 27 – a three percentage point decrease from last year. This finding continues a slow but steady decline in expected foot traffic on Black Friday over the past few years.
As the traditional Black Friday shopping day widens to include the surrounding week, more retailers have announced they will close on Thanksgiving Day. Fifteen million Americans (six percent of U.S. adults) plan to shop in-store on Thanksgiving Day, a two percentage point decrease over last year.
“‘Being closed on Thanksgiving Day’ is the new ‘being open on Thanksgiving Day,’” said DuBravac. “More than 40 retailers have announced they will remain closed on Thanksgiving Day, another nod to the evolving nature of Black Friday and the adjacent shopping days. With growth and expansion of the online channel, retailers are focusing less exclusively on achieving all of their sales solely through brick-and-mortar locations.”
Top Tech for Black Friday Shopping Week
CTA expects 37 percent of U.S. adults – 91 million Americans in all – to buy tech during the Black Friday shopping week. The top 10 tech products consumers plan to purchase are:
- Videogame consoles – up from fifth spot last year
- Televisions – in second spot for the second consecutive year
- Tablets – down from the first spot for the last two years
- Laptops
- Smartphones
- Headphones
- DVD/Blu-ray Disc players
- Digital cameras
- Digital toys or videogame figurines
- Smart watches
“Even a few years out from the next generation of video game consoles, these devices jumped to the top of the Black Friday list in advance of the important shopping period,” said DuBravac. “Many families are still upgrading to the latest generation consoles and it appears they will be using Black Friday and the surrounding shopping period to do so. We are also expecting strong interest in digital toys and smart watches as they rise in popularity and become hot items during the shopping week.”
