Shoppers are back in the store online, but the effects of the virus are protracted | Lifestyle

New York (AP) — Americans are free to shop and return to the store to shop. It has broken some of the momentum of online sales since last year when Americans made many purchases only via the Internet.

Shopper traffic surged on Black Friday, but was below pre-pandemic levels, partly due to retailers opening large transactions since October. Early purchases are also expected to impact online sales on Monday, dubbed Cyber ​​Monday by the National Retail Federation in 2005.

In fact, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index, it’s the first time that Thanksgiving and Black Friday online sales haven’t grown, and Cyber ​​Monday could be down as well compared to a year ago. Tracking more than a trillion visits to US retail sites, Adobe has previously recorded a healthy increase in online sales since it first began reporting e-commerce in 2012.

Still, Cyber ​​Monday should continue to be the largest online spending day of the year. Throughout the holiday season, according to Adobe, online sales should increase by 10% from a year ago, compared to a 33% increase last year.

A possible game changer is the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which can give dampers to shopping behavior and store business.World Health Organization on Monday World The risk of Omicron variants is “very high” Based on early evidence, he states that mutated coronaviruses can lead to spikes with “serious consequences.”

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Jon Abt, founder co-president and grandson of Abt Electronics, said holiday shopping was strong and overall sales so far have increased by 10% compared to a year ago. But he believes that Glenview, an Illinois-based consumer electronics retailer, will see a decline in Cyber ​​Monday sales after such strong growth from a year ago, given a new variant. , I’m worried about what the rest of the season will be.

“There are so many variables, that’s a bit too vague,” Abt said.

Here’s how the seasons are shaped:

Cyber ​​Monday is still king, but it’s cooling:

Consumers are expected to spend $ 10.2 billion to $ 11.3 billion on Monday, making it another biggest online shopping day, according to Adobe. Still, according to Adobe, spending on Cyber ​​Monday could be down from $ 10.8 billion last year as Americans are expanding their purchases in response to retailer discounts in October.

Both Black Friday and Thanksgiving online shopping fell short of Adobe’s expectations. Black Friday’s online sales reached $ 8.9 billion, down from $ 9 billion in 2020. This is the second largest day of the year. On Thanksgiving Day, online sales reached $ 5.1 billion from the same period last year.

Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify, Canada’s e-commerce platform, says Cyber ​​Monday is off to a good start with 1.7 million independent brands on the site. Sales on his platform increased 21% on Black Friday compared to 2020 and more than doubled compared to 2019. Look for a brand with social decency. And he says these brands were able to get in stock. Shopify’s favorite items include nugget children’s sofas and luxurious Brook linen linens.

“I think it’s a story of two different worlds,” he added.

Return to Black Friday, but not the same:

Overall, Black Friday store traffic was stronger than last year, but fell below pre-pandemic levels as shoppers expanded their purchases in response to previous transactions in October and shifted more spending online. I did. Friday sales were below or slightly up compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels, according to various spending measures.

According to Mastercard Spending Pulse, which tracks all types of payments, including cash and credit cards, Black Friday sales surged 29.8% until mid-afternoon compared to the same period last year. This was above the 20% growth forecast for the day. Steve Sadove, Mastercard’s senior adviser, says the numbers speak for “consumer strength.” Mastercard reports that sales for the period Friday-Sunday increased 14.1% compared to the same period in 2020 and 5.8% compared to 2019.

According to RetailNext, which analyzes store traffic with thousands of store monitors and sensors, Black Friday’s customer numbers increased 60.8% compared to a year ago, but fell 26.9% on the same day in 2019. .. According to RetailNext, Black Friday sales increased by 46.4%, but decreased by 5.1% in 2019. Another company that tracks customer traffic, Sensormatic, reported that Black Friday traffic surged 47.5% compared to a year ago, but that number fell 28.3% compared to 2019. ..

Changing discount landscape:

Unlike in the past few years, many large supercenters like Wal-Mart have opted not to sell discounted products as “door busters” in Black Friday ads, but instead to expand trading throughout the season or throughout the day. Did. Also the season.

According to Aurelien Duthoit, Senior Sector Advisor at Allianz Research, shoppers are expected to pay an average of 5% to 17% more on buying toys, clothing, appliances, TVs and more on Black Friday this year. rice field. This is because the discounts offered apply to already high-priced items.

Also, according to Adobe, Cyber ​​Monday discounts are expected to be weaker for the first time compared to a year ago. Still, Cyber ​​Monday is a great day to buy a TV with a 16% discount level compared to last year’s 19% discount. Other categories where consumers find deals include clothing, which is 15% cheaper than last year’s 20%. According to Adobe, computers are getting a 14% discount from 28% last year.

The overall holiday sale can be record-breaking. For the period of November and December, The National Retail Federation predicts that sales will increase between 8.5% and 10.5%. Sales increased by about 8% during the 2020 holiday season when shoppers locked down early in the pandemic spent money on pajamas and household items.

Follow Anne D’Innocenzio. http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio

Copyright 2021 AP communication. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.



Shoppers are back in the store online, but the effects of the virus are protracted | Lifestyle

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