Rise of mobile appliances
In all, American online sales reached 4.45 billion dollars (4.21 billion euro) during Black Friday, up more than 14 % compared to last year’s turnover. More than half of those purchases took place on a mobile device. In that time frame, Wal-Mart noted about half a million orders, double last year’s numbers.
Physical stores have noticed a drop in turnover, as Black Friday sales amounted to 12.1 billion dollars (11.4 billion euro) this year. One of the main causes is that Black Friday has lost its importance as the shopping period is being spread over a longer period of time, starting right after Halloween.
The way Black Friday deals are being used, also has its impact on store sales. An increasing number of major chains already reveal their deals online, hours before they are available in stores themselves.