Black Friday has come and gone. Was it as successful as the predictions suggested? The answer to that is a strong “Yes!” The National Retail Federation’s latest survey reports that 212 million people shopped in stores and online on Black Friday Weekend. This compares to 195 million in 2009.
Shoppers spent an average of $365.34 this year, compared to $343.31 last year. Twenty-four percent of shoppers were in the stores by 4 A.M. on Black Friday. As earlier predicted, shoppers focused on jewelry – 14.3 percent compared to 11.7 percent last year.
A new sense of consumer confidence seems to be emerging, despite looming problems of unemployment and foreclosure issues. Most encouraging is the trend toward use of cash instead of credit cards, signaling a new move toward responsible spending.
With about a month left for holiday shopping, foot traffic at stores shows an increase. Online shopping is expected to include 89.5 percent of shoppers on a home computer, while 6.9 percent will shop with their cell phone. Free shipping offers will make it easier for saving money online.
Is your business set up to reap the profits of the holiday season? CounterPoint Point of Sale Software has features to help you with Inventory, Gift Certificates, Returns and Exchanges, Labeling, Ecommerce, Credit Cards, and much more. For information, call us at 425-672-4806 or email us.