Black Friday online shoppers exceed 100M for first time

More than 100 million people shopped online for Black Friday this year, a record high according to figures released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation (NRF).

The number of online shoppers for the day after Thanksgiving hit 100.6 million, up 8 percent compared to the previous year, while the number of in-store shoppers on Black Friday dropped by 37 percent.

Online-only shoppers from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday jumped to 95 million, a 44 percent increase from last year and a sign that many consumers are avoiding brick-and-mortar stores during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Overall, there were more than 186 million holiday shoppers — both online and in-person — during that five-day period, down about 1 percent from 2019.

The average amount spent on holiday items, including gifts, decorations and food from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday was about $312, down about $50 down from last year. On gifts alone, the average amount spent was $225, compared with about $260 in 2019.

In a survey commissioned by NRF, 57 percent of consumers indicated they plan to shop more online this holiday season, specifically because of health concerns around the pandemic.

The NRF survey was conducted among 6,615 consumers from Nov. 25 to 30. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.