黑色星期五对许多美国购物者来说没有以前那么重要了——归咎于网上购物假期“网络星期一”的兴起以及
Covid-19 对零售业的影响。
但是，在这个黑色星期五，顾客们仍然会在服装、电子产品和其他物品上花费更多的钱，因为他们会亲自返回商店并继续在线消费。
据估计，截至下午 3 点，黑色星期五的销售额同比增长 29.8%。 Mastercard 的 ET，它跟踪商店和网上的支付数据，不包括汽车销售。电子商务销售额比去年增长了 10.6%，而店内销售额增长了 42.9%。
万事达卡高级顾问史蒂夫萨多夫说：“零售支出全天都在上升，这说明了消费者的实力。” “我们预计黑色星期五之后会有一个积极的假期。”
服装销售引领增长，与一年前的黑色星期五相比增长了 86.4%，当时购物者大多在家，没有太多理由整理衣橱。
这些趋势标志着 2020 年的逆转，当时零售商限制了他们的门禁交易以防止商店过度拥挤，并促使购物者转而在线购买。 2020 年黑色星期五的在线销售额比上一年增长了 85%，但整体销售额下降了 16.1%。
今年，零售商押注一个强劲的假期。
零售商贸易组织全国零售联合会预计，与 2020 年假日季相比，今年 11 月和 12 月的零售额预计将增长 8.5% 至 10.5%，达到创纪录的 8590 亿美元。该数字不包括汽车经销商、加油站和餐馆。
NRF 预测，自大流行开始以来，联邦对家庭和家庭的刺激支付提高了储蓄率，预计工资上涨将推动假期期间的消费者需求。
零售商在 10 月份开始了他们的假期交易，以试图延长假期。他们这样做的部分原因是为了防止黑色星期五和网络星期一的需求激增，这会给商店和物流网络带来压力。
连锁店还鼓励购物者尽早购买，避免等待他们想要的产品售罄。由于持续的供应链障碍，零售商一直在应对消费者的高需求，以及将货物上架的延迟和短缺。
零售研究和咨询公司 Coresight Research 的首席执行官 Deborah Weinswig 周五参观了波士顿和普罗维登斯的商店。她在一份报告中说，缺货商品在家具和基本服装中最为明显，如牛仔牛仔裤、卡其裤、内衣和袜子。
不过，Weinswig 表示，家居用品和百货商店的客流量强劲，并预计零售商在这个假期将获得强劲的利润，因为他们提供的折扣较少。
Black Friday bounces back from 2020. Shoppers hit stores again
New York (CNN Business)Black Friday doesn't carry the significance it once did for many US shoppers — blame the rise of online shopping holiday "Cyber Monday" and then Covid-19's impact on retail.
But customers are still dishing out more money for clothing, electronics and other items this Black Friday as they return to visit stores in person and keep up their spending online.
Sales on Black Friday increased 29.8% from a year ago, according to estimates through 3 p.m. ET from Mastercard, which tracks payment data in stores and online, excluding car sales. E-commerce sales grew 10.6% from last year, while in-store sales increased 42.9%.
"Retail spending has been on the rise throughout the day and it speaks to the strength of the consumer," said Steve Sadove, senior advisor for Mastercard. "We anticipate a positive holiday season well beyond Black Friday."
Clothing sales led the growth, increasing 86.4% on Black Friday from a year ago when shoppers were mostly at home and didn't have much reason to spruce up their wardrobes.
These trends mark a reversal from 2020, when retailers limited their doorbuster deals to prevent overcrowding in stores and pushed shoppers to buy online instead. Online sales on Black Friday surged 85% in 2020 from the year prior, but overall sales dipped 16.1%.
This year, retailers bet on a strong holiday.
Retail sales in November and December are expected to grow between 8.5% and 10.5% this year compared with the 2020 holiday season, to a record of up to $859 billion, projected the National Retail Federation, a trade group for retailers. The figure excludes car dealers, gas stations and restaurants.
Federal stimulus payments to households and families since the onset of the pandemic elevated savings rates, and rising wages are expected to propel consumer demand during the holidays, NRF predicted.
Retailers kicked off their holiday deals in October to try to spread out the holiday season. They did this in part to prevent a crush of demand on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which can strain stores and logistics networks.
Chains also encouraged shoppers to buy early and avoid waiting in case the product they want sells out. Retailers have been navigating high demand from consumers, as well as delays and shortages getting goods to shelves due to ongoing supply chain hurdles.
Deborah Weinswig, CEO of retail research and advisory firm Coresight Research, visited stores in Boston and Providence Friday. Out-of-stock items were most noticeable in furniture and for clothing basics such as denim jeans, khakis, underwear and socks, she said in a report.
Still, Weinswig said traffic was strong at home goods and department stores and projected strong profits for retailers this holiday because they were offering fewer discounts.
