Nov 27, 2011

Strong start for online sales this holiday season

Posted by Wendy Weber

According to ComScore, a firm that measures digital data, Black Friday (November 25) achieved $816 million in online sales, making it the heaviest online spending day to date in 2011 and representing a 26-percent increase versus Black Friday 2010.

Fifty million Americans visited online retail sites on Black Friday, representing an increase of 35 percent versus year ago, ComScore said. All of the top 5 retail sites (Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target and Apple) achieved double-digit gains in visitors vs. last year.

In what I feel is a bittersweet achievement for us as a society, Thanksgiving Day achieved an 18% increase in online spending, to $479 million. (Do we really have to shop, online or otherwise, on Thanksgiving?)

Fifty million Americans visited online retail sites on Black Friday, representing an increase of 35 percent versus year ago, per ComScore.

I will follow with interest Cyber Monday’s sales.

In