Three-Quarters of Americans Expected to Shop Over Cyber Weekend

Seventy-five percent of Americans plan to shop over Cyber Weekend – the period from Thanksgiving through Monday – according to a new survey from Deloitte, spending an average of $427, up slightly from $400 in 2016.

In terms of store vs. online shopping for Cyber Weekend, Deloitte found a mixed bag. A strong 70% of respondents said they plan to shop in stores on Black Friday, while 47% said they would shop online, down from 55% last year. The numbers drop a bit on Saturday, with 52% of respondents saying they would shop stores, compared with 24% going online, a drop from 36% in 2016.

But consumers seem to be voting more with their wallets than their feet. Deloitte found that for the first time, shoppers are expected to spend more of their Cyber Weekend budget online (52%) than in stores (46%).

The number of online shoppers is expected to rise dramatically on Cyber Monday, with 72% of respondents saying they plan to do so.

Not surprisingly, more consumers said they’d shop online (28%) than in stores (25%) on Thanksgiving Day, as more stores are reacting to public reaction by staying closed for the holiday. Seventy-three percent of those planning to shop online on Thanksgiving say they’re doing so in order to not miss out on deals.

The survey did not indicate if most of the Thursday ecommerce traffic would originate from the post-meal couch.

The traditional early birds on Black Friday are poised to snatch more door-buster worms in 2017. Deloitte found those shopping between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. that day will spend an average of $225, which drops to $147 by 6 a.m., rising a bit to $161 for shoppers between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.

The Deloitte study, conducted between Nov. 8-10, polled a national sample of 1,224 adults aged 18 and older, and has a margin of error of +/- 3%.

Some other findings from the Deloitte study:

  • Socializing is a primary motivator for spending time in retail stores; 64% plan to shop in store with family or friends over the weekend
  • Just over half of shoppers planning to hit the stores over Cyber Weekend (51%) said they will visit traditional department stores, followed by mass merchants (39%), electronics/office supply/computer stores (38%) and outlet stores (29%)
  • Nearly 4 in 10 respondents (37%) said they haven’t started their holiday shopping yet
  • Clothing and accessories are the top Cyber Weekend merchandise category at 65%, followed by electronics (55%), toys and hobby items (47%), food and beverage (38%), home and kitchen (31%) and health and beauty (29%)
  • As mobile devices have become indispensable shopping tools, 38% of shoppers said they plan to buy something online while in store this weekend, due to better pricing or price matching. Thirty-six percent said they would be influenced by mobile-delivered deals while in store.
  • An impatient lot, we are: Nearly half of consumers (46%) said they’d bail on a retailer’s ecommerce site rather than wait for page load or other technical issues

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