Deloitte Survey: Black Friday Online Shopping Surpasses In-Store; Thanksgiving Weekend Spending to Increase Nearly 25 Percent

NEW YORK, Nov. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Holiday shoppers are set to make retailers merry over the Thanksgiving weekend,¹ as nearly 6 in 10 (57 percent) plan to shop over the weekend, according to a new survey from Deloitte.  Americans plan to spend $369 over the course of the holiday weekend – a nearly 25 percent increase from last year's survey.  Among the key findings:

• Survey respondents shopping over the Thanksgiving weekend expect 59 percent of their spending to be online, up from 52 percent last year, compared to 36 percent in stores, down from 45 percent in 2014.
• Black Friday surpassed Cyber Monday as the most popular online shopping day during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Two-thirds (66 percent) of those shopping over the holiday weekend plan to do so online on Black Friday, compared with 52 percent on Cyber Monday.
• Among holiday weekend shoppers, 44 percent plan to shop in-store on Black Friday – a decline from 63 percent in 2012.
• While shopping and spending online trumps in-store shopping, 50 percent of shoppers expect Black Friday deals to be comparable in-store and online.
• More shoppers are turning to digital sources to look for weekend deals. Three of the four top places consumers expect to obtain information about Black Friday sales include retailer websites (62 percent), websites dedicated to featuring Black Friday deals (58 percent) and e-mails (38 percent).
• While 14 percent plan to shop in-stores on Thanksgiving Day, nearly one-quarter (24 percent) plan to do so online. The No. 1 reason respondents cited for visiting stores is that they don't want to miss the best deals (64 percent).
• Half (50 percent) of consumers will hold out to shop at their preferred retailers even if those stores are not open on Thanksgiving or Black Friday. More than half (56 percent) say that they feel more loyal to retailers who close on Thanksgiving Day.
• Nearly one-third (30 percent) of respondents plan to shop the Saturday after Thanksgiving to support local businesses.

"The digital influence is likely to touch nearly every moment in the shopper's journey this holiday season," said Rod Sides, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and retail and distribution practice leader. "With nearly 90 percent of respondents planning to go online at some point during the upcoming holiday weekend, digital retailing is about more than an online transaction. Mobile and online tools that are fit for the shopper's purpose – like product information and availability or tailored promotions – can influence where that customer shops and what they buy before they head to the store.  Retailers should aim to win the customer while they're making their lists at home, because once someone arrives at the store, it's often too late to inspire them."

For additional findings, view Deloitte's 2015 Pre-Thanksgiving Survey results here.

Deloitte retail professionals will be live-Tweeting from stores and malls across the country from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, November 26-30, 2015.  Follow the conversation @DeloitteCB, #Holiday2015.

About the Survey
This survey was commissioned by Deloitte and conducted online by an independent research company November 16-17, 2015. It polled a national sample of 1,000 consumers and has a margin of error for the entire sample of plus or minus three percentage points.

About Deloitte's Retail and Distribution Practice
Deloitte is a leading presence in the retail and distribution industry, providing audit, consulting, risk management, financial advisory, and tax services to more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500 retailers. With more than 2,400 professionals, Deloitte's retail and distribution practice provides insights, services and approaches designed to assist retailers across all major subsectors including apparel, grocery, food and drug, wholesale and distribution and online. For more information about Deloitte's retail and distribution sector, please visit www.deloitte.com/us/retail-distribution or follow @DeloitteCB on Twitter.

About Deloitte
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including 80 percent of the Fortune 500. Our people work across more than 20 industry sectors to deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to make their most challenging business decisions with confidence, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthy society.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.  Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

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¹ Holiday weekend includes Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2015, through Cyber Monday, November 30, 2015.

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