Sydney Newton
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If you ventured out into the cold and rain that Iowa was prone to this year for Black Friday, you might have noticed that the crowds of shoppers were less crazy than usual. This was more or less because more and more people opted to stay home and shop online instead. With new apps and the availability to shop online made easier combined with discounts being offered earlier, sales dropped from $11.6 billion in 2014 to $10.4 billion in 2015.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, something significant happened on Black Friday this year. Activists blocked entrances to the popular retailers on Michigan Avenue. The peaceful protests were in regard to the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer. They ended up costing these stores 25-50 percent of their sales, according to the Chicago Tribune.
It also was pretty notable that this year plenty of stores opened up their doors earlier on Thanksgiving Day. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy were all open by 6 p.m. on Thursday. As stores are leaning toward a so-called “Black Thursday,” it continues to make more people upset. Apparently, some think that shopping for gifts is becoming more important than the holiday spirit. However, some big chains stores such as Marshalls, Von Maur, and Home Depot chose to stand firm in the belief of keeping holidays spent with family.
According to Time, 36.1 percent of online sales on Black Friday were placed on smart phones and tablets, compared with 30.3 percent a year ago. Retail stores have apps that make it faster and easier to buy what you want. Many more people are wanting to stay within the comfort of their home instead of venturing outside. This shows just how much America’s shopping habits are changing.
Along with the efficient shopping apps, online retailers have also offered their deals to eager shoppers weeks in advance, and they have advertised through email a lot more frequently. Retailers are going to have to adapt to these changes in the way people shop. With email coupons and sites like Groupon, the thick paper ads might not have much of an importance anymore.
Despite the decrease in sales this year, people are still spending more money than they have in the past. According to the Associated Press, “Americans are starting to see early signs of pay increases, hiring has been solid in the past year, and low gas prices are leaving more money in shoppers’ pockets.”
Cyber Monday revenues topped more than $3 billion for the first time this year, a 16 percent increase from last year. The largest complaint however, which seems to be the one every year, was the heavy online traffic causing the sites to crash. Cyber Monday is the biggest day of the year for online revenue.
With technology advancing and the thrill of waking up early to shop on this famous day dwindling, maybe we will also see a decrease in the “stealing gifts out of people’s hands” videos.