Study: Black Friday shoppers go digital

The power of digital Black Friday shoppers is officially a force to be reckoned with.



Of the 135.9 million U.S.-based consumers that shopped or plan to shop over the entire 2016 Black Friday Week, 57% shopped online. Almost four out of every 10 digital shoppers (37%) used a mobile device (such as a smart phone or tablet). Besides being an increase of seven percentage points, this customer segment is quickly approaching the number of desktop and laptop shoppers.



These details were revealed in the “2016 Post Black Friday Survey” from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The study is based on findings from telephone interviews among 1,002 U.S. adults Nov. 25-26, 2016, about their plans during Black Friday Week (the Monday before Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday).



“The 2016 holiday shopping season is the tipping point for mobile shopping,” said Shawn DuBravac, Ph.D., chief economist, CTA. “Consumers are shifting increasingly to mobile shopping, due to higher ownership rates of mobile devices and increasing ease, comfort and convenience.”



As the industry reaps the benefits of Cyber Monday sales, these numbers have no where to go but up. In fact, 49.4 million U.S. adults (20%) planned to shop on Cyber Monday, a record high for the shopping day, the study said.



“Online deals permeated the entire Black Friday Week, with retailers often matching in-store deals and doing so earlier online,” DuBravac added.