As I write this, I’m still getting Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads. It’s the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. WalMart is even calling it “Cyber Week.”
And so it goes…
This is really no surprise. It’s just been that kind of year. Retailers, big and small, are doing what they have to do to stay in the game.
I feel like Black Friday started October 14. That’s when Amazon had its Prime Day. It had been delayed because of the pandemic. Other big retailers followed the lead. It has continued ever since.
I remember the days when we reported if this thing called “shopping on the internet” would cut into “in-store” shopping. Next, we wondered when online shopping would take over?
I think we have our answer. 2020.
The numbers tell the story. From CNBC. “Black Friday shopping in stores craters 52% during pandemic as e-commerce sales surge.”
Adobe Analytics reports online shopping hit a new record on Black Friday.
The numbers for Cyber Monday are even more impressive. Fox Business reports that shoppers spent a record $10.8 billion on Monday. That’s the largest online shopping day in U.S. history.
This tells me that people are ready to spend, and they are confident about the future. Months of uncertainty have given way to hope about the future. Come on, Pfizer!
Now, getting it all delivered is another story. The Associated Press reports that retailers are expecting this surge in online buying could lead to delivery delays.
As we get closer to Christmas, expect brick and mortar shops to get busier. If you ask me, I trust Santa to get it there on time, not the post office.
So, in 2020, Black Friday came in October. Expect it to continue until Christmas.
And so it goes…