Smartphones sales break all record on Black Friday
SAN FRANCISCO: Smartphone transactions hit a record high in the US on Black Friday as shoppers thronged retail stores as well as went online to celebrate.
According to Adobe Digital Insights mobile transactions were “hitting record highs”. Black Friday follows Thanksgiving Day that is observed on the fourth Thursday of November, heralding the Christmas shopping season. “The big story this holiday season is in mobile shopping,” CNBC reported, quoting Mickey Mericle, Vice-President of Adobe’s Marketing and Customer Insights division.
According to Adobe Insights, 61.1 per cent of shoppers’ visits to retailers’ websites were for mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.
The Financial Times said the holiday season was set to be the first in which more shopping will happen online than in stores.
-“There’s something nostalgic about being at the stores this early,” Jennifer Stasiak said at Chicago’s popular Oakbrook Centre.
Not everyone found Friday magic irresistible.
“I avoid the store, too many crowds,” said Elana Silverstein, 32, a school counsellor enjoying a warm, sunny day at a Los Angeles park.
Instead, Silverstein said, she bought several personal items on sale on Thursday night through the online the Black
“Brands and retailers will offer an array of great deals on electronic devices. Those that we expect to lure consumers the most will be headphones, tablets, fitness bands, smartphones and TVs.
We also expect smartwatches, VPA-enabled speakers and smart headphones to fuel demand,” Annette Zimmermann, Research Vice-President at Gartner for Black Friday, said in a statement.
For several years now, Black Friday has become a driver of sales in Europe, both in online and offline commerce.
“We see this trend in many European countries, including the UK, Germany, France and Italy, where Black Friday and Cyber Week have become well-known terms for shoppers,” Zimmermann added.
Gartner expects sales of smartphones to total 1.57 billion units in 2017, up 4.9 per cent from 2016. marketplace Groupon.
Major retailers generally higher on Wall Street.
JC Penney climbed 0.6 per cent and Wal-Mart Stores Inc edged upward.
Amazon.com Inc closed up 2.6 per cent at a record high.
Target Corporation did not fare as well, with analysts noting that it closed its stores for several hours overnight while many rivals kept their doors open. Its shares fell 2.8 per cent. traded