Pandemic sinks U.S. Black Friday in-store traffic

With sparse crowds and none of the stampedes of holidays past, some retail watchers started to refer to Black Friday as Blasé Friday — and that was even before the virus hit.

The sluggish in-person traffic reported in 2019 is expected to thin out further this year, as mall-wary shoppers move on from traditional midnight doorbusters to digital deals. But it’s still shaping up to be a record year for total holiday retail sales — and the logistics companies that deliver them.

Consumer visits to physical stores in the U.S. declined by 52% on Black Friday compared with a year ago because of covid-19 and social-distancing requirements, according to preliminary data from Sensormatic Solutions.

On Thanksgiving Day, foot traffic to stores plunged by 95% from a year ago. Many well-known retailers chose to close and deals are being spread throughout the season, said Brian Field, Sensormatic’s senior director of global retail consulting.

He expects some of the in-store traffic to build as Super Saturday — Dec. 19 — approaches, when consumers make last-minute purchases.

Adobe Analytics expects Cyber Monday — this Monday, the online equivalent of Black Friday — to become the largest online sales day in U.S. history, with spending between $10.8 billion and $12.7 billion, representing 15% to 35% growth from a year ago.

States that restricted family gatherings have seen higher growth in online shopping compared to states with fewer restrictions, according to Adobe.

Additionally, U.S. consumer spending rose 21.6% to $9 billion on Black Friday this year, a lower number than Salesforce’s estimate of $12.8 billion.

After slow growth in digital sales on Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, U.S. retailers pulled in a record $12.8 billion in online revenue on Black Friday, putting questions about consumer strength at ease, according to Salesforce. That represents 23% growth over last year.

Globally, online revenue reached $62.2 billion, up 30% from a year ago.

The most-mentioned products on social media include Hulu’s subscription offer, the Apple iPhone 12 and Sony’s PlayStation 5, Salesforce said.