D. Tighe
Research expert covering consumer behavior, sporting goods retail, and the global toy industry.
Thanksgiving weekend shopping in the U.S. (Black Friday & Cyber Monday) - statistics & facts
Thanksgiving: it’s the time of year to eat, drink, relax with family, and, of course, shop. Its convenient timing, a month out from Christmas, has made it an increasingly popular event on the shopping calendar. Thanksgiving is defined by tradition, and nothing says tradition like a one-hundred-dollar plasma screen TV. Such seemingly crazy deals are a common occurrence on Black Friday, the day following Thanksgiving. Black Friday is now known as one of the busiest shopping days in the United States and has become a tradition of its own. Regardless of what you are looking to purchase, it is likely to be on sale at some point during the Thanksgiving weekend.
Black Friday shopping weekend
Though images of stampeding customers on Black Friday were beamed around the world in previous years, Thanksgiving weekend shopping has increasingly moved online. In 2023, the combined value of e-commerce revenue generated over the Thanksgiving weekend, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is forecast to reach over 27 billion U.S. dollars. When it comes to personal budgets planned for Thanksgiving spending, about 40 percent of U.S. consumers were expecting to spend more than 100 U.S. dollars this year.Early Christmas
For many consumers, sales discounts and special promotions offered during the Thanksgiving period meant an opportunity to sort out Christmas gift shopping. In 2023, over 60 percent of U.S. consumers intended to shop for holiday gifts on Black Friday, making this the main reason for shopping during Black Friday in the United States. Over half of U.S. consumers did not even wait until November, and started looking for holiday deals in October or even earlier. Some of the products consumers were intending to purchase on Black Friday and Cyber Monday included electronics, clothing, toys, and books. While electronics were the most popular products to purchase online for male consumers, female consumers used e-commerce channels mostly to buy clothing and accessories.
