Black Friday Sales Report 2014
Retail sales reporting on the Black Friday weekend of 2014
By 2014 the question hanging over the weekend was whether Black Friday still existed as a single day: as clothing retailers fought for consumers, sales began earlier and earlier — not just earlier in the day on Black Friday, but earlier in the month, turning the event into a Black November. The New York Times, in the article by Hiroko Tabuchi and Rachel Abrams quoted in this report, described the day that traditionally signified the start of year-end sales becoming just another family shopping day, because retailers had already been discounting heavily to lift tepid sales. This report gathers the weekend's estimates and the shopper reaction.
Has Black Friday been turned into Black November this year? As the clothing retailers fight to obtain consumers the sales appear to begin earlier and earlier each year. Not just earlier in the day on Black Friday but earlier in the month.
According to the New York Times article by Hiroko Tabuchi and Rachel Abrams, "The day that traditionally signified the start of year-end sales has become just another family shopping day, thanks to retailers that have already been discounting heavily in a bid to lift sales that have so far been tepid this year." In NY Times article a consumer shopping at Tyson's Corner Center indicated "“I'm not sure there's anything such as Black Friday anymore,” Mr. Felton said. “The erosion on Black Friday into Thursday has messed a lot of people up.”
Spending tumbled an estimated 11 percent over the weekend from a year earlier, the Washington-based National Retail Federation said on November 31, 2014.
The NRF had predicted that 140.1 million customers would visit retailers last weekend, a small decline from last year's 140.3 million. Instead, only 133.7 million showed up. The slow start may make it harder for retailers to hit sales targets over the next month.
You can view more Black Friday Retail News at the National Retail Federation website. Visit their holiday headquarters section for information on the entire holiday selling season.
Walmart Black Friday 2014: “All of this was
because of our associates. Throughout the day, we welcomed more than 22
million customers to our stores – that's more than the number of people
who visit Disneyland in an entire year – and our associates served them
with pride. During our big events, our cashiers had nearly every
register open. And once again, we delivered safer, exciting events for
our customers. “Our Black Friday weekend continues today at 6 a.m. and
all weekend long with TVs, wireless, jewelry, tires, Christmas décor and
thousands of other items at amazing prices in our stores and online –
all leading up to our biggest Cyber Monday event ever.”
“Tablets, TVs, sheets, children's apparel, and video gaming were the top
five categories of the night in our stores. As expected, Disney Frozen
Snow Glow Elsa dolls were one of the top toys of the night. We sold
enough food storage containers to hold 4.5 million pounds of
Thanksgiving leftovers and we sold enough towels to line the banks of
the Mississippi River. Video games, wireless pre-paid phones, HDTVs and
baby items were popular on Walmart.com on Thanksgiving Day.
SOURCE: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. BENTONVILLE, Ark., Nov 28, 2014
(BUSINESS WIRE)
Target Black Friday Sales 2014:
Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT)
kicked off the holiday season with a strong early start to Black Friday
weekend, as guests across the U.S. shopped early deals and turned out
for the 6 p.m. store openings. In addition, the company's free shipping
offer on Target.com continues to drive record breaking online sales.
“Guests nationwide turned out online and in stores to take advantage of
Target's Black Friday deals,” said Brian Cornell, Target's Chairman of
the Board and CEO, who greeted holiday shoppers at a store in New York
on Thanksgiving. “We have great deals on top gifts and a shopping
experience that can't be beat. I'm encouraged by the early results and
am confident guests will love the deals they'll find throughout the
weekend and the holiday season.” For the first time, Target offered a
pre-sale of select Black Friday deals to all guests in stores and online
on Wednesday, Nov. 26. By 9 a.m., online sales had already exceeded
total sales from the same day last year. Top online items were the iPad
Air 2, Beats by Dre Solo HD headphones and the Intex Pure Spa Inflatable
Hot Tub. In stores, demand was high with the iPad Air 2, Beats by Dre
Solo HD headphones and the iPad Mini as top sellers. Cyber
Week More than 100,000 items will be on sale on Target.com from
Sunday, Nov. 30 through Saturday, Dec. 6 for Cyber Week, including
weeklong deals and hot daily offers. In addition, all Target.com orders
will continue to ship for free through Saturday, Dec. 20.
Source:
https://corporate.target.com/press/releases
IBM / Reuters : Black Friday shopping marked by thinner crowds, protests
| Reuters Mall crowds were relatively thin on Black Friday in a sign of
what has become the new normal in U.S. holiday shopping: the mad rush is
happening the night of Thanksgiving and more consumers are picking up
deals online. The crowds normally reserved for Black Friday
morning appeared on Thursday night. For instance, more than 15,000
people lined up for the opening of the flagship store of Macy's Inc in
New York on Thursday. Retailers also said they were capturing more of
the holiday budget online. Overall Black Friday online sales as of
1500 EST (2000 GMT) were up 8 percent from a year earlier, according to
IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark. Online sales were up 14.3 percent on
Thanksgiving Day. Wal-Mart said Thursday was its second-highest
online sales day ever after last year's Cyber Monday, which is the
Monday after Thanksgiving, when online retailers promote bargains.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/28/usa-holidaysales-black-friday-idUSL2N0TI10K20141128
Fewer Shoppers, Earlier Discounts
The numbers confirmed the erosion. Spending tumbled an estimated 11 percent over the weekend from a year earlier, the Washington-based National Retail Federation reported, and the turnout missed the forecast on both sides: the NRF had predicted 140.1 million customers, a small decline from the previous year's 140.3 million, but only 133.7 million shopped. A shopper at Tyson's Corner Center captured the mood in the Times reporting: he was not sure there was any such thing as Black Friday anymore, because the erosion of Black Friday into Thursday had disrupted the ritual that once concentrated demand into a single morning.
The growth that remained was online. Citing IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark figures, the report records online sales up 14.3 percent on Thanksgiving Day, and Wal-Mart said Thursday was its second-highest online sales day ever, after the previous year's Cyber Monday. Read against the 2013 report in this series, the pattern inverts within a year: the Thursday store opening that set records in 2013 had, by 2014, spread discounting so widely that the weekend total fell even as e-commerce set its own records.
Common Questions
By how much did Black Friday weekend spending fall in 2014?
An estimated 11 percent from a year earlier, according to the National Retail Federation, as retailers discounted heavily and earlier across November.
How many shoppers turned out against the NRF prediction?
The NRF predicted 140.1 million customers; instead only 133.7 million shopped over the weekend.
What grew in 2014?
Online sales: they rose 14.3 percent on Thanksgiving Day in the IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark figures, and Wal-Mart called Thursday its second-highest online sales day ever.