The changing nature of Black Friday as told by shoppers (with video)

If there was one thing that was apparent around 2019’s Black Friday, it was the significant amount of money people are continuing to spend.

Black Friday reached a record-high of $7.4 billion from online purchases in the U.S., according to Adobe Analytics. 

This comes as brick-and-mortar stores saw a 6.2% decrease in sales since 2018’s Black Friday, as reported by ShopperTrak data. Plus, digital sales increased by 14% from last year, Salesforce's numbers show. 

Additionally, consumers in metro-Detroit saw this firsthand as they shopped for deals around Thanksgiving, describing the climate in retail stores as “surprisingly calm.”

One woman recalled a time people ripped items out of her hands because of the “mayhem” and excitement surrounding the in-store shopping experience. Thankfully, she said this year seemed more casual.

Coincidingly, Salesforce data falls in line with what these consumers were seeing. 73% of global digital traffic came from mobile devices, which was an increase from 66% in 2018. 

A self-described Black Friday enthusiast said the lines were shorter than ever before. She said she was able to get to three stores within the first few hours of shopping on Thanksgiving.

Because of the digital climate, consumers are now able to choose when, where and how they buy products, which continues to be profitable for brands.

Notably, consumers who are leaving the house seem to have one thing in common: they are looking for an experience.

“I do think it’s more fun now that there are less lines because now it’s like in and out quicker where you still get the deals so it’s nice,” one shopper said in a Target parking lot after Thanksgiving dinner. “I also like the camaraderie with my family. We all go out together.”

No matter how people are shopping for Black Friday deals, they are spending more while having the ability to choose how they participate.