NEW YORK CITY—With omnichannel retailers seeing the biggest boost, the Thanksgiving/Black Friday kickoff to the holiday shopping season found consumers in a spending frame of mind, the International Council of Shopping Centers said Monday. ICSC's survey found that three quarters of Americans spent the same or more this year over the holiday weekend than they did last year, with 44% of that spend going to gifts for other people.

“While the holiday shopping season has lengthened and includes all of November and December, the Black Friday and Thanksgiving results are important, and this year serve as a positive indicator for the holiday season,” says Tom McGee, ICSC's president and CEO. Survey results also indicated how retailers are scoring their biggest successes, namely via stores with both a brick-and-mortar and online presence and with convenient access to non-shopping activities.

Eighty-nine percent of shoppers surveyed spent at omnichannel retailers, with 80% of spending occurring at physical stores compared to just 18% with pure play Internet sellers. Among the 28% of shoppers who bought online and picked up their orders in the store, 64% went on to buy something else when they collected their purchases, for a year-over-year increase of six percentage points.

Among shoppers who visited a center on Thanksgiving and/or Black Friday, 68% engaged in non-shopping activities while there. Specifically, they went to the movies, dined at restaurants, visited Santa and so on.

“Today's consumers visit their local malls and shopping centers for shopping, dining and entertainment,” says McGee. “They also expect a seamless digital and physical experience, and more and more are turning to retailers that offer this winning, omnichannel combination. Clearly, the vast majority of shopping takes place with omnichannel retailers. Consumers demand an integrated experience and spend much more here than with online only players.”

Black Friday's door-busting specials may have come and gone, but shoppers will still be on the lookout for deals. Sixty-one percent of the shoppers surveyed for ICSC think the weeks to come will provide comparable deals, and 29% believe December's price specials will be better than what they found this past weekend.

Instant Insights /

Omnichannel Wins on Black Friday

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