What Black Friday Sales Tell Us

Well, the numbers are in —

Cyber Monday sales were up 18% this year, and online traffic was up 43% over last year. Additionally, Black Friday online sales were up over 23% this year. In honor of these record breaking data points, I feel that it’s that time to share with you my shopping philosophy: “Only when absolutely necessary.” I never go to any stores, especially when I can (usually) find the exact same thing cheaper online. When it comes to shopping, I view myself as a hunter — I go in to the store, I get what I need (black pants), and I get out of the store as quickly as possible. So, as online commerce continues to get better and better, I continue to give thanks that I will never willfully go to another store again. Beyond these numbers — which are certainly impressive in and of themselves — about 8.5% of purchases were made using mobile devices, and over 13% of shopping was done on mobile devices, according to IBM figures released on Daily Tech. We are relying more and more on mobile devices for every area of life, and shopping is no different. As businesses, we will be able to grow our sales numbers if we offer opportunities for purchases on mobile devices. Making purchasing decisions easier and more accessible means 1) developing apps for Android and Apple that work seamlessly without bugs, and 2) ensuring checkout is as painless for purchases as possible. Investing in a highly functional app, and then continuing to promote it onsite and offsite (via social networking) will propel your business forward into the new year. Give us a call to discuss mobile app development.