SALES UP … BUT NOT AS MUCH AS IN PREVIOUS YEARS
By FITSNEWS || If retailers were banking on an explosive Cyber Monday to get the disappointing 2014 holiday shopping season back on track … they were disappointed.
Cyber Monday – the biggest online shopping day of the year – saw sales climb by 8.5 percent from 2013 according to IBM digital analytics, although the average order price was down 3.5 percent from last year (clocking in at $124.21).
Wait … isn’t an increase in sales a good thing?
Sure … but it’s nothing compared to the explosive growth experienced last year, when sales climbed by more than 20 percent from 2012.
Industry spin doctors – who blamed last week’s terrible Black Friday sales (? 11 percent from 2013) on “can’t miss deals” being offered ahead of schedule this year – say weak Cyber Monday sales were due to the fact that the best deals are yet to come.
“We’re releasing new deals all the time,” one of them told Bloomberg. “We refresh constantly and bring in new deals to keep the excitement there. People are turning it from a day-long occasion to a monthlong occasion.”
Ah yes … that’s it. Black Friday was a bust this year because everybody shopped early, while Cyber Monday failed to replicate last year’s performance because everyone is planning to shop late.
Hmmmm …
As of this writing, the National Retail Federation is sticking with its optimistic projection of 4.1 percent growth for the holiday season … a forecast based on the belief that low gas prices would spur a consumer renaissance.
So far, that’s not happening …
(Pic: Via)
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7 comments
I haven’t bought Christmas gifts (or other gifts and similar needs) in retail stores in at least five years. All are purchased online. Even my wife and daughter buy their shoes online (Zappo’s). If women can buy shoes online then why do they need stores?!
With the increased efficacy of shipping it’s not necessary to rush out the door so that one does not miss anything.
This is much ado about nothing
And with oil/gas down, shipping costs have fallen, too.
Since Black Friday started with the first Ferguson race riots / shopping sprees and until that’s over, the real buying season is still ongoing. So far Amazon has racked up a banner November… Walmart too.
Merry Christmas…
(Today is the latest, best buying day in the stock markets.)
Christmas is going to be a bust this year, in talking to people over the past few weeks, even those who are big Christmas decoration people don’t seem to be all that excited about it this year.
I saved 100% by not shopping on gimmick holidays.
Let’s not forget people (like me) boycotted retail stores due to their treatment of employees.
everybody waiting for santa,the world’s greatest socialist