MONEY

Black Friday, Cyber Monday sales break records with buyers using AI, phones

Dec 4, 2024, 1:00 PM | Updated: 2:33 pm

Buyers were using their phones over Black Friday and Cyber Monday at record rates. (Photo by DENIS ...

Buyers were using their phones over Black Friday and Cyber Monday at record rates. (Photo by DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images)

(Photo by DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images)

In a dazzling display of consumer enthusiasm, Amazon has announced that its Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday event has set new records, making it the most successful Thanksgiving holiday shopping period in the company’s history. Other online retailers reported similar results.

Taylor Schreiner from Adobe Analytics told KIRO Newsradio’s Heather Bosch, “We’ve seen about a 9% overall increase in purchases over last year and there are definitely deals to be had across the board.”

Shoppers flocked to Amazon’s virtual aisles from November 21 through December 2, snapping up deals and saving billions. Echo and Fire TV devices flew off the digital shelves, with the latest Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick 4K leading the charge. Top categories included electronics, toys, and beauty, featuring hot items like Beats headphones, Samsung TVs, Barbie dolls, Play-Doh, Shark vacuums, and Medicube beauty devices.

Money: Lynnwood city property taxes to go up by a whopping 52%

“What was interesting is that we saw people using their phones to shop at a level that has never been seen before,” Schreiner explained. “About half of the sales from Black Friday to Cyber Monday were coming from phone purchases.”

Independent sellers, many of them small and medium-sized businesses, also celebrated a banner season, contributing over 60% of sales. Brands like JLab, Blissy, Luxe Weavers, and The Woobles were among the standout performers.

“We know how much our customers appreciate saving money, and our customers saved billions with us during this year’s holiday shopping event,” said Doug Herrington, CEO of Worldwide Amazon Stores. “And we have many more fun and exciting ways for them to continue to save this holiday season.”

Food: 24-hour Voodoo Doughnuts location opening in Capitol Hill next week

A study from ecommerce analytics firm Profitero found that Amazon’s prices were, on average, 14% lower than those of other leading U.S. retailers entering the holiday season.

As the holiday season continues, Amazon said it will have millions more deals worldwide. Customers can explore trending gifts in Amazon’s Holiday Shop, featuring top brands like Dyson, Ninja, Sony, and YETI. Special promotions, such as up to 40% off on fashion and fitness favorites from brands like Columbia, Hugo Boss, and Lacoste, will run from December 3-14.

Amazon is also leveraging innovative AI features to enhance the shopping experience. Rufus, Amazon’s AI-powered shopping assistant, helps customers find tailored deals and gifts, while AI Shopping Guides provide detailed product information to aid in decision-making. The Amazon Lens visual shopping tool and the Find-on-Amazon feature further simplify the shopping process.

“We’re seeing about 20 times the use of AI shopping apps this year then we saw last year,” Schreiner said. “Consumers used AI for finding the appropriate gift for a certain age group to finding best prices.”

To accommodate holiday returns, most items purchased between November 1 and December 31 can be returned through January 31.

Contributing: Heather Bosch, KIRO Newsradio

Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email him here

 

Money

boeing layoffs...

The Associated Press

Boeing lost billions in fourth quarter alone, more than $35 billion since fatal crashes in 2019

Boeing posted a fourth-quarter loss of $3.8 billion on Tuesday as a machinists strike and other problems continued to plague the troubled aircraft manufacturer.

14 days ago

starbucks ceo niccol...

Louie Tran, KIRO 7 News

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol awarded $96 million pay package after 4 months on the job

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol's compensation package makes him one of the highest-paid executives in corporate America.

15 days ago

FILE - The Starbucks logo is seen on a storefront. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)...

Bill Kaczaraba

A new day and a new way as Starbucks tries to turn financials around

Starbucks has reintroduced and unveiled new amenities in its stores starting today.

15 days ago

Image: A Costco sign can be seen outside of the Shoreline store location on Oct. 10, 2024....

Steve Coogan

Costco’s big beverage swap: Coke is returning to store food courts

Costco has confirmed its food courts will stop offering Pepsi products in its soda fountains this summer and replace them with Coke products.

17 days ago

rei ceo...

Frank Sumrall

REI CEO announces surprise retirement

The CEO of REI, Eric Artz, announced he is retiring. The Issaquah-based co-op stated Artz will leave the position at the end of March.

19 days ago

pse...

Frank Sumrall

What PSE’s newly increased rates mean for your budget

Expect to be paying more for gas and electricity if you're a Puget Sound Energy (PSE) customer after recently-approved rate hikes.

25 days ago

Black Friday, Cyber Monday sales break records with buyers using AI, phones