WASHINGTON — More shoppers than last year hit the stores for the unofficial launch of the holiday season over the weekend, according The National Retail Federation here.
According to the survey, which was conducted for NRF by BIGresearch, a record 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Black Friday weekend, up from 212 million last year. The average holiday shopper spent $398.62, up from $365.34 last year. Total spending reached an estimated $52.4 billion.
Additionally, shoppers spent an average of $150.53 in online shopping, or 37.8% of their total weekend spending.
"More consumers than ever turned out for retailers' Black Friday promotions, a promising sign for the economic recovery," said Matthew Shay, NRF president and chief executive officer, in a statement.
More than half (51.4%) of Black Friday weekend shoppers bought clothing and clothing accessories, and 39.4% bought electronic items, up from 36.7% last year. Additionally, shoppers purchased toys (32.6%), home gift cards (23.1%), jewelry (21.8%), and home decor (21.3%).
The most popular shopping destinations: department stores (48.7%) and discounters (37.5%), followed by electronics stores (30.8%), clothing stores (24.6%), grocery stores (23.8%), drug stores (14.0%), and craft or fabric stores (7.9%.).
The survey, conducted Nov. 24-26, polled 3,826 consumers and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.6%.