Numerator: Amazon leads the pack on Black Friday

Mass merchants led the pack on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this year, with Amazon taking the top spot, according to new research from consumer data specialist Numerator.  

Just behind the e-tail giant for the Thanksgiving weekend shopping blitz were Walmart and Target, said the Numerator Insights Cyber Weekend 2023 report, released Monday. Warehouse club chain Costco finished in the fifth spot, just behind big-box consumer electronics retailer Best Buy. 

The top-selling categories were apparel (cited by 67% of Cyber Weekend shoppers polled), toys (48%), home goods (44%), electronics (43%) and beauty products (35%).  Also among leading purchases were small appliances (21%), wrapping products (16%) and sporting goods (15%).

Black Friday (Nov. 24) was the biggest shopping day of the kickoff to the holiday season, with 89% of survey respondents reporting they made purchases on that day. Cyber Monday (Nov. 27) came in second, with 47% of those polled making purchases that day, just ahead of Thanksgiving weekend Saturday, when 45% of consumers made purchases. 

Forty-two percent of shoppers said they made their purchases primarily in-store, while 34% shopped online. More than a quarter of shoppers (27%) said they made purchases at five or more stores and websites.  

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Shoppers also spent some time preparing for their shopping over the so-called Cyber Weekend, the report noted. More than half (51%) searched retailer websites, while 43% browsed digital ads, 33% made a list of items to purchase, 31% used search engines to find products and 24% browsed social media in search of deals. 

Just under half (45%) planned their purchases in advance, and 26% said they were spontaneous in their shopping over the weekend, Numerator's research found. Their purchases were largely driven by price, with 72% reporting that high prices impacted their decisions.  

Forty-five percent said they spent as much this year as they did during the same time period in 2022, and 36% spent less, the report said. Nearly one in five (19%) said they spent more this year.