After a chaotic Black Friday in 2008, consumers decided to research and plan their retail trips online by looking for specials and deals before embarking on the famous shopping journey. Google reported that retail-related searches were up 49 percent from last year, but the amount of traffic to retailer's websites was down 9 percent, according to Ad Age.
Despite a drop in retail site traffic, e-commerce still grew compared to 2008. On Thanksgiving, sales increased 10 percent, while Black Friday saw an 11 percent rise. While retailers saw a rise in consumer numbers, the amount of spending per-person went down.
Confusion arose when Hitwise released data stating consumer traffic to retailer sites on Black Friday was down 9 percent from 2008, while comScore reported that traffic was flat. Either way, retail traffic was less than or equal to last year and not up. Consumers were only visiting retail sites to browse, and those who already knew what to buy thanks to their research were out at the stores.
