Sofas become points of purchase as Americans shop with their phones on Thanksgiving

Cyber Week is off to a strong start, where bigger-than-expected discounts on Thanksgiving propelled impulse shopping in categories like electronics and apparel,

Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said in a statement

Adobe is reaffirming its forecast that a new e-commerce record will be set on Black Friday and surge past the $10 billion mark,

said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst of Adobe Digital Insights, in a statement

We came mostly for the experience but we've also found some very good deals,

Mario Clemente, a tourist from the Mexican city of Guadalajara told AFP during a trip to a shopping mall in Los Angeles

Tyler Austindesignated hitter

It's pretty expensive to live in America in general,

said Tyler Austin, 25, who was out shopping Friday in downtown Washington for clothes "to upgrade the wardrobe."

We hope things get better,

she told AFP after a trip to a department store in the US capital

Compared to Mexico, it's much cheaper to come here, even when you add the hotel and the flight,

he said

Many well-known retailers elected to close on Thanksgiving this year to prevent crowds in stores and give their hard-working employees more time with their families. Additionally, with Black Friday deals being spread throughout the holiday season, the typical holiday traffic peaks are flattening, with more days sharing importance throughout the season."

Said Field

As we approach Super Saturday, December 19, and corresponding shipping deadlines, we expect to see some of the in-store traffic that didn't materialize on Black Friday appear as consumers wrap up their holiday shopping and make last-minute purchases,

said Field

New consoles, phones, smart devices and TVs that are traditional Black Friday purchases are sharing online shopping cart space this year with unorthodox Black Friday purchases such as groceries, clothes, and alcohol, that would previously have been purchased in-store."

Taylor Schreiner, a director at Adobe Digital Insights, told CNBC

Due to COVID-19 and social distancing requirements, shoppers were more purposeful in their in-person Black Friday shopping, causing significantly less crowds than we've seen in the past."

Brian Field, Sensormatic's senior director of global retail consulting, said in a press release

For many people, payday will have fallen today which may be the final payday before Christmas, therefore today’s Black Friday sales will provide them with ample opportunity to grab some festive bargains, which again is positive news for retailers and leisure or hospitality vendors.”

Matthews said

My motto is: if you need or want something and you can wait till Black Friday, then you wait to buy. Don't buy things for the sake of buying things."

Several people commented on her tips video, with one saying

I used to work in Bershka and they didn't rise up the price, it was items that were already discounted that nobody wanted to purchase."

A former retail worker shared

When a season is ending, they [stores] want to clear out the current season's inventory to prepare for the next one. This helps prevent overstocking and frees up shelf space. Also, some items may not have sold well during the season due to changing fashion, so end-of-season sales provide a final opportunity to sell these items."

She explained

I feel like it depends on the store to be honest,

added another

This allows them to offer lower prices without sacrificing their usual profit margins,

she added

Stores promote doorbuster deals with limited quantities to sell stock at a faster rate. This scarcity tactic creates a sense of urgency and competition among shoppers."

She also

We've seen a strong early response to our holiday assortments, and we are ready and excited for the peak selling period to kick into high gear this week,

Abercrombie's Chief Operating Officer Scott Lipesky said on the company's earnings call

People are still spending, but they perhaps don't have as much to spend,

he said

This mega promotional event is a mixed blessing for retailers. It provokes such shopping mania in the quest for a good deal that around three quarters of people will actually put off spending in the run-up to the event,

said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown