Arlington, VA, Nov. 24, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A record-breaking 103.3 million Americans will shop online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday this year, an increase of 6.1 million shoppers over 2013, according to a new survey released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) ®. CEA's 2014 Pre-Black Friday Report also finds, in total, 143 million U.S. consumers plan to shop over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, with 89 million U.S. adults planning to buy consumer technology products.
See video from Consumer Electronics Association here: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/CEA/BlackFriday
CEA's survey shows Black Friday again will be the most popular online shopping day, as 24 percent of those surveyed say they plan to shop that day, four percentage points higher than 2013. By comparison, 19 percent say they'll shop online on Cyber Monday - a two percentage point increase from last year. Black Friday also will be the most popular day for in-store shopping, with 28 percent of those surveyed planning to shop the day after Thanksgiving - on par with 2013, but five percentage points less than 2012 (33 percent).
Use of Mobile Devices will be Key Driver of Holiday Sales Consumer use of mobile devices to compare products and prices and find deals from retailers will be more important than ever during the 2014 holiday weekend. Three quarters (74 percent) of consumers expect to use their smartphones, cell phones or tablets while shopping during the weekend, the highest total recorded by CEA's annual survey.
"Mobile use is strongly influencing the consumer's shifting shopping patterns around Thanksgiving weekend," said Shawn DuBravac, Ph.D., chief economist, CEA and author of CEA's soon-to-be released book Digital Destiny: How the New Age of Data Will Transform the Way We Work, Live, and Communicate. "With the help of mobile devices, this year will be online shopping's biggest Black Friday weekend yet and we'll see that materialize in a number of ways."
Of those planning to use mobile devices over the Thanksgiving shopping weekend, 77 percent plan to use their mobile devices to compare prices and get more information about products before making purchases, and 62 percent will compare prices of products in-store to help them purchase gifts. Additionally, 65 percent will look to receive special offers or discounts from retailers, and 62 percent will search for coupons on their devices.
Among all U.S. adults, 29 percent say they'll search for deals on social media sites, 27 percent will use apps on their smartphones or tablets and 14 percent will turn to text notifications.
"We expect to see more consumers than ever turn to their mobile devices to learn about sales and discounts during the holiday weekend," said DuBravac. "Retailers are clearly focusing on delivering a rich consumer shopping experience, and are increasingly focused on delivering that experience online, in-stores and on mobile devices."
Also, registering for the first time in CEA's survey this year, nearly one in five consumers using a mobile device to help them shop (18 percent) anticipate paying for a purchase in-store using their mobile device (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Wallet).
Top Tech for Black Friday
CEA expects 36 percent of U.S. adults - 89 million Americans in all - to buy electronics products between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, a five percent increase over 2013 (31 percent). The top five tech products consumers plan to purchase over the weekend are:
1) Tablets (for the second year in a row)
2) Televisions (moving up from fourth place last year)
3) Laptop/notebook computers
4) Smartphones (jumping six percentage points from last year)
5) Videogame consoles (slipping two spots)
CEA plans to release results from its 2014 Post Black Friday Report on Sunday, November 30. CEA's DuBravac will also host a media call on November 30 at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT. DuBravac will discuss highlights from Black Friday, including how much money consumers expect to spend, what they purchased and where they shopped. To participate in that call, please dial 800 734 8582. For more information, contact Danielle Cassagnol at dcassagnol@CE.org or Laura Hubbard at lhubbard@ce.org.
CEA's 2014 Pre-Black Friday Report was designed and formulated by the Consumer Electronics Association. It represents the findings of a quantitative study administered via telephone interview. Please cite any information to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) ®. The complete report is available for free to CEA member companies at members.CE.org. Non-members may purchase the study for $299 at the CEA Store.
About CEA
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the technology trade association representing the $211 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES - The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA's industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org, www.DeclareInnovation.com and through social media.