Black Friday, Cyber Monday increasingly merging
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- The physical rush of Black Friday and the armchair browsing of Cyber Monday are increasingly blending into one big holiday shopping event as more customers buy items online and pick them up at brick-and-mortar stores.
Adobe Analytics reported Saturday that more customers are going to stores to get items they bought online. That trend contributed to a record $6.22 billion spent online by the end of Friday, up nearly 24 percent from last year.
It's a sign retailers are merging online business with their physical stores even as fewer people travel to those stores on Black Friday.
ShopperTrak, which tracks Black Friday foot traffic, says there was a 1.7 percent decline from the same period last year.
Adobe says more than $2 billion in sales were done from smartphones alone.