Shopify and Worldwide BFCM Results So Far

Shopify and Worldwide BFCM Results So Far

It used to be just a super-busy shopping day on Friday with special deals. Then it became a Friday-Saturday thing. Then the internet came and we added Cyber Monday as the biggest online version of the Friday Free-for-All and thus we invented the acronym BFCM – Black Friday-Cyber Monday.

Now, BFCM has pushed to Thanksgiving Day itself and become a five-day-long bacchanalia of shopping bravado.

Here are this week’s top stories, and it’s all about the BFCM.

1. The First Two Days of BFCM Are a Mega-Blow-Out Online

A few months ago, we reported in this hallowed email that Adobe was predicting that the strongest growth in Black Friday shopping would occur online. They predicted $7.5 billion and were darn close. The current estimate is $7.4 billion — a whopping 19% increase (+$1.2 billion) over last year. The average order value was $168, up nearly 6% from last year.

But that ain’t the half of it. Online shopping on Thanksgiving Day broke records too, with $4.2 billion spent online while the turkey was in the oven.

2. Dear TaskHusky Customers — We’ve Been Tell’in You (Mobile)

We have said it time and time again … mobile IS the future of eCommerce. This year on Black Friday, >39% of ALL online sales were on smartphones. That’s $2.9 billion in cold hard cash.

And a TON of shoppers who purchased on PCs did their initial shopping and browsing on their phones. Heck, even I do that. So, if you are not optimized for mobile, you ARE the weakest link.

Next week we should have a lot more stats and even some final numbers, so stay tuned.

3. Shopify’s Live Sales Map Is BACK!

I really wish that they had announced this thing earlier. Maybe I missed it? I try to keep on top of all this stuff. Dang, the announcement did not even post until Thanksgiving Day … anyway.

For a technology/eCommerce nerd like me, this is mesmerizing. Shopify did their live sales tracking map again and you can just sit there with a warm beer in one hand and a cold slice of pizza in the other and watch the sales stream through Shopify stores all over the world.

Check out the Shopify’s Live Map of eCommerce Sales for BFCM.

4. How Did Shopify Stores Do?

6.1 million users made at least one purchase on a Shopify store site on Black Friday – up 49% from last year making an average purchase of $87.71. total sales across the Shopify platform on Black Friday totaled $900 million.

Shopify gave its results to eCommerceBytes.

We’ve been tracking sales for Cyber Monday as I am writing this email and the numbers look equally strong (see next item),

5. Cyber Monday Is Rock’in!

We won’t have the final numbers for a few days, but our live tracking indicates that Cyber Monday is going to be up big time as well. Adobe and others are estimating a 19% increase over last year across the board … including on Shopify. It’s hard to pin down because the final hours of Cyber Monday — from 10 PM through 2 AM EST — account for nearly a third of all Cyber Monday sales each year.

Here is CNN’s post about that from the middle of the day.

Each week I wish you “Happy Selling.” I truly mean it and hope you are getting a slice of the holiday pie.

Happy Selling,
Zachary

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