Black Friday spending up in 2021, Shopify says; Plus, 5 of the hottest items
Shopify says shoppers broke a Black Friday record this year, with more than $2.9 billion in sales on its platforms, and a lot of shoppers got their bargains during the lunch hour.
The Ottawa-based e-commerce company says shoppers also spent more, on average, this year than they did last year, and more than two thirds of sales came from mobile devices.
The peak selling hour was 12 p.m. ET, with shoppers worldwide spending $3.1 million per minute at around 12:02 p.m. Shopify said a billion dollars in sales had already been made by 4 a.m. ET, four hours earlier than 2020.
Ottawa ranked fourth in the top five Canadian cities where shoppers were buying from, with Toronto topping the list. Calgary and Montreal were second and third, respectively, and Vancouver came in fifth. Ottawa also appeared in the top five for the most curbside pickup orders and local delivery orders.
Companies like Trexity are benefiting from that desire to have goods delivered to our doors.
“We’ve become a lot more accustomed to having things brought to us, it’s the convenience factor,” said CEO and co-founder Alok Ahuja. “But also, I think people in general are starting to value more time. I think getting things delivered is you putting a value on how important your time is.”
Shopify says its average cart price was $150.11 CAD, up from $128.50 last year, according to the company's statistics. Sixty-seven per cent of orders in Canada were made on a mobile device, up from 61 per cent. Last year's Black Friday sales total was $2.4 billion.
Clothes and accessories were the most popular items, followed by home and garden items, health and beauty products, food and beverages, and toys and games. Food and drink topped the list for local delivery orders.
Shoppers in London, England topped Shopify's global charts for sales. New York, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, and Chicago rounded out the top five cities worldwide.
Michelle Wasylshen, with the Retail Council of Canada, says the market is shifting to a blend of online and in-person shopping.
“Although online shopping is going to continue to be important, there’s certainly going to be a blend between the physical and online stores; that’s important now, and I think you’ll continue to see that evolve,” she explained, while adding that Black Friday's growth in 2021 is a sign people are feeling more confident. “Consumers are far more optimistic than they were last year and they have really have a strong desire to return to more normal holiday traditions and that includes shopping in stores.”
HOTTEST ITEMS IN 2021
According to Shopify, its top trending items are The Nugget couch, Luna Leggings, the HydroJug Black Friday bundle, the Luxe Core sheet set from Brooklinen, and the Perfect Pot.
The average cart price worldwide was $101.20 USD, up from $90.70 last year.
The company also says 23,000+ tonnes of carbon removal was funded to counteract emissions from the delivery of every order placed on Shopify’s platform on Black Friday
Shopify powers more than 1.7 million merchants worldwide in 175 countries.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.