Retailers were on Santa’s “nice” list this year as Thanksgiving weekend sales grew an impressive 13% over 2011 and forecast a 4.1% increase for the season, according to the NRF (Visit NRF Holiday Headquarters). Take a look at these undeniable trends & sales records breaking new ground this holiday!

Record #1: Facebook Referral Traffic To Retail Sites Surges 240% Cyber Monday

With a report out this week in The Wall Street Journal that social media referral traffic to retail websites may have dropped 35% during Black Friday from last year, it is reassuring to learn from Facebook that they recorded an impressive 240% jump in referral traffic to e-commerce sites. According to Facebook, these retailers saw the biggest jump in website referral traffic:

• Harry & David  +11,425%
• 1-800-Flowers  +5,477%
• Finish Line  +1,213%
• Coldwater Creek  +1,084%
• American Girl  +695%
• Dillards  +593%
• Crocs  +479%
• Newegg  +478%
• LOFT  +474%
• Eddie Bauer  +470%

* Data sourced from “Facebook Trends & Data” Blog Post (Click to read)

Record #2: 48% Of Holiday Shoppers Use Social Media To Decide What To Buy

Last year, MRY found that 1/3 of all gift shoppers used social media to help them decide what to buy. Not surprisingly, this number has increased to include nearly half of all Americans (48%), according to a 2012 Holiday Survey by Deloitte (Deloitte / Download Report). We hope brands are ready to handle the increasing number of shoppers using social media this holiday, as last year brands failed to respond to half of all customers who reached out to them on social platforms according to our “Dear @Santa” holiday study. (MRY / Download Report)

Record #3: Instagram Snaps 10 Million Thanksgiving Memories

Reaching 10 million photo uploads Thanksgiving Day, Instagram marked its busiest day in the history of the platform. With over 100 million users, that’s an average 10 photos per–user in one day, impressive! (Instagram Blog / Read Announcement). 

Record #4: Cyber Monday 2012: Heaviest Online Shopping Day In History

The importance of door-busting deals available only in store may be waning, as both Black Friday and Cyber Monday recorded impressive online sales. Cyber Monday scored a 17% gain over 2011, along with impressive online sales for Thanksgiving & Black Friday signaling a massive shift in consumer preference for shopping online. (USA Today / Read Article)

• Thanksgiving Day: $633 Million in sales, +32%
• Black Friday (Online): $1.04 Billion in Sales, +26%
• Black Friday (In-Store): $11.2 Billion in sales, -1.8%
• Cyber Monday: $1.46 Billion in Sales, +17%

*According to ComScore Read Release
*According to Forbes Read Article (Black Friday (In-Store))

Record #5: 16% Of Black Friday Purchases Made On Mobile

Transactions made on mobile devices soared this year, increasing an impressive 65% for Thanksgiving Day, validating the inclusion of a “Mobile Thursday” as a shopping holiday. (Black Friday 2012 Report / IBM Smarter Commerce / Download Report) Mobile shopping continued on Black Friday, contributing 16% of all purchases and making up 22% of Cyber Monday purchases, a 100% increase over 2011. Mobile devices (smart phones & tablets) are contributing 40% of Walmart’s total web traffic this holiday, 3 times last year’s total. (Internet Retailer / Read Article)

Record #6: 110% Increase In Purchases On Tablets Cyber Monday

Tablets are now owned by a quarter of all Americans (August 2012 / Pew Research), and drove 14% of total Cyber Monday sales. Validating findings from MRY’s holiday study last year, tablets continue to drive stronger conversion than mobile phones, converting at 3.5x the rate of mobile phones. (Mobile Commerce Daily / Read Article) While the #1 tablet used this holiday was the iPad, expect more from Kindle next year, as it is Amazon’s #1 most-gifted item this season. (Examiner / Read Article)

Mobile devices and social platforms have forever changed the path to purchase for holiday shoppers, impacting their decision making and even how much they spend. For more reading on how social media and technology are driving holiday sales, check out MRY’s holiday study (Click To Download)

Image: “Dear @Santa” Holiday Study by MRY / Click To Download

Written by Nick Fuller, Senior Director Of Marketing  

@NicholasLFuller