Sunday, November 29, 2009

Black Friday Online Retail Sales Grow 41% Over 2008



For the Record:  Black Friday 2009 Online Retail Sales Grow 41% Over 2008 Reports Mercent; Mercent eCommerce Index Signals Strong Online Holiday Sales

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - November 28, 2009) - Mercent™, a leading provider of on-demand marketing solutions for retailers, today released the Mercent eCommerce Index™ for Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day 2009.



The Mercent eCommerce Index is a scheduled report that measures the year-over-year (YOY) same-seller online gross merchandise value (GMV) growth of Mercent's aggregate retail clients each quarter and for key dates and date ranges during the holiday shopping season. Today's release specifically includes consumer retail e-commerce growth figures for Black Friday (November 27, 2009) and Thanksgiving Day (November 26, 2009).



  • For the 24 hours of Thanksgiving Day 2009, Mercent reports overall same-seller online retail GMV grew 33% relative to Thanksgiving Day 2008.

  • For the 24 hours of Black Friday 2009, Mercent reports overall same- seller online retail GMV grew 41% on Black Friday relative to 2008.

  • On Thanksgiving Day, same-seller GMV of Mercent clients participating in Amazon's "Selling on Amazon" third-party marketplace program increased by 78% relative to Thanksgiving Day 2008.

  • On Black Friday, same-seller GMV of Mercent clients participating in Amazon's "Selling on Amazon" third-party marketplace program increased by 56% on Black Friday relative to 2008.





2009 Key Holiday Shopping Days vs. Corresponding Days in 2008 for eCommerce Spending







Holiday Season Day Online Shopping Channels  ALL AMZN

November 26th (Thanksgiving Day) 33%    78%

November 27th (Black Friday) 41%    56%




According to Mercent CEO Eric Best, "Mercent data indicates Black Friday holiday eCommerce retail sales are markedly better than the same period in 2008, further confirming our belief the retail industry, especially online, is in a measured recovery. Furthermore, we believe consumers are responding well to aggressive merchant promotions, discounts and increased customer service levels offered online -- particularly among market leaders like Amazon.com. We anticipate this growth to continue on Cyber Monday and through the peak selling season in December."



Mercent attributes merchant GMV sales growth across online channels to the macro-economic recovery in non-discretionary and discretionary spending; the increased draw of online channels that provide aggressive and competitive purchasing options for value-conscious shoppers; and the efficiencies of major online shopping destinations such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart and others, that are placing downward pressure on industry selling and fulfillment expenses. Furthermore, the most competitive merchants are becoming intensely savvy and efficient with their online sales and advertising strategies, leveraging technologies like Mercent Retail™ to seamlessly integrate product data feeds with online sales channels and fully optimize online ad campaigns and promotions to drive incremental sales.

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