Survey: 147M Black Friday shoppers expected

A preliminary Black Friday shopping survey conducted by BIGinsight for the National Retail Federation projects up to 147 million people will visit stores and websites during the consumer holiday this year. Last year, 152 million people were estimated to turn out.

The survey, conducted Nov. 1-6, polled 9,383 consumers and has a 1 percent margin of error, according to a news release.

Of the total projected consumers during the Black Friday weekend ending Nov. 25, 71 million are expected to shop right away, while the other 76 million would wait to see what retailers have in stock, the NRF said.

“It’s critical for retail companies to constantly evolve as consumers do, and right now shoppers want great deals, good value and convenience - exactly what we’re seeing with this season’s late and early openings, price-matching, layaway and mobile offerings," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in the release.

During the 2011 Black Friday weekend, a BIGinsight survey for the NRF found a record 226 million shoppers participated in the event, either online or in retail stores. Total spending reached roughly $52.4 billion, according to a separate release.[[In-content Ad]]