【December 2 News, Black Friday sales in the United States are booming this year!】Last Thursday was the traditional Thanksgiving in the United States, and Black Friday is the following Friday, regarded as a barometer for the Christmas sales performance of the U.S. retail industry and one of the most important and busiest days for merchants. Data from financial services provider Mastercard shows that Black Friday retail sales in U.S. physical stores and online increased by 3.4% year-on-year. The company's senior advisor Steve Sadove stated that shoppers took advantage of discounts and were more strategic in their shopping. Sadove pointed out that consumer spending has become more targeted, with more people leaning towards online shopping. Mastercard data indicates that this year, sales in physical stores grew by less than 1%, while online sales surged by 14.6%. Jonathan Chin, co-founder and data director of research firm Facteus, added that the data does not account for inflation; when adjusted for inflation, offline consumption is lower. This year's Black Friday online sales are expected to grow by 8.5%, while offline sales are projected to decline by 8%. The shopping season for Black Friday this year is shorter, lasting only 26 days, and many analysts are not optimistic about the performance of chain department stores and large retailers, but strong online sales overshadow weak offline sales. Adobe Analytics pointed out that last Friday, online transaction amounts were approximately $10.8 billion, a significant increase compared to last year, and Cyber Monday's consumption scale is expected to reach $13.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%. Facteus stated that as of last Friday, e-commerce retailers including Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop experienced strong year-on-year sales growth. E-commerce platform Shopify reported that its sales on Black Friday reached a new high, totaling $5 billion globally. The average shopping cart expenditure for American shoppers is $157, with most added items being clothing, skincare products, and vitamins. The National Retail Federation previously estimated that Americans would spend an average of $902 during the Black Friday shopping season, $25 more than last year and $16 more than the 2019 record.