Good or bad, retailers and shoppers’ impatience for Black Friday has pushed a growing number of brick-and-mortar businesses to open for all or part of Thanksgiving. Some retailers and other companies are taking a more digital approach. They’re sending emails on Thanksgiving Day offering one-day-only deals. No need to hit the stores, shoppers; just click through and buy, buy, buy.
In fact, I received emails from numerous retailers with Thanksgiving Day offers, including Desigual (30% off), White House | Black Market (subject line personalized with my first name in all caps, plus a 25% offer), and Williams-Sonoma (20% off one item plus free shipping). But they weren’t the only businesses getting in the holiday game. I also received emails from MLB team the New York Mets (subject line: “Just for You, 25% off sitewide”; um, I doubt that it was just for me) and home security company Vivint (limited-time referral offer), among others.
In discussing this shift with Senior Editor Al Urbanksi this morning, he quipped that because Thanksgiving is growing in popularity as a shopping day, it, like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, needs its own shopping nickname. I dubbed it Thanksgetting.
Not surprisingly, overall online sales increased by 20% on Thanksgiving Day and purchases made via mobile devices accounted for 26% of those online purchases, according to the IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark. I mean, hey, why schlep to the store when you can stuff your belly with Thanksgiving dishes, then move to the couch and stuff your digital shopping carts with holiday delights.
