The number of people visiting various Web sites posting Black Friday ad circulars and specials in advance of their release is rising, a recent report found.
Online traffic for Black Friday advertising Web sites increased 52% versus one year ago. And the deals seem to be piquing shoppers’ interest earlier, according to the report, by Hitwise, an online competitive intelligence service.
Searches under the term “Black Friday ads” jumped 91% compared to last year and have increased 954% since 2005, the report said. The ad searches rose 452% in 2006 versus 2005.
Wal-Mart received the most traffic from the Web sites, followed by Sears and Best Buy. In 2006, Best Buy, Circuit City and Sears earned the most traffic for offline brands.
“Consumers are becoming increasingly more knowledgeable about the availability of Black Friday promotions online and are actively seeking out the Web sites which offer the advertisements before public release,” said Heather Dougherty, director of research at Hitwise, in a statement. “Much to the chagrin of some retailers, shoppers are well-aware of the leaked promotions and are able to plan their Black Friday purchases before Thanksgiving arrives. While some retailers resist having their sales announced prematurely, others are embracing these sites as a customer acquisition opportunity.”
But not everyone is pleased. Retailers, including Macy’s and Wal-Mart have sent cease and desist orders to a number of Web sites requesting that their circulars be removed (Promo Xtra, Nov. 15, 2007).
http://promomagazine.com/news/black_friday_ad_leaks/
Still, consumers are looking for some good holiday deals.
What items are hot on the shopping lists this year? The terms “iPod,” “Wii” and “Uggs” were the top three product searches, Hitwise said. And Playstation 3 cracked the top 10 product searches for the first time this season.
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