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Tag: Black Friday

  • Amazon Announces ‘Holiday Dash’ Prime Day Every Day

    Amazon Announces ‘Holiday Dash’ Prime Day Every Day

    Amazon wants to emulate the success of Prime Day every day with ‘Holiday Dash,’ a new section on Amazon with daily deals that “equal Black Friday.”

    Amazon says that “with new deals dropping every day starting October 16, customers can shop early and with confidence that they are getting Black Friday-worthy deals and incredible savings on a huge selection of products.”

    Here are the announced details on Amazon’s Holiday Dash deals:

    Amazon Brands

    • Save up to 30% on select kid’s clothing and more from our brands including Amazon Essentials, Spotted Zebra, and Simple Joys by Carter’s
    • Save up to 30% on select men’s and women’s clothing and more from our brands including Amazon Essentials, Daily Ritual and Goodthreads
    • Save up to 20% on AmazonBasics
    • Save 40% on Wag dog food, and treats
    • Save 20% on household and personal care products from Solimo
    • Save 20% on Presto! Refillable Cleaners
    • Save 20% on baby care products from Mama Bear and Solimo
    • Save 20% on Belei skincare
    • Save 20% on nutrition and wellness products from Amazon Elements and Revly
    • Save 20% on coffee, snacks, and other grocery essentials from Solimo, Happy Belly, and Amazon Fresh

    Toys & Games

    • Save up to 40% on Star Wars toys
    • Save up to 40% on Collectible toys from L.O.L. Surprise!, Calico Critters, Fingerlings, and more
    • Save up to 30% on Hot Wheels toys
    • Save up to 30% on Building Sets from LEGO, Magna-Tiles, and PlayMonster
    • Save up to 30% on Marvel toys
    • Save up to 30% on Fortnite, Pokemon, Roblox and more
    • Save up to 40% on Tegu Building Blocks
    • Save up to 30% on Funko POPs!
    • Save up to 30% on Arts & Crafts sets
    • Save 30% on Evenflo Pivot Explore Wagon
    • Save up to 30% on preschool toys from Jazwares, Spin Master, Hape, and more
    • Save on AmScope 52-piece kids beginner microscope STEM kit

    Fashion

    • Save up to 40% on select apparel from Calvin Klein
    • Save up to 40% on select Levi’s apparel for the whole family
    • Save up to 40% on Star Wars apparel
    • Save up to 30% on select New Balance footwear and apparel
    • Save up to 40% on select Tommy Hilfiger apparel
    • Save up to 40% on select kids’ clothing from Gerber, Hudson Baby, and more
    • Save up to 50% on select watches from Citizen, Bulova, Anne Klein, and more
    • Save up to 30% on select Lacoste apparel, shoes, and accessories
    • Save up to 30% on Marvel apparel
    • Save up to 30% on select seasonal fashion trends
    • Save up to 25% on select Nautica men’s and women’s apparel
    • Save up to 48% on select Hanna Anderson pajama sets and underwear styles
    • Save up to 30% on select styles from The Drop
    • Save up to 40% on select women’s shoes from Shopbop
    • Save up to 15% on select women’s accessories from Shopbop

    Household, Kitchen, Home Improvement & Smart Home

    • Save on Le Creuset Cast Iron and Stoneware, including up to 48% on select Le Creuset 3.5Qt Oval Dutch Ovens
    • Save up to 50% on select Bissell Vacuums
    • Save up to 40% on SharkNinja Shark Navigator Lift-Away
    • Save up to 35% on Eufy by Anker RoboVac
    • Save up to 30% on Eureka Stick Vacuum
    • Save on iRobot Robotic vacuums and mops
    • Save up to 30% on iLife Robotic vacuum cleaner
    • Save up to 25% or more on Samsung vacuums
    • Save up to 36% on select Blueair air purifiers
    • Save up to 20% on select Molekule air purifiers
    • Save up to 40% on KitchenAid tools
    • Save up to 20% on the Instant Pot Duo Mini Plus
    • Save up to 30% on Hallmark gift wrap, ornaments, and cards
    • Save up to 20% on select Breville Smart Ovens
    • Save up to 20% on OXO BREW coffee makers
    • Save up to 30% on Tineco floorcare products
    • Save on Ninja AF161 Air Fryer and Ninja FG551 Foodi Indoor Smart Grill
    • Save on select SodaStream Fizzi Sparkling Water Maker Bundles
    • Save on the Keurig K-Mini Coffee Maker
    • Save up to 20% on OXO Good Grips Smart Seal and bakeware
    • Save up to 35% on Ayesha Curry Cookware
    • Save 30% on Linenspa 10″ hybrid mattresses
    • Save up to 30% on Zinus furniture and mattresses
    • Save 30% on Sweetnight mattresses
    • Save up to 30% on Moen bathroom fixtures and up to 20% off on Moen kitchen products
    • Save up to 25% on select Hansgrohe products
    • Save 15% on GE Profile Ice Maker
    • Save 20% on select Broan appliances
    • Save up to 15% on select Delta Faucet products
    • Save up to 15% on Whirlpool softeners
    • Save 15% or more on gaming, home education and home office furniture
    • Save on select August Smart Locks
    • Save on select Kwikset Smart and Mechanical Locks
    • Save on Smart Home products from Emerson, Kasa TP-Link, and more

    Beauty, Health & Personal Care

    • Save up to 50% on your favorite Premium Beauty brands from Elemis, Mario Badescu, Redken, and more
    • Save up to 40% on Premium Beauty appliances from T3, Foreo and more
    • Save up to 40% on Waterpik and Colgate oral care appliances
    • Save up to 45% on skin care from NIVEA, Aquaphor, and Eucerin
    • Save up to 30% on hair dryers and products from Revlon, Bed Head, and more
    • Save up to 35% on razors from Braun, Gillette, and more
    • Save 33% on Panasonic and Norelco shavers
    • Save up to 20% on Fitbit Activity and Fitness Trackers

    Electronics

    • Save up to 33% on select Nintendo Switch games
    • Save up to 35% on Nixplay Digital Frames
    • Save up to 30% on Kodak Instant Cameras and Printers
    • Save 25% on Adobe Creative Cloud Entire Collection
    • Save up to 20% on Samsung TVs
    • Save up to 20% on Sony TVs
    • Save up to 50% on JBL Speakers
    • Save up to 33% on Sony Headphones
    • Save up to 33% on Bose Headphones
    • Save up to 40% on select Mynt 3D printing pens and accessories
    • Save 30% on Mynt 3D PRO Pen with OLED Display
    • Save up to 30% on VAVA 4K Projectors
    • Save up to 30% on TaoTronics Headphones

    Small Businesses on Amazon Launchpad

    • Save up to 50% on Kids Against Maturity: Card Game for Kids and Families
    • Save up to 30% on the SOLIOM S600 Outdoor Security Camera
    • Save up to 25% on the Zen Laboratory DIY Jumbo Slime Kit for Kids
    • From October 26 to November 19, Prime members can save 10% or more on select unique products from small brands on Amazon Launchpad like: Mobile Pixels Duex Portable Monitor for Laptops and Scentered Travel Essentials Aromatherapy Balm gift set

    Entertainment: Amazon Music, Audible, Books & Prime Video

    • Amazon Music: Beginning October 23, new Amazon Music Unlimited customers can get three months of the premium streaming tier free, to enjoy unlimited access to more than 60 million songs, ad-free and a wide selection of popular podcasts.
    • Amazon Music: Beginning October 29, current Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can upgrade to the Family Plan free for three months, with access for up to six accounts.
    • Audible: Between November 1 and December 31, new members save nearly 40% on the first six months of an Audible Plus membership at just $4.95 per month. Membership includes unlimited access to more than 10 thousand Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
    • Books: Deals on select multi-genre books and ebooks throughout the season
    • Prime Video: This holiday season, Prime Video will offer up to 50% off select popular Halloween, family and holiday movies to rent or buy. Deals will roll out over the next few months, so be sure to check www.amazon.com/pmd for updates.

    Amazon Gift Cards

    • Starting today, customers using Amazon Reload to replenish their Amazon Gift Card balance for the first time will receive a $10 bonus with their reload of $100 or more. Offer available through December 31.
    • Starting October 26, first-time Amazon Gift Card shoppers will receive a $15 promotional credit with the purchase of $50 or more in Amazon Gift Cards. Offer available through December 20. The promotional credit expires on February 6, 2021. Other restrictions apply.

    Amazon Credit Cards:

    • Now through December 22, with an eligible Prime membership, customers who apply and are approved for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card will instantly receive a $100 Gift Card. Prime Cardmembers earn 5% back at Whole Foods Market and Amazon.com. Additionally, starting November 1 through December 22, customers without a Prime membership can apply for the Amazon Rewards Visa Card and receive a $60 Gift Card upon approval, in addition to earning 3% back at Whole Foods Market and Amazon.com as a cardmember. Restrictions apply. Visit amazon.com/visa for details.

    Automotive, Tools and Lawn & Garden

    • Save 50% on tire installation
    • Save up to 25% on Miracle-Gro Expand ‘n Gro concentrated planting mix
    • Save 25% on Castrol GTX Conventional motor oil
    • Save 20% on Select Tonno Pro Tonneau covers
    • Save up to 20% on select Streamlight flashlights
    • Save on select DEWALT cordless drills and tools
    • Save up to 30% on select SKIL tools
    • Save up to 15% off on select ZGrills Pellet Grills & Smokers
    • Save up to 15% on Shintenchi 4 piece wicker rattan outdoor patio furniture set
    • Save on select Renogy monocrystalline solar panels

    Sports & Outdoors

    • Save up to 20% on Select Coleman Tents & Gear
    • Save up to 20% on select CamelBak kids water bottles
    • Save up to 25% on select Sawyer Products water filters
    • Save up to 30% on select Stanley drinkware
    • Save up to 28% on select Segway scooters and kids bikes
    • Save up to 30% on select Stiga table tennis rackets and Zume badminton set
    • Save up to 30% on select Legendary Whitetails apparel
    • Save up to 30% on select Osprey Outdoor Packs

    Pets

    • Save 20% on Catit Creamy cat treats
    • Save on Petsafe electronic dog toys
    • Save on The Honest Kitchen human grade pet treats
    • Save on Friends Forever donut pet beds

    Whole Foods Market:

    • Both in-store and online, Prime members can receive discounts on customer favorites including 35% off Bare Bones broths and 35% off all packaged teas, available now through October 27.
    • Available now through October 20, customers can get 20% off pumpkins and gourds – excluding squash.
  • When It’s Game Time for Retail New Relic is There, Says CEO

    When It’s Game Time for Retail New Relic is There, Says CEO

    New Relic provides deep performance analytics for every part of a business software environment. It enables companies to easily view and analyze massive amounts of data, and gain actionable insights in real-time. Whether it’s for a popular mobile app, an online video game with millions of users, or a huge ecommerce platform, they all rely on critical New Relic insights to keep revenue flowing.

    Lew Cirne, founder and CEO of New Relic, talks about how critical real-time insights from New Relic are to a companies revenue stream in an interview with Jim Cramer on CNBC:

    When It’s Game Time for Retail New Relic is There

    For retail obviously, so much of their business, particularly their web business depends on a very small number of days; Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc. That’s game time. That’s the moment of truth. That’s when we’re working our hardest to make sure our software is there to make sure our customers can see what’s going on in real-time. Our customers were thrilled with the performance and availability that they delivered which turns into business results.

    If your site is slower or down on Cyber Monday, forget it, you’re going to miss your quarter. You may never recover from that because you also have a brand hit. So it’s so vital. This is not nice to have software. Anybody who is competing on their software needs New Relic’s platform in order to succeed.

    We’re a Massive Cloud Operation

    We’re a massive cloud operation. We’re collecting millions of data points every second from mobile applications and from cloud infrastructure every time somebody’s pressing a button to buy something and every time someone’s watching this video on the CNBC app. We’re measuring the health of that and we do that on a massive scale. That’s one of the things our customers love.

    When Fortnite said, “Hey we’ve got this huge app. It’s the biggest in the world and we want to monitor on New Relic.” We’re like great. Your biggest day is just another day for us. We collect so much data and we can do it for you.

    New Relic Monitors Fortnite to Keep it Running for Millions of People

    Epic Games is the company that created Fortnite and if you have kids or you’re into games this game has taken the world by storm. It’s the most popular game in the world. If that game is not working millions of people know about it and the company is affected.

    So they rely on the New Relic platform to see everything in real-time on how that game is performing. It’s a very complex piece of software that has to work flawlessly in real-time. We measure everything going on in that game so that the builders of Fortnite can keep it running for millions of people 24/7.

    There are different companies that do different things around observing what’s going on in this space but were the applications-centric company. What does that mean? It means that when you’re playing Fortnite what you’re doing is you’re using software.

    We’re measuring the software in real-time. We do it in a cloud platform that integrates what’s going on in the software with the infrastructure and with the end-user experience, like the mobile app. We see all that together and do it in one unified platform and our customers love us for that.

    New Relic Helps CNBC Scale Mobile App in Real-Time

    At CNBC, you just launched an incredible new revenue app in the fall and it’s amazing. I use it a lot and I love it and again this is an app that’s getting a lot of uptake. I was talking to the team and they said customers love what the app is doing for them and they want to use it more and more. That means they have to scale.

    When more and more people are using that app how are you able to handle the scale when people want to see the news in real time and want to see the stock quotes in real time? We provide them the visibility that gives them the confidence to move faster and scale to this amazing demand that the CNBC app is generating.

    New Relic Helps Companies Move Fast in a Multi-Cloud World

    This is so important to our customers. It’s clear that we’re entering a multi-cloud world. Obviously, Microsoft’s doing well and Amazon doing very well. We had a great show at re:INVENT. And there’s some hybrid cloud as well. What our customers are saying no matter where my software is running I want to see it all in one place. I’m sick of moving from one tool to another to see a complete picture. They turn to the New Relic platform to see it all in one place. That enables them to move fast with confidence.

    Anywhere there are systems that need to perform well and scale well, those are systems that need New Relic. What we say to our customers is building great software is not easy, but it is the foundation upon which companies can build great competitive advantage. We want to partner with our customers to deliver amazing software that delights our customers and grows their business.


  • UNCS CEO: It’s an Amazing Time To Be a Consumer… Every Day is Black Friday

    UNCS CEO: It’s an Amazing Time To Be a Consumer… Every Day is Black Friday

    The CEO of United National Consumer Suppliers, Brett Rose, says that it’s an amazing time to be a consumer because every day is Black Friday. Rose predicts that this is going to possibly be the biggest Q4 in our history.

    Brett Rose, CEO of United National Consumer Suppliers, discussed Amazon and ecommerce in an interview on Fox Business:

    Amazon Has Huge Competitive Advantage

    All things considered, consumers want free shipping, not quick shipping. However, if all levels are equal with Amazon, Target, and Walmart, the one competitive advantage that Amazon has, that Target and Walmart can’t, is that Amazon has millions of these third-party resellers constantly filling their coffers with products. Target and Walmart are limited to what they have in stock that’s ready to go.

    There is no denying that Walmart has made some massive strides. But to come after Amazon is hefty. Like I said Amazon has a constant supply of products where their not just limited to what they’re curating on their own. They’re limitless in regards to what everybody is sending to them to go right to the consumer.

    Every Day is Black Friday

    Interesting times with tariffs. If you read everything that came out Chinese imports are up 15 percent over the same time last year. They’ve all front-loaded in preparations for the President’s tariffs which are now in full effect. All of these retailers pushed up orders in what might have otherwise taken months. It’s yet to be determined, but consumers still need goods. There’s always going to be a need, the price is just going to fluctuate.

    If numbers are indicative, everything these retailers are curating and everything the street is saying, it’s going to be one of if not the biggest Q4 in our history. Even if you look at Black Friday announcements, Black Friday is out already. Amazon has released their Black Friday items. BlackFriday.com, Macy’s, went live the other day with their sales. Retailers are vamping up to stay competitive. You go online now and you can figure out what retailers are selling for Black Friday.

    It’s an amazing time to be a consumer. Every day is Black Friday. Right now it really is. They’ve already released what the doorbusters are going to be.

    Still a Major Value in Having a Physical Presence

    There’s always going to be the consumer that likes to go to the store, likes to feel it, touch it, get the treasure hunt, but now with real-time shipping, free shipping, real-time inventory, it’s a great time to be a consumer. It’s certainly competitive. While Amazon is making strides they are still going after brick & mortar. Buying Whole Foods and some of the other retailers they are looking at, says there is still a major value in having that physical presence.

  • Boxing Day Saw More Digital Shoppers Than Ever

    Boxing Day Saw More Digital Shoppers Than Ever

    Boxing Day–December 26–saw more digital shoppers than ever this year, rivaling Cyber Monday in the U.S. This year the sales even started before Boxing Day.

    The Age reports that Boxing Day shoppers were more likely to shop from home this year than ever before.

    Australian retailer David Jones said its website “broke all records for traffic and sales on Boxing Day, December 26, clocking up over a million visitors.”

    Kogan.com is Australia’s largest online department store. CEO Rusian Kogan says this year’s traffic on the evening of December 25 was up 50 percent over last year.

    “So people have had their turkey and spent time with the family, and then they start shopping on their mobile or laptop, and you give them early access to the deals,” he said.

    “Bricks and mortar retailers can’t do that and we’ve seen huge increase even just for that period,” Kogan added.

    Mr. Kogan added that although plenty of shoppers were lined up at the brick and mortar store to shop on Boxing Day, online sales that began on Christmas Day were very attractive to shoppers.

    “For retail stores, they can’t open at that time … so it makes sense for everyone, whether you’re a pure play online retailer or a bricks and mortar retailer,” he said.

    Might Boxing Day eventually go the way of Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the U.S.? More and more shoppers find Christmas deals while sipping coffee in their pajamas every year.

  • After-Christmas Sales 2015 Include Electronics, Winter Apparel, and More

    After-Christmas Sales 2015 Include Electronics, Winter Apparel, and More

    After-Christmas sales 2015 include some great buys on electronics, winter apparel, beauty and perfume gift sets, and more.

    According to a report from Kiplinger.com, more than 100 million consumers shopped on pre-Christmas sale days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when shoppers scored up to 60 percent off retail price for many items.

    Some of the best deals, however, can be had during the after-Christmas sales 2015. For example, some of the electronics deals on items like TVs or blue-ray players–even laptops–will be on clearance, with savings of up to 70 percent in some cases.

    Beauty sets designed to sell for the holidays can be had for as much as an 80 percent savings.

    Winter apparel is on sale everywhere, and if you live in the Northeast–where temperatures on Christmas Day went as high as 65 degrees in some places–coats, hats, mittens, and more are priced at unheard of savings.

    If you plan ahead for the holidays, buying next year’s Christmas cards, indoor and outdoor lights, and Christmas decorations now is the way to go. Some of these items are up to 90 percent off during the after-Christmas sales 2015.

    Some of these items are priced perfectly for those who travel to celebrate the season after Christmas, allowing many people to save a bundle on their Christmas gifts.

    Are you an after-Christmas sales shopper? Which of these sales will you hit up to get the most from your after-Christmas sales 2015 options?

  • Amazon Claims Record Weekend For Its Devices

    Amazon Claims Record Weekend For Its Devices

    Amazon says it had a record holiday shopping weekend for sales of its devices. While the company didn’t reveal any hard numbers, it says it sold “millions of devices” and 3x over last year.

    The top-selling products across all of the products available on Amazon.com on Black Friday were Amazon devices. #1 was Fire and #2 was Fire TV Stick. Of course it probably helps that the company recently removed the competition from its site.

    Amazon Fire TV sales were up more than 6x year over year for the holiday shopping weekend, the company says, noting that from July through October (the last month for which there is data) Fire TV has been the top streaming media player in the US, across all retailers.

    On Black Friday, Amazon Echo was the top seller across all $100+ products on Amazon.com, according to the company. The new $49.99 Fire tablet is the fastest-selling Amazon tablet ever, with millions sold since launch, it says. Amazon sold “hundreds of thousands” of Kindle e-readers over the weekend.

    “We’re excited that millions of customers will be opening new Amazon devices this holiday season. This has already been the biggest holiday shopping season for Amazon devices, and we’re energized by the year over year growth for all of our product categories,” said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President, Amazon Devices. “With a sub-$50 price point for one or $250 for a six-pack, we’ve reached a tipping point with Fire—it is our fastest-selling tablet ever. We’ve already built millions—and we’re ramping up production to build millions more.”

    There are stats about online shopping on Thanksgiving and Black Friday in general from a variety of sources here.

    Image via Amazon

  • A Timely Glimpse At Ecommerce Habits And Numbers

    A Timely Glimpse At Ecommerce Habits And Numbers

    It’s the time of year when people are using a lot of their hard-earned dollars to get things for the people they care about. In other words, it’s the best time of year for ecommerce businesses. Now that it’s the Tuesday after the big weekend, let’s check in and see how things have been going.

    What are your thoughts about performance from the weekend? Let us know in the comments.

    According to Custora, Thanksgiving saw a 12.5% increase in ecommerce revenue with a 10.8% increase in ecommerce orders. There was a 1.5% increase in average order value compared to last year, which the company considers an indication of a “less promotional, discount-driven” quarter.

    Mobile commerce was 39.3% of all online commerce, up from about a third (34.3%) on Thanksgiving 2014, it says, adding that 78.3% of mobile commerce on Thanksgiving was done on iPhones and iPads with Android accounting for 21.5% of mobile online orders placed.

    They also shared some stats for Cyber Monday, which was the biggest online commerce day in the U.S. ever, it says:

    – Strong growth: E-Commerce revenue was up 16.2% over Cyber Monday 2014

    – Orders grew 14.7% and Average Order Value (AOV) was up 1.3%, indicating a less promotion-driven Cyber Monday than last year

    – 26.9% of online sales were placed on mobile (phones + tablets), up from 23% on Cyber Monday 2014

    – Over three quarters of all mobile orders (75.6%) were made on Apple devices, while only 24.2% happened on Android devices

    – Email marketing was the primary channel driving online sales, accounting for 22.1% of transactions

    – Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, etc. only drove 1.5% of sales

    For the whole weekend through Monday, Custora says, “Revenue growth over 2014 came in strong at 16.4%. The strong growth overall for the weekend was driven by mobile (Apple devices in particular), email marketing, and Google search.”

    This week, Google shared some of the biggest search trends for gifts:

    Monetate found mobile phone commerce traffic to be up 118% (up 86% on Android, 50% on iOS) but found add-to-cart rate on mobile to be down 23%. It also found that Add-to-cart rate was up nearly 1% driven by Twitter (up 56%), desktop (up 22%) and tablet (up 17%) and that online commerce traffic from Facebook was up 92%.

    For Black Friday, Monetate found that online spending was up 13% year over year.

    “Consumers averaged bigger online [orders]… on Thanksgiving than on Black Friday,” a spokesperson tells WebProNews. “While Black Friday conversion rates were down 10%, average order value was up 2% YoY. Average order value was up YoY on mobile phone (12%) and Facebook (10%), but down on Twitter (33%).”

    “Screen size mattered,” the spokesperson says. “Consumers used mobile phones to [look]…but spent the most on desktop and tablet. Desktop users spent the most on average ($169) followed by tablet ($163), Facebook ($138) mobile phone ($130). iOS users spent more on average ($156) than Android users ($132). The week high for average order value was $173 on Thanksgiving compared to $164 on Black Friday.”

    DemandWare shared some findings as well. According to that company Black Friday orders were 6.1 times higher than a non-peak period (4 weeks ago), which is a 40% increase over last year. Black Friday baskets created on phones more than doubled year-over-year, according to DemandWare, which also says that on Thanksgiving, phone traffic share began increasing from 5pm until midnight.

    The IAB released a new report finding that younger adults, ages 18 – 34, are more likely to favor smartphones for retail activities than any other age group.

    While overall, consumers are more likely to order something using a tablet (35%) than a smartphone (28%), this younger generation is more inclined to do so using their smartphones (43% vs. 35% on a tablet), a spokesperson for the IAB told WebProNews. Those 35-54 are more apt to use a tablet…and are more apt to get something on those devices (41% vs. 35% general population), they said.

    – 18-34 year olds are more likely to read a product review on their smartphones (44% vs. 32% general population) and less likely to do so on tablets (32%). They’re also inclined to check prices on a smartphone (42% vs. 33% general population) and are less likely to do so on a tablet (32%).

    – Those who are 35-54 are more prone to use tablets to read product reviews, locate stores, check store hours, and check product pricing (40% vs. 35% general population).

    – Adults ages 55-64 are more than twice as likely to get something on a tablet (34%) than on a smartphone (15%).

    – Consumers 65+ are more than twice as likely to get something on a tablet (26%) than on a smartphone (11%). They are also nearly twice as likely to read a product review on a tablet (31%) than on a smartphone (17%).

    For a look at the IAB’s full report, go here.

    Amazon had an all-time high weekend for its devices. While the company didn’t reveal any hard numbers, it says it sold “millions of devices” and 3x over last year.

    Groupon also had a good weekend.

    “Groupon’s North American billings were up 41% compared to last year, and customers…[got] 52% more Groupons over the four-day weekend than in 2014,” a spokesperson for the company said. “Like other e-commerce sites and retailers…[tangible] products led the weekend.”

    Groupon also saw a “tremendous appetite” for local experiences. CEO Rich Williams talks about the company’s weekend here.

    What didn’t have such a great weekend were Pinterest’s “buyable pins” and their counterparts from Facebook and Twitter. A report from Re/code says that one of Pinterest’s big launch partners for Buyable Pins has been seeing less than 10 transactions a day with the feature.

    Interestingly, Google just essentially turned Image Search into a Pinterest competitor, which could negatively impact Pinterest even more considering that Google search is already a primary place that people are looking for things to get.

    How is your business faring compared to last year? Discuss.

  • Google Shares ‘Surprising’ Black Friday Findings

    Google Shares ‘Surprising’ Black Friday Findings

    Google is sharing some research it conducted about foot traffic patterns in stores across the United States during Black Friday last year. The company says it uncovered some “surprising” findings that should help businesses better connect with shoppers in and near their stores.

    “Contrary to the notion that most people head to stores in the morning, we found that Black Friday store traffic tends to peak in the afternoon, typically between 2-4 pm,” says Elizabeth Fabiani, Product Marketing Manager, Google Shopping. “Additionally, since some stores now open on Thanksgiving Day, we also saw an increase in foot traffic on Thursday evening. In fact, department stores now see their peak traffic on Thanksgiving evening between 6-7pm.”

    Google recommends allocating enough budget across campaigns to support the increase in traffic as shoppers to to stores. They say to consider increasing mobile bids during the afternoon when foot traffic is highest and using the mobile bid adjustment simulator tool to size the mobile opportunity and adjust bids.

    “For categories like electronics and cellphone stores, it should come as no surprise that Black Friday drives more foot traffic compared to any other weekend during the holiday season; in fact, store traffic is 2x higher in electronics stores and 1.6x higher in cellphone stores on Black Friday,” says Fabiani. “However, there are many stores that don’t see their biggest crowds on Black Friday. Shopping malls, superstores & discount stores, and department stores have the highest store traffic on the Saturday before Christmas, while dollar stores have the most foot traffic on Christmas Eve — perhaps due to last minute stocking stuffers.”

    Google suggests using location extension targeting to get shoppers who are close to your store to visit and adding this to local inventory ads.

    Google has a Holiday Shopping Readiness guide you may want to refer to for more best practices. They also recently put out some helpful videos about using Google Shopping for the holidays.

    Image via Google

  • 2 Million People Have Pinned Black Friday & Cyber Monday Content On Pinterest

    2 Million People Have Pinned Black Friday & Cyber Monday Content On Pinterest

    Well, it’s just about that time. The biggest shopping days of the year – Black Friday and Cyber Monday – are less than a week away (not to mention Small Business Saturday).

    Pinterest is sharing some statistics about how its users prepare for these events. Two million people have already saved pins about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it says, adding that there’s been a 140% increase in pins about these days in the past year. 70% of holiday pins are related to fashion, home decor, quotes, and other products.

    “Pinners will shop more on Black Friday than the average online user,” Pinterest’s Liz Xiao says in a blog post. “Not only will Pinners shop more on Black Friday, they’ll also spend more than non-Pinners: 4x more on toys and games, 3x more on housewares and 3x more on clothing and accessories. That’s all from a November 2015 Civic Science survey.”

    “Pinners will shop across more types of stores, including small businesses,” she adds “People on Pinterest are twice as certain they’ll shop for the holidays compared to non-Pinners, and because of that, they’re confident they’ll be shopping at more stores. While Pinners will likely spend holiday dollars at Walmart and Target, according to the Civic Science survey, they’re 50% more likely to spend the most money at specialty stores and other local businesses.”

    32% of Pinterest users plan to shop for themselves only on Black Friday, Xiao says, citing data from a Competitive Futures report. Pinners, she says, are twice as likely to go on a clothing shopping spree compared to the general public.

    According to Pinterest, holiday pinning starts up to four months in advance of Christmas. Here’s a related infograpnic the company released a while back:

    Here are the most pinned products of the year according to Pinterest:

    1. A new wave water bottle
    2. A solar charger for your smartphone
    3. Lace-up boots to hit the pavement 
    4. Glow in the dark leggings take athleisure to a new level
    5. Asymmetrical coats
    6. Artful gemstones 
    7. A smarter way to pack your bag
    8. Stylish swaddle blankets
    9. Graphic tees and tops 
    10. Tapestries to transform your bedroom

    Images via Pinterest

  • Google Introduces Text Message Subscription Ads

    Google Introduces Text Message Subscription Ads

    Google is testing a new ad format that delivers brand offers and updates to consumers’ phones via text message. The company is enabling users to subscribe to a Google service that tailors promotional messages to products they’re interested in.

    Once the user subscribes, Google says their phone numbers will remain private and they’ll be able to opt out.

    Here’s what the ads and messages look like:

    “Let’s say, for example, that a consumer searches for ‘black friday deals’ and subscribes from the ad below,” says Google in a Google+ update. “They can now receive text messages from Google on their mobile device showcasing relevant offers from a variety of retailers. Consumers can choose from a variety of product categories including computers, phones and gaming consoles.”

    Users can also text JOIN to one of the following numbers to subscribe to deals:

    For Black Friday – 847-904-0608
    For Cyber Monday – 847-906-8958
    For Holiday deals – 847-904-0596

    Images via Google

  • Amazon Black Friday Deals Store Opens For Business

    Amazon Black Friday Deals Store Opens For Business

    Halloween is over and November has begun, so that can only mean one thing. Black Friday is getting closer, and Amazon has launched its Black Friday Deals Store and Electronics Holiday Gift Guide.

    “Shoppers come to Amazon to discover the best deals on the best gifts and this year, we’re pulling out all of the stops,” said Steve Shure, Vice President, Amazon Consumer Marketing. “We’re giving Prime members early access to more than 30,000 Lightning Deals and for all customers, tens of thousands of great deals in the Black Friday Deals store. With incredible deals, fast delivery options, curated lists like our Electronics Holiday Gift Guide, gift recommendations, customer reviews and more, we’re making it easier than ever for customers to save time and money on their holiday shopping.”

    Prime members get access to over 30,000 lightning deals 30 minutes before other shoppers. This includes early access to the following deals:

    – 30% off Sony XBR55X900C 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD TV with a Blu-ray Player

    – $170 off the Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens

    – 47% off Jaybird X Sport Bluetooth Headphones

    – Optima HD37 Full 3D 1080p 2600 Lumens DLP Home Cinema Projector for less than $800

    – 40% off select Frye shoes, handbags, accessories and luggage/travel for men and women

    – 40% off select toys from top construction brands including K’NEX, Tegu, and Magformer

    – Up to 50% off select Home Automation products

    – 20% or more off select Wilton and Pyrex bakeware products

    – Deals from top Kitchen brands including Rubbermaid, KitchenAid, Paderno, and Instant Pot

    – $10 off select $50 Black & Decker product purchases

    – Up to 50% off hundreds of PetSafe items

    The store will run through December 22. You can find it at Amazon.com/blackfriday.

    The Electronics Holiday Gift Guide has over 600 items organized by category and gift recipient.

  • Black Friday Emails, Social Posts Work Better Earlier In The Week

    Black Friday Emails, Social Posts Work Better Earlier In The Week

    Yesmail is sharing new data indicating that retailers benefit from sending Black Friday promotions earlier rather than the day of. The firm found that open rates of Black Friday-themed emails were highest on the Monday and Tuesday leading up to the day (15.66 and 15.43 percent respectively).

    Based on the data, it looks like Wednesday is by far the worst day for open rates.

    Screen Shot 2015-10-29 at 2.20.13 PM

    The majority (33%) of Black Friday messages were sent on Black Friday itself. Black Friday Facebook and Twitter posts also saw more engagement earlier in the week, Yesmail says.

    “Despite the months of planning that goes into Black Friday promotions, retailers’ email and social media marketing activities are falling behind,” a spokesperson told WebProNews.

    “When it comes to Black Friday, consumers are active on different channels at different times,” he study says. “As a result, retailers must continue to adjust their strategy to make sure they are hitting the right channels at the right time based on what has worked in the past. In addition, they must ensure they’re communicating the same information across each channel not only for brand consistency, but also for optimal customer experience – there is nothing more frustrating for a customer than seeing a promotion for 20% OFF on Twitter but realizing it’s actually 10% when he gets to a store.”

    You can find the full study here.

    Image via Yesmail

  • REI Opts Out of Black Friday for #OptOutside Campaign

    REI Opts Out of Black Friday for #OptOutside Campaign

    Black Friday is one of, if not the, biggest day for many retailers. The day after Thanksgiving always sees hordes of deal-hungry shoppers lining up in malls, department stores and boutiques – looking for an insane deal on a product they may or may not really need. It’s as American as credit card debt.

    But this year, outdoor clothing and supplies retailer REI won’t be participating in the Black Friday tradition. In a bold PR move, the company has announced that it will be closing all 143 of its stores and urging people to get outside instead.

    The company is calling it #OptOutside. REI says it’ll pay its employees to head outside on Black Friday.

    “For 76 years, our co-op has been dedicated to one thing and one thing only: a life outdoors. We believe that being outside makes our lives better. And Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of this essential truth,” says REI CEO Jerry Stritzke.

    “We’re a different kind of company—and while the rest of the world is fighting it out in the aisles, we’ll be spending our day a little differently. We’re choosing to opt outside, and want you to come with us.”

    The PR move seems to be paying off.

    REI isn’t just closing its physical stores, it’s also shuttering online orders until Saturday. REI is 100% not participating in Black Friday – a “holiday” that sees over 80 million shoppers every year.

  • Looks Like Amazon Gets The Last Laugh With Prime Day

    Looks Like Amazon Gets The Last Laugh With Prime Day

    Chances are you heard little but negative reactions and jokes when it comes to Amazon’s Prime Day sale, but the company announced on Thursday that it broke global records with sales exceeding Black Friday. Apparently more than a few people got something out of it. Amazon certainly did.

    The company says it sold more units than it did on Black Friday of 2014, which was the biggest Black Friday ever. Worldwide order growth increased 266% compared to the same day last year and 18% compared to Black Friday 2014.

    Despite lackluster reviews all over the Internet including popular hashtags like #PrimeFail and #PrimeDay Fail, it appears to have been a win for the online retail giant. The real goal was clearly to get more Prime members (as that is the goal of nearly everything Amazon does), and according to the company, it saw more new members try Prime worldwide than any other day in its history.

    “Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of new members who signed up on Prime Day, and our tens of millions of existing members for making our first ever Prime Day a huge success,” said Greg Greeley, Vice President of Amazon Prime. “Customers worldwide ordered an astonishing 398 items per second and saved millions on Prime Day deals. Worldwide order growth increased 266% over the same day last year and 18% more than Black Friday 2014 – all in an event exclusively available to Prime members. Going into this, we weren’t sure whether Prime Day would be a one-time thing or if it would become an annual event. After yesterday’s results, we’ll definitely be doing this again.”

    Sellers on Amazon that use Fulfillment by Amazon also saw record-breaking sales with 300% growth, Amazon says. Customers also ordered hundreds of thousands of Amazon devices, which makes Prime Day the largest device sales day in the company’s history as well.

    Not exactly a fail apparently.

    We’ll close with some stats from the announcement:

    – Members ordered tens of thousands of Fire TV Sticks in one hour, making it the fastest-selling deal on an Amazon device ever
    – Fire tablet sales on Amazon exceeded sales on Black Friday last year
    – Members ordered thousands of e-readers and thousands of Echos in just 15 minutes
    – 56,000 Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy sets
    – 47,000 Televisions sold, which was 1300% year-over-year growth
    – 51,000 Bose Headphones, compared to 8 the previous Wednesday
    – 28,000 Rubbermaid 42-Piece Easy Find Lid Food Storage Sets, compared to 428 the previous Wednesday
    – 24,000 Instant Pot 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cookers, compared to 182 the previous Wednesday
    – 14,000 iRobot Roomba 595 Pet Vacuum Cleaning Robots, compared to 1 the previous Wednesday
    – 12,000 Fifty Shades of Grey Unrated Edition on Blu-ray, compared to 121 the previous Wednesday
    – 10,000 Meguiar’s X2020 Supreme Shine Microfiber Towels, compared to 244 the previous Wednesday

    Top sellers by country (excluding Amazon devices):

    – US: Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy
    – UK: Lenovo FLEX 10 10.1-inch Multimode Touchscreen Notebook
    – Spain: SSD Drive
    – Japan: Green Smoothie mix
    – Italy: Logitech Keyboard
    – Germany: Croc Sandals
    – France: Monopoly Boardgame
    – Canada: Huggies Diapers
    – Austria: Croc Sandals

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Amazon Celebrates 20th Birthday with New “Prime Day” Shopping Event

    Amazon Celebrates 20th Birthday with New “Prime Day” Shopping Event

    If you’re thinking about signing up for Amazon Prime, it might be a decent idea to do it by July 15th.

    Amazon has just announced Prime Day, an online shopping “holiday” for Prime members that it says will trump Black Friday in terms of deals offered.

    According to the company, Prime Day will take place on July 15th and is being initiated in honor of Amazon’s 20th birthday.

    “Next week, Amazon turns 20 and on the eve of its birthday, the company introduces Prime Day, a global shopping event, offering more deals than Black Friday, exclusively for Prime members in the U.S., U.K., Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada and Austria. On Wednesday, July 15, new and existing members in the U.S. will find deals starting at midnight, with new deals starting as often as every ten minutes. They can shop thousands of Lightning Deals, seven popular Deals of the Day and receive unlimited fast, free shipping,” says the company.

    “Prime Day is a one-day only event filled with more deals than Black Friday, exclusively for Prime members around the globe. Members tell us every day how much they love Prime and we will keep making it better,” said Greg Greeley, Vice President Amazon Prime. “If you’re not already a Prime member, you’ll want to join so you don’t miss out on one of the biggest deals extravaganzas in the world.”

    The promise of a deals extravaganza will likely push a good amount of people to at least try an Amazon Prime free trial. The company sure hopes they’ll stay on and pay the $99 a year, as Amazon Prime subscriptions have been crucial in helping it turn a profit as of late.

  • Email Won Thanksgiving Weekend [Report]

    Email Won Thanksgiving Weekend [Report]

    Email marketing and search (both organic and paid) were the dominant marketing channels over the holiday season according to new research from Custora. The firm released its new 2014 Holiday Recap.

    According to that, ecommerce revenue in the U.S. was up 15.6% compared to 2013’s holidays season. This continues a four-year streak of mid-teen growth.

    Black Friday and Cyber Monday were still the top two shopping days by far, and one out of four online purchases was done on a mobile device. Custora proclaims Black Friday was “Mobile Friday” as nearly a third of sales were done on phones and tablets.

    Custora found search to still be the primary way people find the products they want. 38.5% of online transactions during the season originated from a search query. 21% of orders were driven by organic search, while 17.5% were driven y paid search.

    It was also a good season for email.

    “Winning email marketing can mean winning Black Friday and Cyber Monday,” the report says. “Overall during the holiday period (November – December 2014), email marketing drove 17.7% of online orders, making it the third largest channel after organic (free) search (21%), and paid search (17.5%). During Thanksgiving weekend (the five days from Thanks-giving to Cyber Monday, including Black Friday) email was by far the primary marketing channel driving e-commerce orders, account-ing for 27.3% on Black Friday, 23.9% on Cyber Monday, and 23.1% during the Thanksgiving weekend overall.”

    “Email frequency and revenue contribution increased over the holidays,” it says. “Relevant email content & exciting offers actually drove unsubscribe rates down despite increased email volume.”

    Social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, only drove 1.9% of all ecommerce orders. That’s actually slightly down from the 2013 holiday season when social media accounted for 2.3%.

    The report is based on data from over 100 US retailers, 100 million anonymized shoppers, and $40 billion in revenue. More on the report here.

    Image via Custora

  • Groupon Broke Records Over The Holiday Weekend

    Groupon Broke Records Over The Holiday Weekend

    Groupon announced that it experienced a record-breaking holiday weekend for deal sales in North America. The company says it had the most successful four days ever in its six-year history.

    Black Friday and Cyber Monday specifically were the two biggest days in Groupon’s North American history. For the full Black Friday through Cyber Monday weekend, Groupon’s North American sales were up over 25% compared to last year.

    “We just had our best days ever as a company as more and more shoppers are coming to Groupon via our popular mobile app to score big savings on a wide selection of amazing gifts,” said Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky. “With nearly double the number of deals compared to last year, we’re making it easier and quicker than ever for our customers to find something for everyone on their holiday list.”

    It’s hard to believe it’s been so long, but we’re just about three months shy of when Groupon co-founder Andrew Mason was ousted from the CEO role at the company. Lefkofsky, who was previously executive chairman stepped in alongside Vice Chairman Ted Leonsis as Groupon looked for Mason’s replacement. Eventually, the company just named Lefkofsky its permanent CEO, and it seems like that’s working out pretty well. Mason has, in the meantime, started another company called Detour, which makes an interactive travel tour app.

    During the holiday shopping period, Groupon saw big success on products in the electronics, household items, and jewelry categories. Big sellers included the ASUS Google Nexus tablet with 1080p HD display, Chromecast and Roku streaming devices, NFL ugly sweaters, a bObsweep robotic vacuum cleaner and mop, and 1.50 carat certified princess-cut or round diamond solitaire 14-karat gold rings.

    Health and wellness and local experiences such as massages, movies, and holiday activities were also popular categories. Groupon says it saw a high volume of promo code redemptions for Best Buy, Macy’s, Nike, and Walmart.

    The company recently launched a cashback-on-groceries app called Snap. Groupon says it saw users take advantage of cashback offers on turkey, cranberries and other popular holiday delicacies, though it didn’t give any specific numbers.

    Last month, Groupon opened a holiday gift shop.

    Image via Groupon

  • Cyber Monday 2014: Kohl’s Online Deals

    Cyber Monday 2014: Kohl’s Online Deals

    Cyber Monday, the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, was a term coined in 2005, as a marketing ploy to encourage consumers to shop for their wares online.

    In 2013, Cyber Monday online sales grew by 20.6% over 2012, hitting a record $2.29 billion, with an average order of $128.

    Kohl’s is running its Cyber Week promotion through December 6, and is offering an extra 20% off on orders through December 3, with the promo code CYBER20. Free shipping is also available on orders over $25, through December 3.

    Kohl’s is offering different Super Cyber Specials each day of its Cyber Week Event. Notable Monday specials include:

    – An LG 49-in. 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV for $399.99
    – A Ninja Kitchen System Pulse Blender for $54.99
    – A KitchenAid Chef’s Chopper Mini-Chopper for $24.99
    – 60-65% Off Sleepwear for the Family
    – SONOMA, Croft & Barrow and Apt. 9 Sweaters for Men for $15.19

    Notable deals running through December 6 include:

    – A Toshiba 50-in. 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV for $449.99
    – Destinations Luggage, 20-in. Hard Side Spinner Carry-On for $39.99
    – A Guy Fieri 12-pc. Nonstick Cookware Set for $89.99
    – Croft & Barrow and SONOMA shirts for men for $9.99
    – Boots for Women, Select Styles for $39.99

    The Kohl’s department store chain began as a “Kohl” supermarket in 1946, and its first big-box retail establishment opened in 1962. Kohl’s presently sees the second most retail sales of any department store in the U.S.

    A Kohl’s in-store Black Friday brawl:

    In related Kohl’s news, a Texas man was banned from the store’s website for extreme price matching activities. Many businesses are now price matching their wares against other advertisements, but Israel Mata attempted to buy six $1200 chests of drawers from Kohl’s for $79 each.

    Mata found a promotion for the drawers on a website for $109, and along with a Kohl’s 30% discount, each piece cost only $79. Kohl’s shipped three, and then blocked Mata’s account.

    “They told me due to the fact that I price matched so much that they decided to ban me and freeze my account,” Mata said.

  • Amazon Reports Big Increase In Black Friday Sales Of Its Devices

    Amazon Reports Big Increase In Black Friday Sales Of Its Devices

    This year was a lot better than last year when it comes to Black Friday sales of Amazon’s tablets and e-readers, according to the company.

    Amazon said Black Friday sales of Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets on Amazon.com grew “significantly” year over year. Fire tablet sales on the site were up over 3x year over year on Friday, while Kindle e-reader sales on Black Friday grew nearly 4x.

    The company didn’t provide exact figures, nor did it mention sales of its Fire TV, Fire Stick, or Fire Phone devices.

    “This holiday there are going to be a lot of customers opening up new Amazon devices,” said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President of Amazon Devices. “We’re energized by the year over year growth of tablet and e-reader Black Friday sales on Amazon.com, plus the success of the new product categories we’ve launched this year.”

    In September, Amazon unveiled its latest lines of tablets and e-readers, including the Kindle Voyage, a new $79 Kindle, a new Fire HD tablet, the Fire HDX, and the Fire HD Kids Edition.

    Amazon is running a Cyber Monday deal today for its Fire TV device at $69, which puts it at a 30% discount. Of course this is still twice as much as its Fire Stick streaming device, which is more of a direct competitor to Google’s $35 Chromecast.

    Image via Amazon

  • Cyber Monday 2014: Target Online Deals

    Cyber Monday 2014: Target Online Deals

    Cyber Monday, the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, was a term coined in 2005, as a marketing ploy to encourage consumers to shop for their wares online.

    In 2013, Cyber Monday online sales grew by 20.6% over 2012, hitting a record $2.29 billion, with an average order of $128.

    Target’s Cyber Monday deals begin on Sunday, Nov. 30 at midnight, and run until Saturday, Dec. 6 at 11:59 p.m., and shipping is free on all purchases made at Target.com through Dec. 20. The free standard shipping, (3–5 business days), applies to the 48 contiguous states, and might not apply to oversize items.

    Notable discounts include:

    – Buy one get one at 50% off for clothing, shoes and accessories
    – Up to 40% off items for the home, including kitchen, furniture and bedding
    – 20% off KitchenAid appliances
    – Buy one get one at 50% off for Star Wars, vintage games and more
    – Buy one get one at 50% off for kids’ bedding and bath items

    Target Black Friday 2013 shopping madness:

    Notable electronics deals include:

    – A Samsung 40″ Class 1080p 120Hz Smart Quad Core Processor LED TV for $449.99
    – An Xbox One 500GB Console Bundle with Assassin’s Creed Unity and Black Flag for $349.99
    – A Canon PowerShot ELPH 150 Digital Camera Bundle with Case and Memory Card for $99.99
    – A Nintendo 3DS XL Red Console + Super Smash Bros Bundle for $199.99

    Notable home appliance deals include:

    – A BISSELL SpotBot for $99.99
    – A Hamilton Beach Searing Grill for $49.99
    – A Keurig Cappuccino Maker – R500 Rivo Single Serve Brewer, and Latte for $199.99
    – A Brother Electronic Sewing Machine for $99.00

    A Ferguson-related protest effectively shut down a Target location in Chesterfield, Missouri:

    Target was in the news last holiday shopping season, after a massive data breach compromised roughly 40 million debit and credit cards numbers. Information on up to 70 million people was also leaked.

    Former chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel resigned after the snafu.

  • Nordstrom Black Friday Shooting Victim Dies

    A man walked into a Chicago Nordstrom department store during its Black Friday event, and shot his ex-girlfriend in the back of her head, before turning the gun on himself. The victim has since died.

    Authorities say 31-year-old Marcus Dee approached Nadia Ezaldein, 22, shot her, and then committed suicide. Ezaldein was pronounced dead at 3:43 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Her family has since donated her organs.

    A Facebook page has since been set up in Ezaldein’s name.

    Ezaldein, a seasonal employee at the Nordstrom situated in Chicago’s Magnificent Mile shopping district, turned 22 on the day of the shooting. Police evacuated the store, and it remained closed on Saturday, before reopening on Sunday. Nordstrom spokeswoman Tara Darrow commented that the shootings were a “really sad and scary situation,” though authorities have deemed the store to be safe.

    Ezaldein had reportedly broken up with Dee last year, and he was accused of stalking and harassing her ever since, before shooting her at approximately 8:30 p.m., in front of a store full of Black Friday shoppers.

    Ezaldien was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, but doctors assessed that she had no brain activity, and she was taken off life support after her organs were harvested.

    Spokeswoman Darrow added, “We are deeply saddened to learn that our employee who was injured in Friday evening’s tragedy passed away this afternoon. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends.”