The biggest sales weekend of the year came and went, and what we learned is that Cyber Weekend 2021 shopping numbers proved to be different from any year that came before. Take a deep dive with us in our *NEW* 2021 Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) Weekend data report! We monitored performance across millions of Nosto-powered interactions to give businesses a closer look at what happened over the course of Black Friday through to Cyber Monday 2021. We broke down top findings across regions and industries to help you compare, reflect, and prepare for 2022.
Performance Breakdown By Device
BCFM data showed how shopping behavior differs depending on the device. Our 2019 Nosto data showed a favorable shift towards mobile, with a 6% increase in online traffic share on mobile year over year and a 3% decrease on desktop. Mobile had 13% more order share, and mobile revenue surpassed desktop by 10% pre-pandemic.
In 2020, mobile traffic share was still greater than desktop by 39%. However, with people shopping less on the go and more from the couch (hello lockdown times), online conversion rates were higher on desktop than on mobile (4% vs. 2%).
This year, mobile remained the dominant device for online product discovery and browsing–beating out desktop when it comes to share of online traffic, orders, and sales. Although, the desktop continues to convert at a higher rate than mobile, keeping pace with the 4% vs. 2% rates from 2020.
Black Friday vs Cyber Monday
We know that Black Friday is not a one-day affair, and shoppers who want to snag extra deals virtually look to Cyber Monday as another key purchase day. Historically, our BFCM data reveals that Black Friday drives better results, but all that changed in 2020.
With the pandemic forcing more people to shop online in 2020, Cyber Monday beat out Black Friday in increases in revenue (25% vs. 14%), orders (29% vs. 18%), and conversion rate (4% vs. 1%). Cyber Monday also generated the same increase in traffic (21%) as Black Friday in 2020.
Unlock More Insights
Shopping season has officially begun
There have been stumbling blocks on the road to economic recovery from COVID-19, but despite those challenges, independent merchants rallied to make 2021 the most successful BFCM to date.
Shopify store owners collectively made a whopping $6.3 billion USD in sales globally between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, a 23% increase from 2020.
This shows some great strategies on the part of business owners. Supply chain issues and shipping delays have made it difficult for businesses to meet customer demands, but early planning and promoting sales well before BFCM helped mitigate this challenge.
Alternative fulfillment options are still in high demand
Last year brought fresh demand for both curbside pickup and local delivery. That has continued into 2021 on BCFM data.
In the US, the average curbside pickup-cart price was $96.60, up from $79.84 in 2020, and in Canada, it was $115.14 CAD, up from $94.93.
The top three cities for curbside pickup in the US were Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Chicago. In Canada, they were Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.
Some categories were also more popular than others for curbside pickup, with apparel and accessories, home and garden, and health and beauty making it into the most shopping carts in the US.
Local delivery is also still going strong, with the average cart price at $97.40 for BFCM 2021 in the US. In Canada, the average total was $120.75 CAD for local delivery.
Conclusion
The pandemic has brought along some of the biggest challenges Shopify merchants have ever faced, but this year’s BFCM data shows they’re coming through stronger than ever with an eye on the future.
We’ve seen the resilience of small businesses on full display these last two years. Breaking sales records once again just proves that entrepreneurs can overcome any obstacle. So, we’ll end with this: thank you to independent businesses everywhere. Your ability to adapt, pivot, and thrive—against all odds—is worthy of celebration today.
