Sales rose 6 per cent to US$8.96 billion (£4.63 billion) on Black Friday, according to ShopperTrak RCT Corporation's National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE). The firm analyses foot traffic in shopping centres and malls, with the help of more than 45,000 video devices.
Black Friday, the day after thanksgiving, is a major US shopping day when retailers traditionally expect to turn profitable.
According to the report, retailers should be feeling 'cautiously optimistic' compared to last year. Extended Black Friday discounts and the recent decline in energy costs may have left consumers with more disposable income to spend.
Last year, Black Friday was the highest sales and traffic day for the season and has been second or third in previous years. ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin said: 'Although we anticipated a solid consumer turnout for Black Friday, this data shows an even larger increase than expected, as consumers proved they were more willing to spend.'
Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, opened at 5 am with sales on items such as plasma TVs and clothing that lasted for the first six hours of the day.
ShopperTrak predicts the Saturday before Christmas, December 23, to be the biggest US shopping day of this year. It estimates consumers will spend US$457 billion (£236.02 billion) over the holidays, up 5 per cent from the previous year.
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