World News for Students of English

02-12-2025 07:00

Black Friday consumers largely shifted to online channels this year, spending 8.6 billion dollars online so far, as shoppers favored phones and laptops over going to physical stores.

Adobe Analytics expects total Black Friday online sales in the US to hit nearly 11.9 billion dollars.

This trend of online spending has been driven by deep discounts and the spreading of promotions across several weeks, which has diluted the significance of the traditional single shopping day. Despite the strong sales figures, many consumers remain cautious and are shopping on a tight budget, expressing concerns over high inflation and a softening labor market. Consumer confidence has sagged, leading shoppers to be more selective and avoid taking on debt. Interestingly, sales growth is heavily reliant on higher-income households, who are more resilient to economic pressures and are driving strong sales in luxury and furniture categories.

The day also saw a shift in store traffic, with the famous early-morning rushes and long lines disappearing. Attention is now turning to Cyber Monday, which is forecast to be the year’s largest online shopping day with sales expected to reach 14.2 billion dollars.

Difficult words: favor (to prefer one thing or person over another, or to give one thing special support), dilute (to make something weaker or less important by spreading it out or adding something else to it), sag (to drop or decline suddenly, usually referring to a measure of quality, strength, or confidence).

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