As those Black Friday 2012 deals continue from Thanksgiving day through Friday, it appears two retailers may be winning the war in terms of best value from their sales. Those two retailers who have a leg up on the competition are Amazon and Target, according to one research group.
As Amazon's Black Friday sale has been running all week, it's apparently put the online retailer at the top spot for consumers, ahead of competitors like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target. Research firm YouGov assembled the latest BrandIndex report asking consumers which companies offered good value for their prices, as well as asking them to give a score from 0 to 100. Rounding out the top 5 on the research rankings were Walmart, Kohl's and JC Penny.
Amazon reportedly had a 55.9 score with Target in second place with a 45.7 score. One would have to think that Amazon is scoring so high because of their quick and inexpensive shipping, as well as their selection of goods. They've basically become the virtual retail store that nobody saw coming decades ago, with a way to shop at home and get stuff without spending a lot of extra money to ship it.
Among the retailers top ten list in terms of value, Best Buy has had a disappointing fall from grace, as they were at #5 last year and fell into eight place, actually trailing Old Navy and eBay. It's most likely that consumers are realizing they can buy electronics for low prices online via sites like eBay or Amazon and enjoy free shipping in many cases. Why bother heading to Best Buy if you can have the item delivered to you for free?
The LA Times reports that last year's Black Friday sales broke records as they were 6.6% higher compared to the year before, with a total of $11.4 billion spent. National retail sales are expected to grow by 3.3% this November and December. With that in mind, it's big business when Black Friday arrives, and just as big when Cyber Monday arrives. Amazon has been pulling out all the stops in terms of trying to get customers to spend online, via low-cost or free shipping options that make it much more convenient to just shop from home.
However, there is something to be said for actually seeing the items you're buying up close before you buy them, and for trying them out, or talking to sales associates about the purchase. Of course with the busy business of Black Friday, that may be hard to do on one of the most crowded days for retailers around the nation!
Which do you prefer for Black Friday and the holidays: real world, or online shopping?
(Image Source: Amazon.com)
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