MADISON, Wis. – Nationwide online sales rose 10% this Black Friday to a total of $10.8 billion, and Cyber ​​Monday online sales are on track to surpass that total.

“We are seeing extremely high traffic to websites,” said Cliff Robb, a professor of consumer science at UW-Madison. “Forecasts today are for another $12 billion to $13 billion in sales.”

Robb explained that online shopping is becoming increasingly popular because searching for discounts is right at our fingertips.

“What we’re seeing is that these consumers are, I think, a little more price sensitive, a little bit more savvy and looking for real discounts,” Robb said.

“Things are crazy expensive here, so I think there’s an increase in the number of people who might prefer to go online,” said Grace Penticoff, a shopper at Hilldale Mall.

Whether online or in-store, part of holiday shopping is budgeting, which can vary depending on people’s perceptions of the economy.

“I mean, you definitely feel the inflation a little bit, but it’s not much different, you know,” said Jose Sibaja, a buyer at Hilldale.

“The pimple patches were like $20! and I’m just a young girl struggling with acne,” Penticoff said.

How people think about the economy and inflation informs how they will spend money. Although current inflation data shows that consumers are more positive about the economy than a year ago.

“But they’re still in what we think is a more average sentiment range.” “They’re not extremely positive, they’re not extremely negative, they’re a little more balanced,” Robb said.

The Consumer Sentiment Index shows buyer confidence has been steadily increasing since 2022, but Robb said we are heading into a year of economic uncertainty.

“There has been a lot of discussion about the next president imposing some tariffs.” “How these tariffs might impact consumer goods prices is really questionable,” Robb said.

This uncertain future may cause people to make different money decisions now.

“Perhaps there is a mindset that aims to ensure that people are purchasing items now versus at a future point in time when we don’t know what those items might cost,” Robb said.

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