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[00:00.12]America's holiday shopping season started on Black Friday,
[00:05.52]the day after Thanksgiving.
[00:08.40]It is the busiest shopping day of the year.
[00:11.32]Retailers make the most money this time of year,
[00:16.20]about 20 percent to 30 percent of all revenue all year.
[00:21.40]The National Retail Federation (NRF)
[00:24.56]says about 136 million people
[00:28.24]will shop during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.
[00:32.28]More and more will shop online.
[00:35.36]In an era of instant information,
[00:38.32]shoppers can use their mobile phones to find deals.
[00:42.96]Nearly 80 percent of this year's holiday shoppers,
[00:47.68]or about 183.8 million people, will shop on Cyber Monday, says the NRF.
[00:56.24]More than half of all holiday purchases will be made online, they say.
[01:02.12]One-in-five Americans will use a tablet or smartphone.
[01:07.56]Pam Goodfellow is an analyst at Prosper Funding LLC.
[01:12.92]It is an online lender.
[01:16.04]"Given how shoppers today overall gravitate towards all things digital,
[01:22.40]there's a high likelihood online shopping will be bigger than ever
[01:26.76]over the holiday weekend and on Cyber Monday," she told the NRF.
[01:33.20]Online spending on Black Friday will rise 15 percent to hit $2.7 billion this year.
[01:41.96]Cyber Monday spending will increase 12 percent to $3 billion,
[01:48.44]says Adobe Systems Inc.
[01:52.04]NBC News reported that for many,
[01:55.48]shopping online was "a more comfortable alternative" than crowded malls.
[02:01.40]The shift to online shopping has had a big impact
[02:05.72]on "brick and mortar" shopping malls.
[02:09.40]Since 2010, more than 24 shopping malls have closed
[02:15.16]and an additional 60 are struggling,
[02:18.32]according to Green Street Advisors.
[02:21.44]It tracks the mall industry.
[02:23.76]However, Fortune says the weakest of the malls have closed.
[02:29.08]The sector is thriving again, it says.
[02:32.56]The International Council of Shopping Centers
[02:35.64]said 94.2 percent of malls were full,
[02:39.68]or occupied, with shops by the end of 2014.
[02:44.72]That is the highest level in 27 years.
[02:48.64]Economist Gus Faucher said lower unemployment
[02:52.56]and rising wages could give Americans more money to spend.
[02:57.64]According to the NRF,
[03:00.60]the average American consumer will spend about $805 on gifts.
[03:08.64]That's about $630.5 billion between November and December
[03:16.96]– an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.
[03:21.88]Nonetheless, Cyber Monday is not the biggest online shopping day in the world.
[03:29.24]That distinction goes to China's Singles' Day,
[03:33.08]celebrated November 11,
[03:35.29]which posted record sales of $14.3 billion this year.
[03:41.88]I'm Mary Gotschall.
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