Nosto’s Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) analysis indicates that 2022 saw a breakthrough in mobile eCommerce, with nearly two thirds of sales (63 per cent) now on mobile devices (up 10 per cent from 2021). Consumers are now not just using smartphones to research but are actively purchasing through them.
This is against the backdrop of overall positive trends in terms of year-on-year (YoY) growth in traffic (5.4 per cent), sales (8.8 per cent), and average order value (AOV) (6.2 per cent). However, shoppers have a keen eye for bargains – on average, consumers bought products at a 40 per cent discount, with 20 per cent the minimum accepted discount level for most shoppers. 83 per cent of all online sales during BFCM involved discounts.
Nosto’s analysis is based on over 107 million visits across 1,269 eCommerce stores over the BFCM 2022 weekend in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.
Overall eCommerce traffic up on last year
Compared to last year, people are spending 8.4 per cent more time on site and viewing 4.5 per cent fewer pages with conversion rates down for a second consecutive year (-3.4 per cent). Overall, 73 per cent of traffic, 63 per cent of sales volumes, and 68 per cent of orders were taken on mobile. However, shoppers are still more likely to convert on desktop than mobile (4.5 per cent v 3.6 per cent) and spend more, with a desktop order value of US$126 versus US$100 on mobile.
BFCM eCommerce Performance by Device in 2022
| Sales | Traffic | Orders | Conversion Rate | |
| Desktop | 37 per cent | 27 per cent | 32 per cent | 4.5 per cent |
| Mobile | 63 per cent | 73 per cent | 68 per cent | 3.6 per cent |
Vertical breakdowns – health and beauty and fashion lead the way
The strongest vertical was health and beauty which saw large YoY increases in traffic (13.5 per cent), and sales (22.6 per cent) while AOV was up 1.2 per cent. Fashion saw the biggest YoY increase in AOV (9.8 per cent), demonstrating that people are still buying clothing, despite current economic conditions.
Showing that shoppers are potentially returning to physical stores in some categories, home & garden (-5.9 per cent) and food & beverage (-2.7 per cent) both saw a drop in overall sales since 2021. However, average order value in these categories was up, by 5.5 per cent in home & garden and 6.2 per cent in food & beverage – those consumers buying online are checking out fuller carts.
BFCM eCommerce Performance in 5 Key Verticals, 2022 v 2021
| Sales | Traffic | AOV | Conversion Rate | |
| Home & Garden | -5.9 per cent | -3.3 per cent | 5.5 per cent | -8.0 per cent |
| Health & Beauty | 22.6 per cent | 13.5 per cent | 1.2 per cent | 7.5 per cent |
| Fashion & Accessories | 8.3 per cent | 9.4 per cent | 9.8 per cent | -11.2 per cent |
| Food & Beverages | -2.7 per cent | 2.7 per cent | 6.2 per cent | -8.7% per cent |
| Sporting Goods & Hobbies | 21.2 per cent | -0.08 per cent | 2.2 per cent | 18.8 per cent |
“Predicting consumer behaviour this Black Friday/Cyber Monday was always going to be hard for retailers given current economic conditions,” said Guy Little, Nosto’s head of brand marketing. “What we see is that shoppers are still spending, with sales, traffic, and average order value all up. However, they are extremely discount-conscious, demanding major price cuts before opening their wallets. They are also pivoting more heavily to mobile, using their smartphones to purchase as well as research products, particularly those with lower price points.”
Black Friday still the biggest shopping day
In terms of sales volume, Black Friday itself still reigns supreme. It saw year-on-year increases in traffic (6.3 per cent), sales (8.4 per cent), and AOV (4.9 per cent), and made up 33 per cent of total sales over the four day period. While Cyber Monday saw the biggest YoY increases in traffic and sales it still doesn’t manage to top Black Friday in terms of overall sales volumes. However, traffic increased by 7.5 per cent, sales by 11.7 per cent, and AOV by 7.6 per cent.
| Sales | Traffic | AOV | Conversion Rate | % of overall sales | ||
| Black Friday | 8.4 per cent | 6.3 per cent | 4.9 per cent | -3 per cent | 33 per cent | |
| Saturday 26 | 7.7 per cent | 3.2 per cent | 6.1 per cent | -2.4 per cent | 23 per cent | |
| Sunday 27 | 7.6 per cent | 4.3 per cent | 6.8 per cent | -3.8 per cent | 20 per cent | |
| Cyber Monday | 11.7 per cent | 7.5 per cent | 7.6 per cent | -4.6 per cent | 24 per cent |
“When it comes to vertical markets, we’ve seen double-digit growth in health & beauty and sporting goods, and a nearly 10 per cent increase in average order values for fashion,” said Guy Little, Nosto’s head of brand marketing. “In contrast sectors such as home & garden and food & beverage have slipped back, potentially as shoppers return to physical stores. Retailers in these areas should therefore focus on how they bring the benefits of the store to their site, such as being able to examine goods in detail and seeing them in context in the case of homewares.”
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