Shoppers rushing to get the best Black Friday deals. Should retailers expect to see bigger instore crowds compared with online. Well, joining us now is Lightseed founder and CEO Dax Dilva.Lightseed is a payment processor company helping businesses manage sales, inventory, and omni channel commerce. Dax, it's great to have you on. Welcome.>> Thanks. Uh, thanks for having me on. >> So, what are you seeing so far this Black Friday weekend.>> I think there's a lot of enthusiasm for for a Black Friday Cyber Mond ...

Core Insights - The National Retail Federation (NRF) anticipates a record 186.9 million consumers will shop during the Thanksgiving weekend, indicating the growing significance of this shopping period for retailers and supply-chain partners [1][2] Shopping Trends - A survey indicates that 58% of consumers have already started their holiday shopping, with the expected turnout of 186.9 million shoppers representing an increase of over 3 million from last year's 183.4 million [2] - Black Friday remains the primary shopping day, with approximately 70% of respondents (around 130.4 million) planning to shop on that day [2] - Cyber Monday is expected to attract about 40% of consumers (73.9 million) for online shopping, while 67 million consumers are anticipated to shop on Small Business Saturday, with 80% intending to support local businesses [3] Gift Preferences and Spending - Clothing and accessories are the top planned gift category for 50% of consumers, followed by gift cards (43%) and toys (32%) [4] - Gift-card spending is projected to reach US $29.1 billion this season, an increase from approximately US $28.6 billion last year, with consumers planning to purchase three to four gift cards at an average spend of about US $171 each [4] Payment Methods and Charitable Activities - Debit cards are the preferred payment method for 44% of consumers, followed by credit cards (37%) and cash (16%), with 59% expected to use digital wallets and apps [5] - Notably, around 67% of consumers plan to engage in at least one charitable activity during the shopping period, such as financial donations (32%) or donating items (31%) [5] Implications for Retailers and Supply-Chain Partners - The anticipated high volume of purchases indicates increased pressure on fulfillment, inventory planning, and customer service operations for retailers [6] - Retailers must effectively balance demand across in-store, online, and omnichannel channels, as consumers increasingly rely on online searches (41%) and peer/family recommendations (35%) for shopping inspiration [7]