Low-Cost Retailers To Get Most Lift From Black Friday

The winners on Black Friday may be the big players in low-cost retail. Think Walmart, of course – and others, too.

Wall Street research from Jefferies, noted in CNBC.com, said that a slight sliver of consumers will spend more on Black Friday than they did last year, which compares to the 17 percent who said the same last year. The upshot is that spending may not be concentrated in a single day’s spree.

Said Daniel Binder, analyst and report author: “Although many consumers have similar shopping budgets as last year, we were surprised that those saying [they] had more to spend was lower year over year, while those having less to spend was in line with last year’s survey.” Look for Walmart to show strength across the holiday season, said the analyst. And count Best Buy in, too, with those companies matching or undercutting Amazon. (Though perhaps it is no surprise that Amazon remains top of mind for a boost in spending.)

Walmart, in particular, said Binder, has done well with brick-and-mortar and online initiatives, including assortment, pricing and shipping.

Speaking generally, the trend is one where holiday spending should be up as much as 4 percent.

“Black Friday isn’t as special as it used to be,” wrote the analyst. “Once again, we have seen many retailers come out with pre-Black Friday deals this year. This is part of a multi-year trend and we expect it to continue in the coming years with greater intensity, just as we saw this year.”

“With only so many dollars for consumers to spend, we are not necessarily convinced this will help total holiday sales.”