Americans Walk Almost 700 MILLION Miles While Black Friday Shopping, Survey Finds
Ready… set… go! The chaos surrounding Black Friday shopping is all but American lore at this point—with scenes of long lines, mad dashes, and campouts dotting our news feeds in past years.
Even in today’s increasingly digital shopping world, it appears Americans still manage to get considerable mileage while walking during their post-Thanksgiving shopping sprees.
But just how far do Americans walk on Black Friday? At KURU Footwear we’re passionate about foot health and how supportive shoes can bring relief, so we ran a survey and crunched the numbers to find out.
Let’s dig into our survey results!
Black Friday Shopping: In-Person vs. Online
To start, how many Americans plan to shop in brick and mortar stores vs. nabbing the deals in the comfort of their homes?
After surveying a statistically significant 1,000 Americans about their Black Friday shopping habits, here’s what we found:
Surprisingly, a considerable 50% of Americans still shopped in-person on Black Friday 2023.
When asked if they plan to shop in-person on Black Friday 2024, it seems the majority scales may finally be tipping: slightly fewer said yes (43%) while 57% said no.
But will they continue to shop in-person on future Black Fridays? Just over half (53%) say it’s very or somewhat likely, 39% say it’s unlikely, and the remaining 8% say they’re not sure.
Overall, according to our survey, Americans anticipate a decline in brick and mortar shopping in the future: While 50% of respondents shopped in person on Black Friday in the past three years, only 43% plan to do so in 2024. Even more stark, just 24% said they are very likely to shop in person in future years, and 39% said they are unlikely.
Americans Walk a Staggering 697 Million Miles on Black Friday
Get your step counter ready! We asked Black Friday shoppers how many steps they logged on Black Friday 2023, based on step-tracking data. Here’s what they said:
Americans took an average of 8,347 steps on Black Friday. That represents a nearly 2x increase of their typical daily step count of 4,588!
If 50% of the U.S. population walks an average of 8,347 steps on Black Friday, that equals a total of 167 million people. 167,000,000 x 8,347 = 1.394 trillion steps total!
To put that staggering number into perspective, that means:
- On Black Friday, Americans walk the equivalent of 697 million miles combined.
- If 50% of the U.S. population walks on Black Friday, they cover enough ground to walk to the moon and back 1,458 times.
- Americans walk28,000 times around the Earth on Black Friday.
Whew! That definitely deserves a peppermint mocha break.
In-Person Shopping by the Numbers
Say you did shop in person on Black Friday 2023, as did 50% of our survey respondents. According to our survey, you would have visited about 4 stores total and spent an average of 4 hours and 31 minutes shopping.
A few more survey fast facts:
- Of those who shopped during past Black Fridays, the average number of shops they visited was 4.
- Shoppers usually spent 4 hours and 31 minutes perusing stores.
- 60% believe they spend more time shopping in-person on Black Friday, while 40% say they think they spent more time shopping online.
These are the top reasons for shopping in-person on Black Friday:
- Better deals
- Doorbuster deals
- A more fun experience
- Tradition
- Don’t have to wait for shipping
- Don’t have to pay for shipping
When asked how crowded they feel stores were on Black Friday, respondents said:
- Extremely crowded: 47%
- Somewhat crowded: 42%
- Not crowded at all: 5%
- It changes based on where I go: 6%
When asked what types of stores American Black Friday shoppers primarily visit when shopping in-person on Black Friday, they said:
- Big box retailers: 75%
- Department stores: 45%
- Electronic Stores: 45%
- Outlet stores: 24%
- Specialty stores: 24%
- Malls with multiple stores: 34%
- Other: 3%
Conclusion
With Black Friday 2024 just around the corner, Americans seem pretty evenly split on whether they plan to shop in-person vs. online.
Those who do hit the shops in person walk almost double what they would in a typical day. That means if you’re looking to get your steps in, Black Friday may just be the perfect time to hit the mall. Bonus, you could get your holiday shopping done early!
How will you shop this Black Friday? If you plan to hit Black Friday sales in person, we recommend wearing a pair of ultra-supportive footwear to keep you going all day long. Every pair of KURUs features patented heel-hugging technology and a footbed curved at every layer for ultimate relief you can count on.
Methodology And Sources
In October 2024, we surveyed 1,000 Americans over the age of 18 about their Black Friday shopping habits and preferences. The survey had a confidence level of 95% with a 3% margin of error.
About Us
At KURU, we’re on a mission to help you Heel Better™ with footwear technology designed to relieve foot pain, so you can live a life you love. Since launching our innovative technology in 2008, we’ve received more than 37,000 five-star reviews from thousands of customers who tell us their KURU shoes helped them with conditions (such as plantar fasciitis) and got them back to doing what they love.
For all media inquiries, please contact us at pr@kurufootwear.com.