• by Ray Schultz , December 21, 2021

Transaction volumes rose by 9.8% on Black Friday and 10.6% on Cyber Monday YoY, according to Accertify’s 2021 Holiday Tracker. 

But huge increases were seen in travel — 108.6% on Black Friday and 109.9% on Cyber Monday — and in entertainment, which rose by 598.9% on Friday and 647.7% on Monday. 

These hikes may reflect a desire by consumers to enjoy themselves after being cooped up during the pandemic. If so, it is not yet clear what impact the Omicron variant may have going forward. 

Still, travel was down by 1.09% on Cyber Monday compared to 2019. And entertainment was down on that day by 3.1%.

Retail was flat compared to 2020, going up by 2.1% on Black Friday and 2.5% on Cyber Monday. 

“While a rising tide lifts all boats, not everyone felt the impact equally,” the study notes.

Still, retail rose by 8.5% over 2019 on Black Friday, and by 9.9% on Cyber Monday. 

The study notes several trends. “First, retail volumes have been rising since early October and it is clear many shoppers purchased early and didn’t procrastinate,” it says. “That is likely the result of media attention focused on supply chain disruptions and fear of low inventories and out-of-stock items.

Second, “holiday shopping trends show there was less discounting this year and not as much lure to wait until Black Friday or Cyber Monday to get a great deal,” the report continues. “Some retailers even instituted guarantees to protect consumers who shopped early against prices dropping later.

The study also notes that while it measured transaction volumes and not spend, “large, diversified retailers had increased volumes and increased basket sizes as compared to 2020.”  

Presumably, many of those transactions did not result in immediate sales, requiring email teams to push them forward. 

Accertify, an American Express company that provides fraud and chargeback solutions, tracked client activity.