Executive Summary

• This week’s note “From the Desk of Deborah Weinswig” discusses the intensifying battle between retail giants Amazon and Walmart for share of consumers’ e-commerce wallets.
• According to Adobe Digital Insights, Cyber Monday online sales hit a record $6.59 billion, topping Black Friday’s $5.03 billion. Sales from November 23–26 totaled $13.03 billion, a 14.4% increase year over year.
• British shoppers made fewer trips to stores, bought more overall and bought more lower-value items on Black Friday this year than they did on the same day last year, according to reports from data providers.
• Black Friday was expected to be one of the main sales dates for Brazilian retail. A recent survey estimated that Black Friday sales in Brazil would be close to R$2.2 billion ($670 million), 20% greater than during Black Friday in 2016.