More than 70 percent of Americans shopped Thanksgiving weekend

Nearly three in four Americans went shopping — either online or in person — over Thanksgiving weekend, according to data released by the National Retail Federation.

The 174 million Americans who shopped between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday spent an average of $335 per person during that five-day period, the trade group said. The biggest spenders, millennials ages 24 to 35, paid out an average of $419.52 per person.

“The fundamentals of the economy remain strong,” Matthew Shay, the chief executive of the National Retail Federation (NRF), said in a media call Tuesday afternoon. “Things are setting up very well for a very strong finale to the year.”

Consumer confidence, meanwhile, continues to climb to 17-year highs. The consumer confidence index rose to 129.5 in November, up from 126.2 a month earlier, according to data released by the Conference Board.

At Fashion Show mall on the Strip, about 70 retailers opened for business on Thanksgiving night. All but a few stayed open until the rest of the mall opened at 6 a.m. on Black Friday, Senior General Manager Jim Heilmann said.

The number of shoppers during that overnight period climbed by double digits compared to last year, he said, declining to give specific foot-traffic counts.

Heilmann also said that mall parking was at almost full capacity from about 12 p.m. through 6 p.m. on Black Friday.

Janet LaFevre, senior marketing manager, estimated that 90 percent of Fashion Show’s retailers reported meeting their sales goals for Black Friday. Retailers also reported seeing the best foot traffic in years, she said.

In all, Americans are projected to spend about $680 billion this holiday season, marking a 3.6 percent to 4 percent increase from last year’s $655.8 billion, according to NRF estimates. Those figures are in line with last year’s 3.6 percent growth in holiday spending.

Among those who made purchases this holiday weekend, about 58 million people shopped online only, while 51 million shopped exclusively in stores. The remaining 65 million consumers shopped both online and in stores.

Last year, using different survey methods, NRF reported that roughly 154 million Americans shopped during the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, up from 151 million the year before. Executives said those results could not be compared to this year’s estimates, which also include Cyber Monday.

“Gone are the days when you could measure the success of this weekend by looking at a single metric,” Shay said.

Among shoppers’ top destinations: Department stores (where 43 percent of consumers said they shopped during Thanksgiving weekend), online retailers (42 percent), electronic stores (32 percent), and clothing and accessories stores (31 percent).

Cyber Monday - the first day back at work for many Americans after Thanksgiving - has also become an important shopping day, particularly for those buying online. Americans spent a record $6.59 billion online on Monday, making it the largest Internet shopping day in history, according to data from Adobe Analytics. Nearly one-third of those purchases were made on a smartphone or tablet.

“We got off to a great start so we see positive momentum,” Shay said. “Having said that, this is just a half-time break: 91 percent of consumers still have shopping left to do.”

Review-Journal writer Eli Segall contributed to this report.