152M+ Shoppers expected to visit stores, websites on Black Friday Weekend 2011.

Though there are already plenty of great deals on everything from e-readers and smartphones to apparel and toys, Americans know there is only one Black Friday – and the best is yet to come. According to a preliminary Black Friday shopping survey, conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch, up to 152 million people plan to shop Black Friday weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), higher than the 138 million people who planned to do so last year. According to the survey, 74 million people say they will definitely hit the stores and another 77 million are waiting to see if the bargains are worth braving the cold and the crowds.

“Though many retailers are already touting select Black Friday ads, there’s no doubt we’ll all be blown away by what retailers still have in their bag of tricks for shoppers,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “We fully expect to see excited shoppers as early as midnight at stores around the country, as many holiday shoppers would rather stay up all night to take advantage of retailers’ Black Friday deals rather than set their alarm to wake up the next morning.”

For the first time, NRF asked shoppers how they plan to keep track of retailers’ holiday sales and promotions announcements. Half (50.5%) will keep up with advertising circulars throughout the holiday season and nearly one-third (31.7%) said they will tune in to watch retailers’ holiday commercials. Additionally, nearly one-quarter (23.1%) will seek out coupon websites like RetailMeNot.com and FatWallet.com, and 32.3 percent will specifically keep track of the email coupons they receive from retailers.

“Social media will play a big role in how shoppers follow company sales announcements this holiday season,” said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch. “From Facebook to Twitter and even group buying sites, ‘social’ retailers may be rewarded this season in terms of additional holiday sales.”

The survey found 17.3 percent will monitor retailers’ Facebook pages and 11.3 percent will check out group-buying sites like Groupon and LivingSocial. Of those who own tablet devices and who plan to shop for or research holiday items this year, one in five (21.3%) will seek out group buying sites and 31.2 percent will check out retailers’ Facebook pages.

Retailers Ramping Up Social Media, Email Campaigns to Boost Store Traffic This Black Friday

As retailers prep their stores for the biggest shopping weekend of the year, they are also ramping up their activity online. This Black Friday, retailers will harness the power of social media and the Internet to bring shoppers into stores. According to the Shop.org eHoliday Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, eight in 10 (84.2%) retailers will send an email to their customers about Black Friday deals, up from 80.0 percent last year. A marked increase from last year, nearly three-quarters (73.7%) will use their Facebook page to reach out to shoppers, up from 57.1 percent last year. Additionally, many retailers will utilize their website’s home page (50.0%) and Twitter (57.9%) to announce and promote Black Friday deals.

CyberMonday.com Announces Black Friday Deals of the Hour

Black Friday is no longer just about offering eager holiday shoppers great deals in their stores; retailers are also preparing special e-Commerce deals for online shoppers that day. Shop.org’s CyberMonday.com, which features promotions and deals from hundreds of retailers, will feature a Deal of the Hour on Black Friday from more than 20 different retailers. Retailers participating in the Black Friday Deal of the Hour include Sears.com, homedepot.com, Barnes & Noble.com, eBags.com, Macys.com, BestBuy.com. Lowes.com, Kmart.com and many more. (Click here for the full list of companies and times.) Offers will include free shipping specials, dollars off, percentages off, and free gifts with purchase. Retailers will also use CyberMonday.com to promote their special Cyber Monday Deal of the Hour. (CyberMonday.com Deal of the Hour information will be announced Sunday, November 27, 2011.)

For more information at http://www.nrf.com