US online sales surge as shoppers throng stores on Thanksgiving night

West Hartford, Connecticut

US SHOPPERS had splurged more than US$1.52 billion online by Thanksgiving evening on Thursday, and more bargain hunters turned up at stores this year after two weak holiday seasons as retailers opened their doors early on the eve of Black Friday.

At the start of the holiday season, consumer spending rose 16.8 per cent year-over-year until 5pm on Thursday (Friday 6am, Singapore time), according to Adobe Analytics, which tracked 80 per cent of online transactions …