Black Friday Sales 'On Track' With Expectations, Says Telsey Advisory CEO

The traditional Black Friday shopping day is not what it used to be, as some retailers started their promotions right after Halloween, according to Telsey Advisory Group CEO Dana Telsey.

Telsey Says 'Big Box Players' Won Black Friday

Black Friday has morphed from a two- or three-day weekend shopping event to a weeklong one, and this year's sales are "on track" with expectations, Telsey said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" segment Monday.

Sales were slow Friday morning, but were compensated by a pickup in the afternoon period as well as some activity on Thursday, she said. 

The Black Friday winners include most of the "big box players" like Walmart Inc WMT, Target Corporation TGT and Best Buy Co Inc BBY, the CEO said. 

Off-price retailers "also won" Black Friday, while department stores showed poorer performance, Telsey said, adding that consumers can expect to see more deals during Cyber Monday at all three retailers and many others.

Offering Retail Customers Unique Experiences

All the winners stick out from the competition, as they strive to offer customers something different, she said.

For example, Macy's Inc's M upscale Bloomingdales store has some areas where customers can take pictures with gimmicks that attract foot traffic.

Sporting goods retailer Dicks Sporting Goods Inc DKS has batting cages in its store where customers can try out a bat before buying it.

Stores Could Look Different In The Future

The retail sector as a whole will continue figuring out how best to "marry the activity of buying with the activity of doing," Telsey said.

This may even evolve to stores altering their size over the years to better balance a showroom and inventory for online fulfillment, she said. 

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