Thanksgiving Weekend Shopping Rises To Record And Beats Expectations

The number of people shopping during the Thanksgiving weekend, or the period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, rose to a record 200.4 million, according to the National Retail Federation.

The final result was 1.9% above last year's record of 196.7 million and surpassed NRF's own estimate of 182 million.

"The five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday represents some of the busiest shopping days of the year and reflects the continued resilience of consumers and strength of the economy," NRF President and Chief Executive Office Matthew Shay said in a statement. "Shoppers exceeded our expectations with a robust turnout."

Online shopping gained 3.1% from last year to 134.2 million people, while in-store-shopping fell 1.1% to 121.4 million, according to NRF's data. The busiest day of the weekend was Black Friday, when 76.2 million people shopped online or in stores.

The study also shows that consumers spent on average $321.41 on holiday items during the Thanksgiving weekend, a little less than $355.44 last year.

The new data coincides with the Conference Board's survey released earlier Tuesday showing that consumer confidence measured rose in November to 102 from 99.1 in October, the first time in four months.