Cyber Monday

The Web may not be a savior for traditional retail, though. While e-commerce orders are growing, they’re still dwarfed by brick-and-mortar sales. The novelty of Cyber Monday also is dimming: The number of shoppers participating in the event today is projected to decline.

So far, holiday shoppers have spent $22.7 billion online this season, up 15 percent from a year earlier, according to ComScore Inc. That includes more than $1.5 billion on Black Friday.

The e-commerce growth means shopping malls have to work harder to get people in the door. The University Town Center -- a brand-new mall in Sarasota, Florida -- was only moderately busy on Saturday evening, with more customers in the corridors than in the stores.

Ariana Bravo, a 16-year-old student from Lakewood Ranch, said she used her employee discount at Pacific Sunwear to buy a couple small items, but wasn’t lured by any promotions.

“It seems like they’re the normal sales that they already have, just all in one day,” she said.

Family Time

Even as an improving job market and lower gas prices have sent consumer sentiment to its highest level since the recession, many Americans are keeping a lid on Christmas shopping. Another customer at the Florida mall, Jotasia Walker, said her family draws names and gets one gift per person, rather than buying presents for everyone. The 21-year-old, who was visiting the mall with three sisters, two cousins, a niece and a nephew, said they came out more to spend time together than to shop.

The average shopper spent an estimated $380.95 over the weekend, a 6.4 percent drop, according to an NRF-commissioned survey of more than 4,600 people by Prosper Insights & Analytics.

Retailers also had to contend with demonstrations from protesters angered by the decision not to indict a white police officer in the killing of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. Events were held at stores and malls nationwide on Black Friday, with some of the protests leading to brief standoffs with police. Demonstrators also called on consumers to boycott stores.

Recession Hangover

The industry’s focus now shifts to Cyber Monday, when e- commerce sites release another wave of discounts. Almost 127 million Americans will shop online today, Prosper predicts, down from 131.6 million a year earlier. That lends evidence to the notion that Americans are less enticed by one-day sales events.

Many consumers also don’t feel like the economy has recovered from the recession yet, Shay said. That makes it difficult to gauge how much they plan to spend.