Thanksgiving is renowned for heartwarming conversations in the presence of loved ones and tasteful food. However, Black Friday shopping has also found its way into holiday traditions, attracting shoppers to reasonable prices on popular products.

The yearly sale has been a key source of major profits for businesses during the festive months, but new trends have emerged, displaying the decline in conventional shopping methods observed.

Data supports a new tide in which people prefer to shop online, rather than enduring long lines, traffic, and crowded stores. Business Insider reports an 18 percent growth in online sales during November, as shown by Adobe Analytics.

A lot of this growth can be accredited to the increasing use of technology, as seen in the fact that phones accounted for 46 percent of all retail activity on Thanksgiving day.

The new digital age could prove to be the downfall for the usual shopping malls that students enjoy visiting during their days off.

“Shopping online avoids the hectic atmosphere on Black Friday. Waiting in lines and searching through piles of clothing is bothersome when instead I can quickly find what I want to buy on my laptop,” said Helen Sotropa, 11.

Important to note is the expansion of deals to include the whole month of November, making special Black Friday deals virtually consistent with the discounts earlier in the month.

“Shopping online is much easier and there are really good deals throughout the whole month. Also some stores have limited stock in certain sizes while items come back in stock online,” said Eddie Wade, 11.

Yet a majority of shoppers still prefer going to stores in person and enjoying the benefits that accompany it.

“I prefer going to shops because you never know how clothes will look on a model compared to you! This way trying it on guarantees a solid purchase,” said Grace Deng, 10.

Although the customary way of shopping is transformed, it does not seem as if Black Friday will be going away anytime soon.