BLACK FRIDAY RECORD FOR SHOPIFY

Shopify Inc. said sales by merchants on its system set a new record for Black Friday as they rose 17 per cent compared with a year ago. The e-commerce company said merchant sales from the start of Black Friday in New Zealand through to the end of the period in California totalled US$3.36 billion. At its peak, it said merchants saw a total of US$3.5 million in sales per minute. The company said top product categories were apparel and accessories, followed by health and beauty, and home and garden. Top selling countries and cities where shoppers made purchases from were the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Shopify shares jumped as much as nine per cent on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Salesforce said total online sales in Canada were down year-over-year for Black Friday.