Thanksgiving weekend has long been seen as the traditional start of the most important sales period for retailers, and so far, the indication is that

Online sales in the U.S. were up about 4% for the first half of the Thanksgiving holiday, compared to a 2% rise last year, Salesforce data showed on Thursday, a fresh sign that shoppers are lapping up steep discounts from retailers.

The rise in sales suggests that shoppers are responding positively to the bolder promotions and price cuts retailers have rolled out earlier this year, signaling a strong demand for holiday deals.