AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio There were fewer Black Friday shoppers overall this year, but more people bought online than ever. Retail trade group NRF president Michael Shay is already predicting that next year, Black Friday could make a huge comeback. Sales were down in part due to a more spread out shopping season. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The overall number of Black Friday shoppers was slightly down this year, but the holiday might not be dead just yet.Three million fewer consumers shopped over Thanksgiving weekend this year, but a still-significant 186 million still made purchases, an increase over 2018."Black Friday is always counted out and comes back" National Retail Federation (NRF) President and CEO Matthew Shay said on a call with reporters on Tuesday.