The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that Shopify says this year's Black Friday sales across its merchants were 22 per cent higher than the year before. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says that the Ottawa e-commerce company says businesses using its software made $4.1-billion in sales on Black Friday. The average purchase in Canada over the Black Friday weekend totalled $171.60 with most sales coming in around noon Eastern Time on Friday. Shopify says the most popular categories for purchases in the country were cosmetics, necklaces, shirts, earrings, underwear and socks. SalesForce says on-line sales on Black Friday totalled $70.9-billion globally and in Canada were up 2 per cent from the year before. The surge in Black Friday shopping comes as inflation and interest rates remain high, weighing on consumers and pushing many to seek deeper discounts than usual. The average purchase price by consumers totalled $110.71. Shopify closed Monday at $100.51, up $4.25 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.