GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Despite all the Black Friday hype, deals and opportunity for marathon shopping, sales were down for the holiday weekend.

Nearly 134 million people shopped in stores and online over the four-day weekend, which was down 5.2 percent from last year, according to the National Retail Federation. Those estimates are based on a survey of 4,631 people conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics for the trade group.

Total spending for the weekend is expected to fall 11 percent to $50.9 billion from an estimated $57.4 billion last year, the trade group estimated.

In stores, shoppers spent $9.1 billion on Black Friday, according to ShopperTrak, down 7 percent from last year. That was partly due to a 24 percent surge in Thanksgiving sales, to $3.2 billion. The research firm estimated that in-store sales for the two days combined slipped half a percent to $12.29 billion.

We asked retail and marketing experts for their insight on why shoppers were less into Black Friday this year. Here are their five reasons:

1. Black Friday lost its mystique

Most retailers unveiled deep discounts as early as Halloween weekend. Big box retailers Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy - along with department store chains Kohl’s, Macy’s and JCPenney opened stores even earlier on Thanksgiving.

Those early sales stole some thunder from Black Friday and the rest of the weekend. Many shoppers didn’t feel the need to rush out to stores to get them this weekend, said Jennifer Pope, associate professor of marketing at Grand Valley State University’s Seidman College of Business.

“It’s no longer the day of big sales and everything goes back to normal prices,” Pope said. “I think spreading it out has decreased the excitement.”

2. 'Tis too long a season

Black Friday is no longer that starting pistol for the holiday shopping race as sales broke earlier than in years past.

“There was no sense of urgency to be first in line, said Edward Nakfoor, a Birmingham-based retail consultant. “We did see lines, of course, but that frenzied anticipation was missing this year.”

The benchmark for defining the holiday shopping season is changing. It's no longer the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but has extended to early November and lingers in January as shoppers redeem their gift cards.

3. Less bricks, more clicks

The shift from brick and mortar to online shopping picked up this year. Target reported that its website saw a 40-percent surge in sales on Thanksgiving, making its biggest online sales day ever. Wal-Mart said Thanksgiving was its second-highest online day ever, only surpassed by Cyber Monday last year.

The Associated Press is reporting that from Nov. 1 through Black Friday, $22.7 billion has been spent online, a 15 percent increase from last year, according to research firm comScore. On Thanksgiving, online sales jumped 32 percent, while Black Friday online sales rose 26 percent.

The way people are shopping and retailers are marketing is changing the holiday shopping season, said Jeff Green, a Arizona-based retail consultant, originally from Michigan.

“Any good retailer is hitting you from all angles now,” Green said. “It’s not just about brick and mortar sales anymore. It’s that multi-distribution channel that is going to tell if a retailer is successful. “

4. Shopper fatigue

Shoppers aren’t as interested in standing out in the cold for long hours, or fighting through through a crowd for a deal. One reason is that there haven't been big must-have products this year.

But there are other factors, according to Matt Shay, NRF's CEO. He said he thinks people benefiting from the recovery may not feel the need to fight crowds to get the deepest discount on a TV or toaster. And those who feel like the recession never ended may not have the money and will stretch out what they spend through Christmas.

Shoppers are also still feeling the effects of high food prices and stagnant wages.

"While they're more optimistic, they're very cautious," Shay said. "If the deals are not right for them, they're not going to spend."

5. Cynical about discounts

Shoppers are savvier, and retailers have trained them to wait. Shoppers know more discounts are coming this season, said Nakfoor.

And they are right, according to Shay, who said that retailers will be treating the remaining days of the season as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And that may be what it takes to convince shoppers to pull out their pocketbooks for the holiday shopping season, which accounts for about 20 percent of annual retail sales.

In addition to the economic factors, shoppers are becoming more discerning when they buy. They are turning to smartphones and price-comparison apps to determine what's a good deal — and what's not.

Still, the NRF is still predicting a 4.1 percent increase in sales for the season. That would be the highest increase since the 4.8 percent gain in 2011.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.