Record Black Friday Online Sales Top $11.8 Billion, Surpassing In-Store Spending
Nov. 29 (UPI) - U.S. consumers shattered records on Black Friday, spending a total of $11.8 billion online – exceeding sales from in-store visits on the day after Thanksgiving.
According to data from Adobe Analytics, retailers’ websites collectively saw over 1 trillion online visits, contributing to the record spending figure which represents a 9.1% increase compared to Black Friday 2024, Forbes reported.
online spending on Thanksgiving also reached $6.4 billion, as tracked by Adobe analytics. While final in-store sales figures weren’t available Saturday, analysts confirmed online totals surpassed brick-and-mortar revenue.
“Cyber Week is off to a strong start, with online spending on Thanksgiving and black Friday both coming in above Adobe’s initial forecasts,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, as reported by Forbes. “This was driven in large part by competitive deals across categories, like electronics, toys and apparel.”
Pandya anticipates discounts will remain important through Cyber Monday, predicting it will remain the year’s largest online shopping day. Adobe Analytics initially predicted an 8.3% rise for ecommerce retailers, but consumers spent an average of $12.5 million per minute, pushing online sales growth beyond 9%.
Mastercard SpendingPulse reported even greater year-over-year increases, with online sales up 10.4% and in-store purchases up 1.7%. Jewelry and apparel were leading categories for both online and traditional retailers, according to mastercard.
Despite an overall increase in total in-store spending compared to 2024, foot traffic declined by 3.6%, according to RetailNext.This indicates a shift in consumer behavior, with shoppers spending less time in physical stores.
The surge in online deal-seeking was aided by artificial intelligence, with adobe Analytics reporting an 805% increase in AI-driven traffic to retail sites in the United States compared to 2024.
The National Retail Federation will utilize Black Friday data to assess the broader impact of the holiday shopping season, which extends through November and December, and is scheduled to release an updated holiday spending outlook on Tuesday.
