Shoppers spent a record $10.8 billion online on Black Friday. Up next? Cyber Monday

Shoppers spent a record .8 billion online on Black Friday. Up next? Cyber Monday

November 30, 2024

Many Black Friday shoppers avoided the long lines at stores and chose to do their holiday shopping in a more convenient way: online and with their smartphone.  

They clicked their way to a record for Black Friday spending online, racking up $10.8 billion in purchases, an increase of more than 10% over a year ago, according to Adobe Analytics.

“Crossing the $10 billion mark is a big e-commerce milestone for Black Friday, for a day that in the past was more anchored towards in-store shopping,” Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said in a statement. “And with consumers getting more comfortable with everything from mobile shopping to chat bots, we have tailwinds that can prop up online growth for Black Friday moving forward.”   

A majority of online shoppers chose to use their mobile devices to shop on Black Friday with 55% of online sales conducted with a mobile device, accounting for $5.9 billion in spending, Adobe Analytics said. This represented a 12.1% increase over a year ago. Other online sales were done on desktop computers and other devices.

Shoppers spent $11.3 million online every minute between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., according to the sales tracking firm.  

Supporting the idea that many bargain hunters opted to shop online: early data suggesting in-store traffic on Black Friday was down 3.2% nationwide, according to tracking firm RetailNext.

Some of the top-selling items sold online during Black Friday included makeup and skincare sets, hair care products, Bluetooth speakers and headphones, smart watches, jewelry, discounted apparel, perfume and fragrances, bedding and linen sets, televisions, gift cards, and espresso machines, Adobe Analytics said.  

Here is a look at Adobe Analytics forecast for sales this weekend and on Cyber Monday

Thanksgiving weekend holiday shopping forecast  

Although Black Friday has ended, Adobe Analytics predicts customers will continue shopping throughout the Thanksgiving weekend.  

Consumers are expected to spend $5.2 billion on Saturday, Nov. 30, and $5.6 billion on Sunday, Dec. 1, Adobe Analytics estimates.

Many shoppers are choosing the buy now, pay later (BNPL) option, with BNPL sales accounting for $686.3 million in online sales, Adobe said. Consumers are expected to make $864.1 million in online BNPL purchases this weekend, the firm estimates.  

Here’s some expected discounts shoppers should find this weekend, ahead of Cyber Monday, according to Adobe Analytics: 

  • Electronics, 26% off.
  • Toys, 25% off.
  • Computers, 23% off.
  • Apparel, 22% off.
  • Televisions, 21% off.
  • Appliances, 18% off.

These products are expected to be hot sellers over the weekend, according to Adobe Analytics:

  • Perfume and fragrances  
  • Hair care products 
  • LEGO sets 
  • Harry Potter toys and figurines 
  • Miles Morales (Spiderman) toys and figurines 
  • Dolls 
  • Bluetooth speakers 
  • Bluetooth headphones 
  • Televisions 
  • Fitness trackers 
  • Electric scooters and bikes 
  • Discounted apparel 
  • Video game consoles 
  • Bedding and linens 
  • Gift cards 

Cyber Week and Cyber Monday  

During Cyber Week, the five-day period including Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shoppers will spend an estimated $40.6 billion online, a 7% increase over last year, according to Adobe Analytics.

Cyber Monday is expected to keep its reign as the season’s and year’s biggest online shopping day, with Adobe estimating shoppers spending $13.2 billion, up 6.1% over last year.  

If you are itching to click the “Buy” button on certain purchases this weekend, Adobe Analytics suggests waiting for Cyber Monday. Shoppers can get discounts of more than 20% on apparel and 30% on electronics on Cyber Monday, the company says.