American consumers set a new record for online spending on Black Friday, shelling out an impressive $11.8 billion. This figure, reported by Adobe Analytics, which monitors over a trillion visits to U.S. retail websites, marks a significant increase from last year's $10.8 billion. The data underscores Black Friday's evolution into a dominant e-commerce event, with more shoppers opting for online deals from the comfort of their homes. During peak hours, between 10 AM and 2 PM, online sales reportedly reached $12.5 million per minute, as Forbes highlighted from Adobe's statements.
The strong Black Friday performance sets the stage for what is anticipated to be an even larger Cyber Monday. Adobe projects that online spending on Cyber Monday, set for December 1st, will reach $14.2 billion, according to Reuters. These early figures from major analytics firms like Adobe and Salesforce offer crucial insights into broader holiday shopping trends. Overall, Adobe forecasts total holiday spending this year to hit $253.4 billion, a rise from $241.1 billion in the previous year.
Salesforce also weighed in, tracking $79 billion in global Black Friday spending, with $18 billion attributed to the United States. While these represent year-over-year increases of 6% globally and 3% domestically, Salesforce data suggests that much of this growth might be driven by higher prices rather than increased consumer demand. The company noted an average price increase of 7%, while order volumes actually saw a 1% decline.
Both Adobe and Salesforce highlight the increasing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on holiday shopping. For example, Salesforce reported that AI and AI agents played a role in $22 billion of global sales between Thanksgiving and Black Friday, though the precise definition of "influenced" remains somewhat ambiguous.
The picture for traditional brick-and-mortar stores is less consistent. While online sales surged, data on in-person shopping offered mixed signals. RetailNext indicated a 3.4% nationwide decrease in in-store traffic, yet Pass_by reported an overall 1.17% increase in foot traffic, with department stores seeing a notable 7.9% rise.
