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