Shoppers weren’t just filling their plates this Thanksgiving—they were also filling their online carts, setting a new Black Friday online shopping record of $10.8 billion, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks U.S. e-commerce data.
This year’s total more than doubles the $5 billion spent online during Black Friday in 2017. The record-setting spree came on the heels of another milestone: consumers spent $6.1 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, a nearly 9% increase from last year, Adobe reported.
What Shoppers Bought
Toys were a major driver of Black Friday online sales, with spending on toys soaring 622% compared to an average day earlier this fall. Other categories also saw significant spikes:
- Jewelry: Up 561%
- Appliances: Up 476%
- Apparel: Up 374%
- Electronics: Up 334%
Popular items included Harry Potter LEGO sets, Disney Princess toys, “Wicked” merchandise, Cookeez Makery play ovens, and gaming consoles like the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch OLED, and Meta Quest. Other hot sellers included makeup and skincare sets, Bluetooth speakers, smartwatches, perfumes, and espresso machines.
More than half of all Black Friday online sales—about 55%—were made on mobile devices, highlighting the growing role of smartphones in e-commerce.
Consumers appeared to favor the convenience of online shopping over visiting stores in person. MasterCard reported a 14.6% increase in online sales compared to last year, while in-store sales saw only a modest 0.7% uptick.
The continued growth of online shopping, bolstered by mobile devices and attractive deals, underscores a major shift in consumer behavior, solidifying Black Friday as a dominant force in e-commerce.
