Even with wider economic uncertainty looming over the current holiday period, consumers showed up in significant quantities for Black Friday — allocating vast sums of money across physical retail locations and digital platforms.
TL;DR
- U.S. consumers set online spending records on Black Friday and Thanksgiving, with Adobe Analytics reporting $11.8 billion online Friday.
- Video game systems, electronic gadgets, and household machinery were top purchases, influenced by AI tools and social media ads.
- While in-store traffic declined, overall Black Friday sales rose 4.1%, with online sales increasing 10.4% and in-store up 1.7%.
- Consumers are shopping earlier, leveraging promotions, and buying fewer items at higher prices due to economic uncertainty and tariffs.
Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce, said U.S. Consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online Friday, marking a 9.1% jump from last year. Traffic particularly piled up between the hours of 10 a.m. And 2 p.m. Local time nationwide, when $12.5 million passed through online shopping carts every minute.
Adobe reported that shoppers also set a new record, spending $6.4 billion on the internet during Thanksgiving. Among the leading product types experiencing increased purchases on both days were video game systems, electronic gadgets, and household machinery. The company noted that shopping tools driven by AI and advertisements on social platforms have notably shaped consumer purchasing decisions.
Concurrently, the software firm Salesforce, which monitors online expenditures from various merchants, such as food stores, projected that Black Friday's e-commerce revenue amounted to $18 billion domestically and $79 billion internationally. Furthermore, the online marketplace Shopify reported that its sellers achieved an unprecedented sum of $6.2 billion in global transactions on Black Friday. During its highest point, purchases peaked at $5.1 million each minute, with leading product types encompassing beauty items and apparel, as indicated by The Canadian enterprise.
Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks in-person and online spending, reported that overall Black Friday sales excluding automotive rose 4.1% from a year ago. The retail sales indicator, which is not adjusted for inflation, showed online sales jumped by double digits (10.4%), while in-store purchases inched up 1.7%.
Michelle Meyer, chief economist at the Mastercard Economics Institute, said consumers are “navigating an uncertain environment” this holiday season “by shopping early, leveraging promotions, and investing in wish-list items.”
Black Friday is far from the sales event that created midnight mall crowds or doorbuster mayhem just decades ago. More and more consumers have instead turned to online deals to make post-Thanksgiving purchases from the comfort of their own homes — or opt to stretch out spending across longer promotions now offered by retailers.
In-store traffic has dwindled over the years. Initial data from RetailNext, which measures real-time foot traffic in physical stores, found that U.S. Black Friday traffic fell 3.6% compared to 2024. Still, the firm noted that was “notably better” than a sharper 6.2% decline it saw in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
Sensormatic Solutions, a company that also monitors footfall in shops, observed that visits to brick-and-mortar stores decreased by 2.1% — however, they stated this was consistent with anticipations and patterns previously noted throughout the current year. According to Sensormatic, shopper activity during the week encompassing Black Friday saw an increase of almost 57% when contrasted with the preceding week.
“Black Friday has really turned into like a full week event, or even further,” said Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions. And “Black Friday is really the start of just a really and critical stretch for retailers,” he added — noting that the weekend following Thanksgiving, as well as the days leading up to Christmas next month, will also be some of the busiest in terms of in-store traffic.
Concurrently, concerning online commerce, Adobe anticipates American consumers will allocate an additional $5.5 billion on Saturday and $5.9 billion on Sunday — prior to hitting an anticipated $14.2 billion high on Cyber Monday, which would represent a new milestone.
However, escalating costs might be playing a role in these figures. President Donald Trump's extensive imposition of tariffs on goods from other countries has impacted both have strained businesses and families over the past twelve months. Furthermore, even with increased total expenditures, Salesforce observed that American consumers bought a reduced quantity of goods during Black Friday transactions (a 2% decrease compared to the previous year). The company also reported a 1% decline in order quantities, attributing it to a 7% rise in average selling prices.
The current year's festive shopping surge is occurring amidst increased economic apprehension for shoppers. With Beyond tariffs in place, employees in both government and commercial fields are also grappling with concerns about their employment stability — due to corporate layoffs and also the after-effects of the 43-day government shutdown.
A rise in spending cautiously can also be observed in retail footfall. Although Sensormatic refrains from monitoring expenditures, “we do track consumer footsteps,” Gustafson points out — and “consumers are thinking a little bit harder about their purchases” this current year, he elaborates, “to make sure that they’re getting their very best deals.”
For the November-December holiday season overall, the National Retail Federation estimates U.S. Shoppers will spend more than $1 trillion for the first time this year. But the rate of growth is slowing — with an anticipated increase of 3.7% to 4.2% year over year, compared to 4.3% in 2024’s holiday season.
Concurrently, credit card balances and delinquencies on other short-term loans have seen an increase. A growing number of consumers are opting for “buy now, pay later” plans, a method enabling them to postpone payments for seasonal decorations, presents, and various other goods.