Online shoppers spent 7.5% more on Black Friday compared to last year, a total of $9.8 billion, with KidKraft outdoor playsets, Mini Brands toys, electronics, smart watches and headphones among the hottest sale items on the day after Thanksgiving, according to data from Adobe Analytics.
On Thanksgiving Day itself, consumers spent $5.6 billion online with the top selling online items being Barbie products, PlayStation 5, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III video game, Bluetooth speakers and holiday décor. As of Sunday, Nov. 26, consumers have spent $96.9 billion online, with 50.05% of purchases made on mobile devices, rather than desktop computers.
Adobe said it expects “Cyber Monday” sales today to reach $12.5 billion, making it the biggest U.S. e-commerce day ever. That forecast was adjusted upward from Adobe’s original $12 billion prediction based on the stronger than expected Black Friday online sales.
Adobe predicts overall holiday season revenue will increase 4.8% to $221.8 billion this year, compared to 2.5% growth in 2022. Holiday season spending rose 8.6% in 2021 to $205 billion.
Foot traffic at physical retail stores on Black Friday was up 2.6% in the Northeast and 2.0% nationwide, compared to the 7% increase of in-store Black Friday shoppers in 2022, according to preliminary data from RetailNext. Store categories that showed strong performance last Friday were health and beauty (+13.3%) and jewelry (+6.7%) compared to Black Friday in 2022.
