U.S. consumers spent $11.8 billion online on Black Friday as more people used their phones and laptops rather than braving the cold to take advantage of sales during the holiday shopping weekend.
According to Adobe Inc.’s statistics and insights division, this analysis of over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail websites, online spending increased 9.4% through 6:30 p.m. ET (1130 GMT) on Black Friday compared to the previous year.
Although it was anticipated that customers would swarm to stores, the post-Thanksgiving morning bargain-chasing was muted due to consumers’ anxiety about overspending in the face of ongoing inflation, uncertainty around trade policies, and a weak labor market.
But according to a final count, the research firm predicts that shoppers will spend between $11.7 billion and $11.9 billion on Friday, setting a new record for Black Friday online sales.
Because discounts are still high, it is predicted that shoppers will spend $5.5 billion on Saturday, up 3.8% from the previous year, and $5.9 billion on Sunday, up 5.4%.
Cyber Monday is predicted to be the greatest online shopping day of the season once more, bringing in $14.2 billion, a 6.3% increase over the previous year.
Last month, Adobe stated that it anticipates slower growth in U.S. holiday online sales this year, despite having previously predicted that Black Friday online sales would increase by 8.3% to $11.7 billion.
