Black Friday continued to dominate United States retail sales this year after Adobe Analytics reported US$10.8 billion (A$16.58 billion) in U.S. online sales on the day following the Thanksgiving holiday, 10.2% more than last year.
This marks a record for Black Friday spending since Adobe Analytics first began tracking online sales.
Record levels of e-commerce spending saw a sharp fall in ‘bricks-and-mortar’ in-store shopping, down 8% on what is usually the day to draw the biggest crowds to stores and malls.
Adobe Analytics and Salesforce reported strong increases in e-commerce spending on Black Friday.
E-commerce sales surged by 14.6%, while in-store sales only rose by 0.7%, according to data from Mastercard.
The shift was driven by consumers preferring online shopping for its convenience and ability to bargain hunt more effectively, hurting sales for traditional department stores with shoppers favouring their phones and laptops.
Vivek Pandya from Adobe Digital Insights said: “Crossing the $10 billion mark is a big e-commerce milestone for Black Friday, for a day that in the past was anchored towards in-store shopping.”
Meanwhile, Sensormatic Solutions reported an 8.2% decline in traffic this year, reversing the trend of increased traffic following the worst year of the pandemic.
Black Friday sales kick off the holiday shopping season for retailers following the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.