Peter Smith
⬤ U.S. shoppers spent a record 11.8 billion dollars online on Black Friday, a 9.1 percent jump from 2023. Adobe Analytics followed more than a trillion visits to retail sites and logged the strongest digital Black Friday on record. The data shows that Americans readily pay through screens even though the wider economy still feels shaky.
⬤ The buying pace did not stop when Friday ended. Adobe forecasts that shoppers will hand over 5.5 billion dollars on Saturday and 5.9 billion dollars on Sunday, up 3.8 percent plus 5.4 percent compared with the same days last year. The numbers point to a full weekend of deals rather than a single day rush. The largest U.S. e-commerce site, is poised to collect a large share of that money as online orders keep climbing.
The steady climb across the weekend shows that shoppers now spread purchases across days instead of clustering them into one surge.
⬤ A mix of forces pushed the total higher. Faster delivery networks, deep discounts and the ease of buying from home all helped. Appliances and clothing topped the list of goods sold on Black Friday. Physical stores have regained some traffic - yet online sales still outpace them because prices stay low but also shoppers compare offers in seconds.
⬤ The weekend totals matter well beyond those three days. A strong start often sets the mood for the rest of the holiday season and lifts revenue forecasts for large chains and web platforms. As digital sales claim a bigger share of consumer budgets, the pattern will steer market expectations through December. The latest Black Friday data underlines one point - online shopping no longer sits at the edge of retail - it now drives it.
Peter Smith
