Adobe: US Online Holiday Spending Hits Record-Breaking $258B
U.S. consumers spent nearly $258 billion online during the holiday season lasting from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, according to new data from Adobe. The company said in a press release that was a new record — and beat expectations of $253.4 billion — with consumers spending more than $4 billion in a single day during 25 of the 60 days that spanned Adobe's analytics period.
That $258 billion is a 6.8 percent year-over-year (YoY) increase, according to Adobe. Cyber Week, the period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, brought in $44.2 billion online overall, up 7.7 percent from last year. Cyber Monday alone saw $14.25 billion in online spending, up 7.1 percent YoY.
Mobile accounted for 56.4 percent of online sales this holiday season, with Christmas Day registering the highest mobile use for a single day.
Shoppers also embraced generative AI-powered chat services and browsers this holiday season. Adobe found that traffic to retail sites from generative AI tools like ChatGPT increased a whopping 693.4 percent compared to 2024.
Total Retail's Take: With shoppers searching for value, deep discounting contributed to significant online spending this holiday season. By leaning into promotions and discounts, retailers drove consumers to purchase higher-ticket items in categories like electronics, sporting goods, and appliances.
Furthermore, the Adobe data revealed what many have suspected: consumers are incorporating AI into their shopping habits in ways we haven't seen before. For example, AI shopping assistants were used most often in purchases of video games, toys, appliances, electronics, and personal care products, according to Adobe. The key for retailers will be to build upon the e-commerce momentum seen during the holiday season, with investments in generative and agentic AI systems quickly becoming core to those efforts.
