Black Friday Shines Online, Stabilizes Offline

Consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online on Black Friday, up 9.1 percent year-over-year (YoY) and above Adobe’s initial forecast ($11.7 billion, up 8.3 percent YoY). More than half of online sales (55.2 percent) came through a mobile device (vs. desktop), representing $6.5 billion (up 10.2 percent YoY).

According to Salesforce data, the top performing U.S. shopping categories were luxury apparel and accessories, which saw a 21 percent increase in sales growth YoY. Additionally, artificial intelligence-driven shopping agents led consumers to make $14.2 billion in global online purchases; $3 billion in U.S. online sales were driven by AI agents on Black Friday.

Shopify reported that peak sales (GMV) per minute registered $5.1 million on Black Friday at 12:01 p.m. EST, and the average cart price for the day was $117.93.

However, while merchants were capitalizing on increased online traffic levels and driving record e-commerce sales this Black Friday, the numbers offline were more muted. According to preliminary insights from Mastercard SpendingPulse™, U.S. retail sales excluding autos were up 4.1 percent YoY on Black Friday. Mastercard SpendingPulse measures in-store and online retail sales, representing all payment types, and is not adjusted for inflation.

As for in-store visits, the U.S. physical retail market posted a 1.17 percent YoY increase in traffic, according to pass_by, an AI-powered geospatial insights company. Department stores (+7.9 percent) saw a major resurgence as shoppers returned to the "one-stop-shop," while the health and beauty sector, usually a top performer, fell 7.7 percent YoY (with Sephora down 11 percent).

However, the in-store traffic data reported by RetailNext, an in-store traffic analytics provider, from Black Friday Weekend 2025 was more bleak. Initial data revealed an average of 5.3 percent YoY decrease in in-store foot traffic across Black Friday and Saturday.

Total Retail's Take: This data reinforces the trend that consumers are de-emphasizing rushing out to malls and retail stores on Black Friday to capture great savings and holiday deals, instead opting to shop from the comfort of their homes via laptops and mobile devices (and get the same products at the same prices). The holiday shopping season is being extended into earlier in the year and it's increasingly moving online. As such, while Black Friday is still an important day for brick-and-mortar retailers — it once again delivered the highest in-store traffic of any day this year — it doesn't hold the same weight as in years past.

“Black Friday 2025 didn’t kill the holiday; it changed how shoppers approached it,” said Joe Shasteen, global head of advanced analytics at RetailNext. “Foot traffic was down 3.6 percent on Friday and 8.6 percent on Saturday, but that wasn’t disinterest, it was intention. Shoppers showed they’re done with the impulse-driven, one-day frenzy. Prices, tariffs, and tighter budgets pushed people to shop with discipline, not adrenaline, and they responded by turning Black Friday into a value calculation.”

Lastly, retailers are gearing up for Cyber Monday, while consumers are seeking out deals that they might not have found over the holiday weekend. "Consumers now expect comparable deals to happen earlier during Cyber Week and many aren't waiting to hit the buy button," noted Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights, regarding the strong online sales numbers from Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and the holiday weekend. "Cyber Monday has essentially become ‘last call’ for big discounts during the holiday season, with electronics and apparel set to take the lion’s share of online spend.”