U.S. consumers spent a record $10.8 billion online during Black Friday, with many using AI tools to find the best deals, an Adobe Analytics report said Saturday.
According to the report the total sales were 10.2% higher, year-over-year.
Toys, jewelry, home appliances, skin and hair care products, apparel and electronics topped the list of biggest sales during the annual post-Thanksgiving day.
Crossing the $10 billion mark is a significant milestone for e-commerce, given that Black Friday shopping has traditionally taken place in physical stores, according to an Adobe Digital Insights analyst.
Adobe confirmed that these high spending figures were not the result of price inflation, but rather increased demand, noting that online sales prices have declined for 26 consecutive months, falling 2.9% in October, year-on-year.
AI also appeared to play a significant role in this spending, as traffic to sites that use AI to help consumers find the best deals increased by a whopping 1,800% compared to last year’s Black Friday. A survey conducted by Adobe showed that consumers used AI not only to find the best deals but also to quickly search for specific products or get product recommendations.
With Black Friday sales continuing, shoppers are expected to spend an additional $5.2 billion online on Saturday and $5.6 billion on Sunday, Adobe forecasts, with Cyber Monday also set to generate record sales of $13.2 billion, up 6.1% from 2023. For the five-day period from Thursday to Monday, U.S. consumers are expected to spend a total of $40.6 billion online, up 7% from last year, Adobe forecasts.
Black Friday each year marks the start of the annual holiday season in the United States.
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