U.S. shoppers spent a record $11.8 billion online on the biggest shopping day of the year, an increase of 9.1% from 2024, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks shoppers’ 1 trillion visits to online retail websites.
Adobe said AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites surged 805% compared to last year, when artificial intelligence tools like Walmart’s Sparky and Amazon’s Rufus had not yet been released.
“Consumers are using new tools to get what they need faster,” said eMarketer analyst Susie Davidkanian. “Gift-giving can be stressful, but using LLMs (Large-Scale Language Models) can make the discovery process faster and feel more guided.”
Nearly half of respondents in the Adobe survey said they have used or plan to use AI for online shopping this season.
Black Friday’s best-selling items included Lego sets, Pokemon cards, game consoles like the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, and products ranging from Apple AirPods to KitchenAid mixers. AI agents had a $14.2 billion impact on online sales worldwide
According to software company Salesforce, AI and agents impacted Black Friday online sales by $14.2 billion worldwide, with $3 billion of that occurring in the U.S. alone.
U.S. consumers spent $18 billion on online purchases on Black Friday, up 3% from a year earlier, with the most popular categories including luxury apparel and accessories, Salesforce reported, whose data also includes non-discretionary items such as groceries.
Salesforce said U.S. consumers spent more on Black Friday this year than last year, but higher prices hampered online demand and shoppers bought fewer items at checkout compared to last year.
Order volume decreased by 1% as average selling price increased by 7%. Consumers are also purchasing fewer items at the register, with the number of items per transaction down 2% from a year ago, Salesforce said.
“There are two factors that are driving up the average selling price in the U.S.,” said Kyla Schwartz, director of consumer insights at Salesforce.
“The first is definitely the impact of the tariffs, particularly on the discretionary category, where we have seen a significant increase in selling prices. The other is the fact that high-income earners have become much stronger than average-income earners, as evidenced by the strength of the luxury goods category,” she added.
The surge in spending sets the stage for an even bigger Cyber Monday, which is expected to bring in $14.2 billion in sales, up 6.3% from a year ago, making it the biggest online shopping day of the year, Adobe said. Adobe says you can expect deep discounts on electronics products up to 30% off list price on Cyber Monday, as well as strong sales on clothing and computers.
But in physical stores, Black Friday bargain hunting was relatively muted, with some shoppers saying they were worried about overspending amid persistent inflation, trade-driven uncertainty and a weak labor market.
Leslie Antonette, a consultant from Los Angeles, was waiting in line at a Best Buy store on Black Friday to buy an ice cream maker for her mother. “I could buy the ice cream maker pretty cheap, but I was very aware of the prices of everything in the store,” she said.
“I suspect people will be very cautious with their holiday shopping this year, given the cost, and I know I will be too.”
