Black Friday hits huge record thanks to this year’s hottest gifts
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close video Retailers Black Friday deals have gone full force: Stacey Widlitz
Stacey Widlitz, the founder of SW Retail Advisors, discusses common consumer patterns ahead of the biggest shopping weekend of the year on Mornings with Maria.
Online sales for Black Friday set a record this year with consumers spending $9.2 billion, according to Adobe Analytics.
That is a gain of 2.3% year-over-year.
Tech gifts have been very popular so far with sales rising 221% above a regular day in October this year.
Among the top sellers were smart home items and audio equipment.
BLACK FRIDAY SEES LOW TURNOUT IN LINES AT RETAIL STORES
Woman shopping on Black Friday, using a digital tablet and ordering electronics online. (iStock / iStock)
Toys are also hot items, rising 235%.
The most popular items were Fortnite, Roblox, Bluey, Funko Pop!, and Disney Encanto. Gaming remained a popular category, as shoppers snatched up Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 devices.
Discounts helped boost sales with the biggest savings seen among apparel, toys, sporting goods and televisions.
Mobile shopping remains a big story, with Black Friday hitting a new record: 48% of online sales came from smartphones, up from 44% last year.
"As Black Friday hit record spending online, we’re also seeing more prominent signs of a budget-conscious consumer this year," said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights. "Shoppers are embracing the Buy Now Pay Later payment method more this year to be able to buy desired gifts for family and friends."
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A new survey from Bankrate found more holiday shoppers plan to hit up Small Business Saturday than Black Friday this year. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Shoppers spent $5.3 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, up 2.9% from the holiday last year and setting a record with smartphones accounting for 55% of online sales, up from 51% last year.
Shoppers and retailers got a jump on the season with early deals in October getting consumers to spend over $72 billion online.
A shopper making a purchase on a smartphone. (iStock / iStock)
If you are looking for a computer, it is advised to wait until Cyber Monday, when discounts are expected to peak at 27%.
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Adobe expects the five days from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday to generate $34.8 billion in online spend, up 2.8% year-over-year.
Cyber Monday will remain the season’s and year’s biggest online shopping day at $11.2 billion, up 5.1% YoY.
