Black Friday: Online sales to top $9 billion, mobile shopping takes lion share

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In the biggest 'Black Friday' ever online, the overall sales for the day after Thanksgiving are expected to top $9 billion, according to Adobe - which tracks sales on retailers’ websites.

Shoppers spent $7.28 billion at websites and the number could balloon to as much as $9.2 billion, according to a CNBC report. ‘Black Friday’ falls on November 25, a day after the United States holiday of Thanksgiving, and is associated with massive shopping sprees as customers are attracted to bulk buys and big discounts.

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As per the report, the record-breaking spending comes on the heels of a strong day of Thanksgiving shopping, in which consumers shelled out an all-time high $5.29 billion online, up 2.9 per cent year-over-year.

Typically, shoppers spend about $2 billion to $3 billion online in a day, according to Adobe. The company said shoppers were picking up Apple products such as watches and Airpods, smart speakers and televisions, espresso machines, and gaming consoles, as well as toys from Funko, Hatchimals and Squishmallows.

Mobile shopping also hit a record high this year, with sales from smartphones accounting for 55 percent of online sales on Thanksgiving Day. These sales are expected to account for 53 percent of total Black Friday sales, according to Adobe.

For retailers, these numbers could be a promising indicator for the weeks ahead as early holiday forecasts have been muted. Target, Macy’s, Nordstrom and other companies reported a lull in sales in late October and early November.