Black Friday Sees Record Online As US Shoppers Stay Home
Nov 28, 2020, 11:14 AM
TOLEDO, OH - NOVEMBER 27: Signs urging social distancing and masks line the windows of most shops at the Franklin Park Mall during the Black Friday sales event on November 27, 2020 in Toledo, Ohio. Throughout Ohio and the midwest new cases of Covid-19 have exploded and now threaten to bring on another round of shutdowns and lockdowns going into the holiday season. (Photo by Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
(Photo by Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
(AP) – Black Friday online sales hit a new record this year as pandemic-wary Americans filled virtual carts instead of real ones.
Consumers spent an estimated $9 billion on U.S. retail websites on Black Friday, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks online shopping. That was a 22% increase over the previous record of $7.4 billion in 2019.
The company expects Monday to be the largest online sales day in U.S. history, with estimated spending of between $10.8 billion and $12.7 billion.
One reason for the big numbers is that people are shopping online for things such as groceries and alcohol that they bought in stores before the pandemic, Adobe said. As for more traditional gifts, Hot Wheels cars, Lego sets, Apple AirPods, Samsung televisions and video games are among the biggest sellers.
Big retailers such as Walmart and Target benefited from the surge, but small retailers did as well, Adobe said. Sales at big stores surged by 403% on Thanksgiving and Black Friday compared to the daily average in October, but sales at smaller retailers also grew by 349%.
