'Americans Click, Not Queue': Black Friday Online Sales Hit $8.6 Billion

Bargain-hunting Americans opted for keyboards over crowds this Black Friday, spending an estimated £6.8 billion ($8.6 billion) online as shoppers increasingly turned to digital deals rather than braving long queues and chilly weather.

The surge highlights how the once-quintessential in-store shopping frenzy continues to shift into a largely virtual event, according to data from Adobe Analytics, cited by Thomson Reuters.

Adobe, which tracks more than one trillion visits to US retail websites, forecasts that shoppers will spend between £9.3 billion and £9.5 billion ($11.7 billion to $11.9 billion) online by the end of Black Friday.

Early figures showed the busiest period so far occurred between 10am and 2pm Eastern Time, with another peak expected later in the evening as consumers hunted for last-minute discounts.

Shoppers Spend but Cautiously

Although spending remains high, consumer behaviour appears restrained as inflation remains above trend and labour-market conditions soften.

Many shoppers who ventured into physical stores said they were operating with significantly tighter budgets than in previous years.

'I'm being much more careful,' said Grace Curbelo, 67, from New Rochelle, New York, while browsing designer outlets at Woodbury Common.

'I'm not sure how the economy will turn, and I don't want to put myself in debt.'

Deeper-than-expected discounts have helped encourage spending. Adobe said extended promotions now running for several weeks instead of just a single day have diluted Black Friday's historic sense of urgency while boosting total online sales.

Cyber Monday is projected to generate £11.3 billion ($14.2 billion) in online purchases, a 6.3% increase year-on-year, making it the largest digital shopping day of 2025.

Prices Rise as Tariffs Bite

Rising prices are weighing on consumer sentiment.

US retail sales grew less than expected in September, a slowdown analysts partly attributed to elevated costs driven by President Donald Trump's tariffs.

According to estimates from the Tax Foundation, tariffs have added roughly 4.9 percentage points to overall retail prices.

Data from Salesforce shows US prices are rising faster than those in the rest of the world, with the average online selling price up 8% year-on-year, compared with a 5% global increase.

Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights at Salesforce, said: 'This is the only market where we're seeing such high increases in average selling price. So there absolutely is a component of retailers trying to protect margins because of the impact of the tariffs.'

Higher Earners Drive the Market

With unemployment hovering near a four-year high and consumer confidence slipping to a seven-month low in November, shoppers are becoming increasingly selective.

Moody's Analytics reports that the wealthiest 10% of Americans, earning at least £198,000 ($250,000) annually, accounted for nearly 48% of total consumer spending in the second quarter of 2025. That marks a sharp increase from around 35% in the mid-1990s.

'Higher-income consumers are more resilient, which explains the strong growth we're seeing in categories like furniture and luxury goods,' Schwartz said.

In Raleigh's Crabtree Valley Mall, shopper Heather Cheatham, 50, said she set no budget this year while browsing at Sephora. She had already purchased gifts ranging from Aerie clothing to audio equipment and a new golf putter.

A Quiet Morning for Stores

Despite soaring total spend, in-person Black Friday traffic appeared thinner than in years past.

Marshal Cohen, chief retail adviser at Circana, said the early-morning store rush had 'all but vanished' in locations he visited in New York and New Jersey.

'Target won the morning,' he said, after the chain distributed swag bags to its first 100 shoppers, while Walmart drew heavier footfall later in the day.

In Atlanta's Gresham Park neighbourhood, diesel mechanic Quantavius Shorter waited outside Walmart at dawn and snapped up a Roku smart TV for £235 ($298).

'This is usually £395 ($500),' he said. 'I'm here early because I expected it to sell out.'

Strikes and Protests in Europe

Black Friday also brought pockets of disruption overseas.

Amazon warehouse workers in Germany staged strikes, while protests were planned outside Zara stores in Spain. In the United States, the Starbucks workers' union escalated its ongoing industrial action to include 26 additional stores, striking during one of the busiest shopping days of the year.