17 Black Friday Shopping Statistics for 2026

Black Friday is a highly anticipated shopping event that marks the start of the holiday shopping season. Consumers eagerly await this day to snag the best deals on a wide range of products, from electronics to clothing. As the holiday season approaches, it's crucial for retailers to understand the shopping trends, spending patterns, and consumer behavior associated with Black Friday.

How do we collect these statistics?

We collect these statistics from industry reports, consumer surveys, and transaction data published by organizations such as Adobe Analytics, the National Retail Federation (NRF), Salesforce, and Shopify.

Some statistics cover Black Friday specifically, while others cover Cyber Week or the broader holiday shopping season. These reporting periods are identified wherever relevant.

17 Black friday shopping statistics

Let's dive into some fascinating Black Friday shopping statistics. These figures will shed light on consumer behavior and spending patterns during this highly anticipated shopping event.

1. US consumers spent $11.8 billion online on Black Friday 2025, representing a 9.1% increase from 2024. Online Black Friday spending is expected to reach $12.9 billion in 2026, an increase of 9.2% (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2025–2026).

2. A record 202.9 million Americans shopped during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend in 2025, up from 197 million in 2024. The shopping period included Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday (Source: NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics, 2025).

3. Consumers spent an average of $337.86 on holiday-related purchases during Thanksgiving weekend 2025, compared with $315.56 in 2024. Of this amount, approximately $225.74 was spent on gifts (Source: NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics, 2025).

4. During Thanksgiving weekend 2025, 134.9 million Americans shopped online, while 129.5 million visited physical stores. On Black Friday specifically, 85.7 million consumers shopped online, compared with 80.3 million who shopped in stores (Source: NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics, 2025).

5. Around 33% of Gen Z consumers plan to shop in physical stores early on Black Friday 2026, compared with 27% of millennials and 24% of Gen X and baby boomers (Source: Salesforce, 2026).

6. Smartphones accounted for 56.4% of US online holiday spending in 2025, generating $145.2 billion in sales. On Black Friday specifically, mobile devices contributed 55.2% of online sales (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2026).

7. Worldwide online sales during Cyber Week 2025 reached $336.6 billion, representing a 7% increase from 2024. Black Friday alone generated approximately $79 billion in global online sales (Source: Salesforce, 2025).

8. Shopify merchants generated $14.6 billion in worldwide sales during Black Friday–Cyber Monday 2025, representing a 27% increase from 2024. More than 81 million consumers purchased products from Shopify-powered brands during the four-day period (Source: Shopify, 2025).

9. Electronics generated $59.8 billion in US online sales during the 2025 holiday shopping season, followed by apparel at $49 billion and furniture at $31.1 billion. These three categories accounted for more than half of total online holiday spending (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2026).

10. Electronics received the deepest discounts during the 2025 holiday shopping season, with peak discounts reaching 30.9% off listed prices. Toys followed at 29.6%, while apparel discounts reached 25.1%. Discounts are expected to reach up to 30% during Cyber Week 2026 (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2026).

11. The share of units sold from the most expensive products increased by 20% during the 2025 holiday season compared with the rest of the year. The increase was particularly noticeable in electronics (56%), sporting goods (55%), and appliances (38%) (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2026).

12. US consumers spent $20 billion using buy now, pay later (BNPL) services during the 2025 online holiday shopping season, representing a 9.8% increase from 2024. Smartphones accounted for 82.2% of BNPL spending (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2026).

13. Traffic to US retail websites from generative AI tools increased by 693.4% during the 2025 holiday shopping season compared with the previous year. On Black Friday alone, AI-driven traffic increased by 805% year over year, although AI referrals still represented a relatively small share of overall retail traffic (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2025–2026).

14. Social media contributed 4.6% of US online holiday revenue in 2025, compared with approximately 3.3% in 2024. This represented a 40.3% increase in social media's share of online holiday revenue (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2026).

15. Email marketing accounted for 12.6% of US online holiday revenue in 2025, making it one of the major revenue-driving channels for retailers. However, its share declined compared with approximately 15% in 2024 (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2026).

16. Affiliates and partners, including influencers, contributed 20.4% of US online holiday revenue in 2025, compared with approximately 17.7% in 2024. This represented a 15.9% increase in their share of online holiday revenue (Source: Adobe Analytics, 2026).

17. Cross-border purchases represented 16% of all global orders placed with Shopify merchants during Black Friday–Cyber Monday 2025. The US, UK, Australia, Germany, and Canada were the top-selling countries for Shopify merchants during the shopping event (Source: Shopify, 2025).

Conclusion

The latest statistics shows how consumer behavior is changing. Mobile shopping now contributes the majority of online holiday revenue, while AI-powered product discovery, social media, and affiliate partnerships are becoming increasingly important in the shopping journey.

For businesses, these trends highlight the importance of planning competitive offers, optimizing the mobile shopping experience, and using multiple marketing channels to reach potential customers.

With Black Friday spending expected to grow further in 2026, retailers can use these insights to prepare their marketing campaigns and make the most of the holiday shopping season.