US Cyber Monday online sales reach record $14.25 bn: Adobe

In the peak hours of 8 pm to 10 pm, consumers spent $16 million every minute. Cyber Monday remains the biggest online shopping day of all time, as shoppers took advantage of competitive discounts in categories such as electronics (peaking at 31 per cent off listed price), toys (28 per cent), apparel (25 per cent), computers (23 per cent), television (22 per cent), furniture (19 per cent), appliances (19 per cent), and sporting goods (17 per cent).

Based on Adobe Analytics data, the report provides the most comprehensive view into US e-commerce by analysing commerce transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to US retail sites, 100 million SKUs and 18 product categories.

Deals are expected to linger in the days ahead. After Cyber Week, discounts will come down from their peaks, but shoppers can still find great bargains through the first week of December in toys (peaking at 23 per cent off listed price), computers (20 per cent), electronics (19 per cent), televisions (19 per cent), apparel (18 per cent), sporting goods (15 per cent), appliances (15 per cent), and furniture (15 per cent).

Cyber Week (the 5-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday) brought in $44.2 billion online overall (up 7.7 per cent y-o-y), bolstered by record spending online during Black Friday ($11.8 billion, up 9.1 per cent y-o-y). This is now the second holiday season in a row where Black Friday growth outpaced Cyber Monday (2024: Cyber Monday up 7.3 per cent year-over-year, Black Friday up 10.2 per cent year-over-year), as shoppers embraced early, competitive deals. Earlier deals drove record spending over the weekend as well at $11.8 billion (up 8.7 per cent y-o-y) and Thanksgiving at $6.4 billion (up 5.3 per cent y-o-y).

After a strong Cyber Week showing, Adobe expects the full 2025 holiday season to hit $253.4 billion online, up 5.3 per cent y-o-y.

Usage of the flexible payment method hit an all-time high on Cyber Monday, driving $1.03 billion in online spend (up 4.2 per cent y-o-y), as consumers looked for greater flexibility in managing their holiday budgets. The vast majority of buy now pay later (BNPL) transactions are happening on a mobile device as well, at 79.4 per cent share on Cyber Monday (vs desktop). In an Adobe survey of over 1,000 US consumers (conducted November 2025), respondents said they were most likely to use BNPL for electronics, apparel, toys, and furniture purchases.

Generative AI-powered chat services and browsers are making their mark on the holiday season, becoming a helpful tool for consumers to find deals and research products. On Cyber Monday, AI traffic to US retail sites (measured by shoppers clicking on a link) increased by 670 per cent. From November 1 to December 1, AI traffic was up 760 per cent. While the base of users remains modest, the uptick shows the value AI can deliver as a shopping assistant. These services were used most in categories including video games, appliances, electronics, toys, and personal care products.

“US retailers leaned heavily on discounts this holiday season to drive online demand. Competitive and persistent deals throughout Cyber Week pushed consumers to shop earlier, creating an environment where Black Friday now challenges the dominance of Cyber Monday,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights. “Shoppers have also become increasingly savvy in finding the best deals and locating the right products, embracing generative AI-powered chat services and browser tools for the second season in a row."

Season-to-date (November 1 to December 1), consumers have spent a total of $137.4 billion online, up 7.2 per cent y-o-y. Mobile shopping has driven a 52.8 per cent share of online sales so far (vs desktop), representing $73.7 billion in spend and up 7.2 per cent y-o-y. Additionally, BNPL has driven $10.1 billion in spends, up 9.0 per cent y-o-y.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (RR)