Record $10.8 Billion in U.S. Online Sales
Black Friday 2024 set a new e-commerce record: American shoppers spent $10.8 billion online, up 10.2% from 2023, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites. Crossing the $10 billion mark was a milestone for a shopping day once anchored in brick-and-mortar stores. Salesforce put the U.S. online figure even higher at $17.5 billion under its broader methodology.
Mobile, AI, and Buy-Now-Pay-Later Drove Growth
Mobile shopping passed the halfway mark: 55% of Black Friday online sales ($5.9 billion) came from phones, up 12.1% year over year, and mobile drove a record 57% of Cyber Monday sales. Generative AI became a real factor in 2024 — Adobe measured an 1,800% surge in AI-driven retail site traffic as shoppers used chatbots and assistants to find deals and check out faster.
Buy-now-pay-later continued its climb, with $686 million in BNPL purchases on Black Friday alone (80% on mobile) and $8.4 billion from November 1 through December 1. During the peak Cyber Monday hours of 8–10 p.m., consumers spent $15.8 million every minute.
Apparel Discounts Ran Deep
Discounts peaked on Black Friday itself. Adobe's category data:
| Category | Peak Black Friday discount | Sales lift vs. October daily average |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics | 30.1% off | +334% |
| Toys | 26.1% off | +622% |
| Apparel | 23.2% off | +374% |
| Televisions | 21.8% off | — |
| Computers | 21.5% off | — |
| Jewelry | — | +561% |
| Appliances | 18% off | +476% |
Apparel's 374% lift over an average October day made clothing one of the season's strongest categories, alongside toys and jewelry. Hot sellers included makeup and skincare sets, Bluetooth speakers and headphones, smartwatches, perfumes, and espresso machines — plus LEGO sets, gaming consoles, and the season's hit "Wicked" toys.
Stores vs. Online: The Split Widens
The National Retail Federation counted a record 197 million shoppers over the five-day Thanksgiving weekend. In-store Black Friday traffic actually improved — 81.7 million consumers shopped in stores, the highest since the pandemic — but the growth story was digital: Mastercard SpendingPulse measured online retail sales up 14.6% versus in-store up just 0.7%. Overall foot traffic fell 3.2% nationally, partly because snowstorms kept Midwest shoppers home. Shopify merchants did $11.5 billion over the Black Friday–Cyber Monday stretch, up 24%.
Black Friday 2024 FAQ
When was Black Friday in 2024?
Friday, November 29, 2024 — the day after Thanksgiving, with only 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas that year.
How much did Americans spend online on Black Friday 2024?
$10.8 billion, up 10.2% from 2023, per Adobe Analytics — a new record at the time.
Was Cyber Monday 2024 bigger than Black Friday?
Online, yes: Cyber Monday drew $13.3 billion (+7.3%), making it the biggest U.S. online shopping day on record at the time.
How did apparel perform?
Strongly — apparel discounts peaked at 23.2% off and apparel online sales ran 374% above an average October day.
Sources: Adobe Analytics holiday recaps (December 2024, January 2025); National Retail Federation Thanksgiving weekend survey (December 2024); Reuters and Digital Commerce 360 reporting on Adobe data; Salesforce holiday shopping figures.