Black Friday online sales set new record, up 2.3% from last year

According to Adobe Analytics, online sales for Black Friday set a new record this year, with consumers spending $9.2 billion.

That is a gain of 2.3% year-over-year.

Tech gifts have been very popular, with sales rising 221% above a regular day in October this year.

Among the top sellers were smart home items and audio equipment.

The most popular items were Fortnite, Roblox, Bluey and Funko Pop! Gaming was a popular category as shoppers snatched up Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 devices.

The biggest savings seen among apparel, toys, sporting goods and televisions helped boost sales.

Black Friday saw 48% of online sales coming from smartphones, up from 44% last year.

As Black Friday hit record spending online, we are seeing more prominent signs of a budget-conscious consumer this year, said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights. Shoppers are embracing the Buy Now Pay Later payment method this year to be able to buy desired gifts for family and friends. On Thanksgiving Day, shoppers spent $5.3 billion online, a 2.9% increase from the holiday last year, and setting a new record with smartphones accounting for 55% of online sales, up from 51% last year.

Early deals in October got shoppers to spend over $72 billion online, and retailers and shoppers got a jump on the season.

If you are looking for a computer, it is advised to wait until Cyber Monday when the discounts are expected to peak at 27%.

Adobe expects to generate $34.8 billion in online spending over the five days from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, up 2.8% year-over-year.

Cyber Monday will be the season's and year's biggest online shopping day, at $11.2 billion, up 5.1% YoY.