US online Black Friday sales hit record $7.4 bn

Online sales on Black Friday in the United States hit a record $7.4 billion this year, with a jump in the number of transactions made from smartphones, according to data released Saturday by Adobe Analytics.

Julia Stamberger, of Chicago, and her daughter Xyla hustle back to her car parked on the street with merchandise purchased Friday, Nov. 29, 2019, in Chicago. Black Friday shoppers fought for parking spots and traveled cross-state to their favorite malls, kicking off a shortened shopping season that intensified the mad scramble between Thanksgiving and Christmas. [Photo: AP/Charles Rex Arbogast]

The figure was a 19.6 percent increase over last year and the second biggest day of online sales ever, the company said, just below the $7.9 billion consumers spent on last year's Cyber Monday, which follows Black Friday.

Adobe Analytics measures transactions from 80 of the 100 largest US online retailers.

This year, 39 percent of online purchases were made from smartphones, a 21 percent increase from last year.

"With Christmas now rapidly approaching, consumers increasingly jumped on their phones rather than standing in line," said Taylor Schreiner, principal analyst and head of Adobe Digital Insights.

The hottest toys included L.O.L. Surprise dolls and items featuring Disney's "Frozen 2." In the video game category, the top sellers were FIFA 20, Madden 20 and Nintendo Switch.

The most popular electronics were Apple laptops, AirPods and Samsung TVs.

Adobe Analytics estimates Cyber Monday will see a record $9.4 billion in sales, a nearly 19 percent increase over last year.

Shoppers spent $4.2 billion online during the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, the company said.