Written by Wyatt Grantham Phillips

NEW YORK (AP) — Despite Broader economic uncertainty With the holiday season approaching this year, shoppers flocked in droves For black friday – Billions of dollars spent in stores and online.

Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce, said American consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online on Friday, representing a 9.1% jump from last year. Traffic was particularly piling up between 10am and 2pm local time across the country, with $12.5 million passing through online shopping carts every minute.

Consumers also spent a record $6.4 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, according to Adobe. The most important categories that witnessed a slight increase in sales during the two days included video game consoles, electronics and home appliances. AI-powered shopping services and social media advertising have also particularly impacted what consumers choose to buy, the company said.

Meanwhile, software company Salesforce – which tracks digital spending from a range of retailers, including grocery stores – estimated that online Black Friday sales totaled $18 billion in the US and $79 billion globally. E-commerce platform Shopify said its merchants generated a record $6.2 billion in sales worldwide on Black Friday. At its peak, sales reached $5.1 million per minute — with top categories including cosmetics and clothing, according to the Canadian company.

Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks in-person and online spending, reported that total Black Friday sales excluding cars were up 4.1% from last year. The retail sales index, which is not adjusted for inflation, showed that online sales jumped by double digits (10.4%), while in-store purchases rose 1.7%.

Consumers are “navigating an uncertain environment” this holiday season “by shopping early, taking advantage of promotions, and investing in wish list items,” said Michelle Mayer, chief economist at the MasterCard Institute of Economics.

Black Friday is far from a sales event that… Create midnight crowds at the mall or door chaos Just decades ago. Instead, more and more consumers have turned to online deals to make post-Thanksgiving purchases from the comfort of their homes — or have chosen to extend spending via the longer promotions that retailers are now offering.

Traffic inside the store has dwindled over the years. Preliminary data from RetailNext, which measures real-time traffic at physical stores, found that Black Friday traffic in the US was down 3.6% compared to 2024. However, the company noted that was “significantly better” than the steep 6.2% decline it saw in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Sensormatic Solutions, which also tracks store traffic, found that in-store retail visits were down 2.1% — but said that was in line with expectations and trends already seen this year. Traffic during Black Friday week was up nearly 57% compared to the previous week, according to Sensormatic.

“Black Friday has really turned into a week-long event, or even beyond that,” said Grant Gustafson, head of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions. “Black Friday is actually the beginning of a real, critical stretch for retailers,” he added, noting that the weekend after Thanksgiving, as well as the days leading up to Christmas next month, will also be some of the busiest days in terms of in-store traffic.

Meanwhile, on e-commerce, Adobe expects US shoppers to spend another $5.5 billion on Saturday and $5.9 billion on Sunday — before reaching an estimated peak of $14.2 billion on Cyber ​​Monday, marking another record high.

However, higher prices could contribute to some of these numbers. US President Donald Trump bombed Definitions on foreign imports Business has soured and families alike over the past year. Despite spending more overall, Salesforce found that US shoppers bought fewer items at checkout on Black Friday (down 2% from last year). The company noted that order volumes also decreased by 1%, as average selling prices increased by 7%.

This year’s holiday spending rush comes amid heightened economic uncertainty for consumers. Beyond tariffs, workers in the public and private sectors also suffer from concerns about job security – amid both Layoffs of workers in companies and Effects of the 43-day government shutdown.

An uptick in budget-conscious behavior can also be seen in store traffic. While Sensormatic doesn’t track spending, “we’re following consumers’ steps,” Gustafson notes — and “consumers are thinking more seriously about their purchases” this year, he explains, “to make sure they’re getting the best deals.”

For the November-December holiday season in general, the National Retail Federation appreciates shoppers in the United States It will spend more than $1 trillion For the first time this year. But the growth rate is slowing – with an expected increase of 3.7% to 4.2% year-on-year, compared to 4.3% for the holiday season in 2024.

Meanwhile, credit card debt and Late repayment of other short-term loans I’ve been rising. More and more shoppers are turning to it “Buy now, pay later” plans.allowing them to delay payments on holiday decorations, gifts and other items.