Smartphones drive one-third of all Black Friday sales

Black Friday was the biggest mobile shopping day in U.S. history with more than $2 billion in sales originating on smartphones for the first time ever, according to research from Adobe Analytics, as reported by CNBC.

The accumulated $6.22 billion in online sales marked a 23.6% increase from 2017 and set a new high, according to Adobe’s research, which tracks transactions for 80 of the top 100 online U.S. retailers. Adobe found 33.5% of all e-commerce sales on Black Friday derived from mobile devices, which is up from 29.1% last year.

The Black Friday shopping frenzy was the second largest online sales day ever, behind only last year’s Cyber Monday total of $6.6 billion, according to Adobe. This year’s Cyber Monday shopping total is expected to be even higher.

While Black Friday sales eclipsed previous records, shopping was also heavily expanded into the Thanksgiving holiday, where total online sales reached $3.7 billion, up 28% from last year. Smartphones also accounted for more than $1 billion in sales on Thanksgiving for the first time ever.

In-store pickup orders were also an increasingly popular option with “click-and-collect” orders up 73% from Thanksgiving to Black Friday, according to Adobe. And big-ticket items like TVs, appliances, furniture and other large electronics were sold in greater numbers. Average online order values were up 8.5% year-over-year, reaching $146 on Black Friday, according to Adobe’s data.

As is always the case, the nation’s big four U.S. wireless carriers took advantage of the annual shopping sensation with numerous limited-time deals and promotions. After analyzing this year’s lineup of deals, Macquarie Capital concluded that last year’s Black Friday promotions were more beneficial and a better deal for customers.

“We believe each carrier’s promos are a reflection of their strategy as well as the current landscape marked by consolidation and the emergence of cable,” the firm wrote in its report. Macquarie said the theme of “rationale behavior” continues throughout the sector, but determined that T-Mobile took the lead with Black Friday promotions, and as such, is poised to take the bulk of industry net adds during the quarter.

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For those shoppers who missed out on Black Friday promotions or weren’t impressed with last week’s deals, retailers, including wireless carriers, are back at it today with Cyber Monday promotions. It’s expected to be the single largest online shopping day yet, surpassing $7.8 billion.