Black Friday bargain hunters break online shopping record with customers spending almost $10 BILLION to avoid pushy crowds

Black Friday bargain hunters smashed the online shopping record by spending almost $10 billion in a bid to avoid chaotic crowds.

Spending rose by 7.5 percent compared to last year's shopping holiday to reach a massive $9.8 billion, according to Adobe Analytics.

Electronics saw a major boost in sales, with online purchases up a massive 152 per cent compared to typical daily sales in October this year.

Smartwatches were up 577 percent, TVs by 484 percent and audio equipment sales rocketed by 376 percent.

Other hot sellers were toys such as Barbie fashionistas dolls, skincare products, cookware and coffee machines. 

And the spending is set to continue this weekend according to Adobe.

The analytics company predicts customers will spend $4.8 billion on Saturday, $5.2 billion on Sunday, and a whopping $12 billion on Cyber Monday – equivalent to a 5.4 percent increase from last year.

E-commerce platform Shopify reported a record $4.1 billion in global sales, a 22 per cent increase from last year.

Shopping peaked when collective sales reached $4.2 million per minute at 12:01 p.m. EST on Friday.

'Another epic, record-breaking Black Friday in the books for Shopify merchants,' said Shopify President Harley Finkelstein. 

'The world showed up for our merchants, and the excitement is only building, with Cyber Monday still to come.

New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco were the top selling US cities. Clothing, personal care, and jewelry were the most desired categories.

While inflation has eased, many but many goods and services are still far higher than they were three years ago.

However, Adobe Analytics minimized the impact of inflation, saying: 'Adobe Analytics downplayed the impact of inflation. 'Strong consumer spending online continues to be driven by net-new demand and not higher prices. 

'Adobe's Digital Price Index shows e-commerce prices have fallen consecutively for 14 months (down 6% YoY in Oct. 2023). 

'Adobe figures are not adjusted for inflation, but if online deflation were factored in, growth in consumer spend would be even stronger.'

Vivek Pandya, lead analyst for Adobe Digital Insights, added: 'The strong online sales momentum for Black Friday this year further emphasizes the staying power the major holiday shopping days continue to have. 

'Consumers still expect the best discounts during these days and retailers are delivering, which is why we anticipate a record $37.2 billion sales during Cyber Week (5 days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday).'

A record 130.7 million people are expected to shop in stores and online in the U.S. on Black Friday this year, the National Retail Federation (NRF), the nation's largest retail trade group, estimated. 

Americans were allocating an average of $875 on holiday purchases - $42 more than last year - with clothing, gift cards and toys at the top of most shopping lists, according to a survey of 8,424 adults conducted in early November by the NRF. 

The body expected shoppers to spend more this year than last year, but said that the pace will slow given all the economic uncertainty. 

It forecast that U.S. holiday sales to rise 3 to 4 percent for November through December, compared to 5.4 percent growth of a year ago. 

Millions of Americans did still venture out to malls and stores on black Friday.

And for those braving the crazy lines,  perks from champagne to virtual reality experiences and old-fashioned doorbusters were on offer, as retailers tried to entice customers who are resisting splurges and impulse buying this year.

Shoppers were out in force on Friday before the sun rose, with long lines outside of shopping malls in New York, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Washington D.C., among others.