Online Purchases Surpass In-Store Shopping as AI Transforms Black Friday 2025
- U.S. Black Friday 2025 saw $11.8B in online sales, a 9.1% surge driven by mobile shopping and AI tools surpassing in-store traffic. - AI-assisted traffic spiked 600% as consumers used smart tools for deals, with gaming PCs and wellness tech leading demand. - Cybersecurity tools saw 75-77% discounts amid rising threat awareness, while in-store foot traffic fell 3.6% year-over-year. - Adobe forecasts $43.7B Cyber Week sales, but warns rising tariffs may cap discounts at 20-30% due to increased import costs.
Black Friday 2025 Sets New Online Shopping Records
American shoppers broke all previous online sales records during Black Friday 2025, as digital spending soared to $11.8 billion—a 9.1% increase over last year, according to Adobe Analytics. This dramatic rise, fueled by the popularity of mobile shopping and advanced AI shopping tools, signaled a major shift in holiday retail, with online purchases surpassing traditional in-store visits. The busiest period occurred between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time, when online transactions reached a staggering $12.5 million per minute. Globally, Salesforce estimated that online sales hit $79 billion, highlighting e-commerce’s growing influence in the $1.1 trillion holiday shopping season.
AI-powered shopping played a significant role in this digital transformation. Adobe reported a remarkable 600% increase in traffic assisted by AI, as consumers turned to technology for smarter price comparisons and tailored product suggestions. High demand was seen in categories such as gaming equipment, home appliances, and wellness technology. For example, STORMCRAFT PC offered discounts of up to $600 on its AI-optimized gaming desktops, including the flagship Phantom PH265F0CC-580W1 featuring an Intel Ultra 7 processor and NVIDIA RTX 5080 graphics. Meanwhile, QUINEAR launched two new cordless recovery devices—the QN-090A and QN-071A—designed for athletes and wellness fans seeking professional-grade leg compression therapy.
Cybersecurity Takes Center Stage
Cybersecurity deals also became a highlight of Black Friday. Cyber Advice reported early discounts on privacy tools such as Proton VPN and NordVPN. Proton offered its Plus subscription at 75% off, bringing the monthly price down to $2.49, while NordVPN provided savings of up to 77%. These offers reflected growing consumer concern about online security, especially as digital shopping activity reached new heights.
Physical Stores Face Declining Traffic
In contrast, brick-and-mortar retailers struggled to keep pace. RetailNext data showed a 3.6% drop in U.S. in-store visits compared to 2024, as more shoppers opted for the ease of online deals or took advantage of longer promotional periods. Joe Shasteen, global analytics manager at RetailNext, noted that shoppers are changing both their shopping habits and timing. This trend was evident in Bali Outdoors’ early Black Friday campaign, which launched its official website and offered 50% off fire pits and outdoor heating products.
Cyber Week Outlook and Challenges Ahead
Looking forward, Adobe predicts that Cyber Week will reach unprecedented heights, with sales from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday expected to total $43.7 billion—a 6.3% year-over-year increase. However, retailers face obstacles such as higher tariffs and limited inventory, which may restrict the size of discounts. Erik Guzik from the University of Montana pointed out that increased import taxes are forcing retailers to absorb extra costs, likely resulting in discounts of only 20-30%, compared to the usual 40-50% seen in previous years.
As shoppers continue to favor digital-first experiences, Black Friday 2025 demonstrated both the enduring strength of holiday spending and the transformative impact of technology—from AI-driven shopping to innovative wellness devices. With Cyber Monday and ongoing promotions still to come, this holiday season is on track to break even more records.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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