115 Black Friday statistics every retailer needs to know in 2023
Discover the latest Black Friday statistics and trends you need to know to prepare for the West’s biggest shopping holiday. Uncover Black Friday sales volumes, consumer trends, retail marketing strategies, the hottest product categories, and more.
It’s the biggest shopping day of the year for retailers across the globe. People queue online and offline from the crack of dawn for doorbuster deals. Billions upon billions of dollars are spent—both by consumers and retail marketers. And it’s tough to find a single retailer who doesn’t take part.
It is, of course, Black Friday.
But what’s all the Black Friday fuss about? Just how much do consumers spend? What are retailers doing to ensure successful sales? And how is Black Friday—and the whole holiday season shopping period—changing?
The answers to these questions can be tough to find. So we’ve scoured the web for you and gathered 115 of the most impressive and surprising Black Friday statistics that show just how important Black Friday is for retailers.
Uncover the changes in consumer buying patterns, the marketing techniques driving the most sales, the technological developments that are defining Black Friday shopping, and the top categories customers shop on the day.
Table of contents
- Black Friday sales volume
- Black Friday shopper statistics
- Black Friday consumer spending statistics
- Black Friday online traffic statistics
- Black Friday mobile shopping statistics
- Black Friday consumer trends
- Black Friday demographics
- Black Friday statistics Europe
- Black Friday retail trends
- Black Friday marketing trends
- Black Friday top product categories
- Definitions & sources
1. Black Friday online sales grew 3.5% to $65.3 billion globally in 2022.
2. U.S. retail sales on Black Friday increased 12% YoY.
3. In-store U.S. sales on Black Friday increased 12% YoY, while ecommerce sales grew 14%.
4. Online sales across Cyber Week grew 2% YoY, reaching $281 billion globally.
5. Consumers spent $1.14 trillion online globally across the Holiday Season.
6. In the U.S., consumers spent $270 billion online across the Holiday Season.
7. In the U.S., online sales grew 9% YoY to $68 billion across Cyber Week.
U.S. ecommerce sales on Black Friday grew 14% YoY
8. Holiday Season growth for online retail was 2.5% in 2022—the smallest it’s been in several years.
9. Total online spend from Nov-Dec 2022 reached $211.7 billion in the U.S.
10. 47% ($99.3B) of spending came from smartphones.
11. 38 out of the 61 days of November and December 2022 exceeded $3 billion in sales in the U.S., the same as in 2021.
12. Cyber Week sales volume grew slightly more than the rest of the season, with 4.1% YoY growth in the U.S.
13. Cyber Week sales represent 16.7% of the entire season’s revenue, with $35.3 billion in sales in the U.S.
14. This is a 16.5% decline from 2019, when Cyber Week sales made up 20% of all Holiday Season sales in the U.S.
15. Black Friday saw the weakest sales growth across the five days of Cyber Week, with a 2.3% YoY increase to $9.1 billion in the U.S.
16. Thanksgiving online sales grew 2.9% YoY in the U.S., reaching $5.3 billion in sales.
17. Black Friday was the biggest day for in-store shopping in the U.S. in 2022, reaching 72.9 million consumers, up almost 15% YoY.
18. 87.2 million U.S. consumers shopped online on Black Friday in 2022, roughly equal to 2021.
19. A record 196.7 million Americans shopped in-store and online during Cyber Week, a 9.8% increase YoY.
20. 76% of U.S. consumers say they shopped during Cyber Week 2022, up from 70% in 2021.
21. Cyber Week brick-and-mortar foot traffic grew 17% YoY in the U.S. in 2022, reaching 122.7 million.
22. 80% of U.S. consumers expected to shop during Cyber Week 2022, up from 71% in 2021.
23. Ecommerce traffic also grew slightly with a 2% YoY increase to reach 130.2 million U.S. online shoppers.
24. 77% of the 66.5 million U.S. Saturday in-store shoppers indicated they shopped specifically for Small Business Saturday.
25. The top destinations for 2022 Cyber Week shoppers in the U.S. were:
- Online (42%)
- Department stores (42%)
- Grocery stores and supermarkets (40%)
- Clothing and accessories stores (36%)
- Discount stores (32%)
26. Consumers spent an average of $325.44 on holiday-related purchases over the course of Cyber Week, up 8% from $301.27 in 2021.
27. 70% of the average 2022 Cyber Week spend in the U.S. was directed specifically towards gifts.
28. 90% of U.S. Cyber Week shoppers felt the 2022 deals were the same or better than in 2021.
29. By the end of October 2022, U.S. consumers had spent 23% of their holiday budgets, on average.
30. The expected average spend In 2022 was highest on Cyber Monday, at $218, compared to $205 on Black Friday, and $193 on Prime Day.
Discover how you can break Black Friday sales records without breaking your site
31. Holiday Season online retail traffic declined 7% YoY in 2022.
32. The average day across the Holiday Season period sees traffic 1.5x that of a regular September or October day.
33. The first 7 days of November saw online traffic 47% higher in 2022 than 2021.
34. The 7 days prior to Cyber Week saw traffic decline 23% YoY.
35. Just over a quarter (26%) of all November web visits occurred across Cyber Week, down from 29% in 2021.
36. Cyber Week traffic declined 13% YoY.
RELATED: 2022 Holiday Shopping Stats from 1.7 Billion Online Visits
37. Here’s the Cyber Five YoY traffic change breakdown for 2022 (vs. 2021):
- Thanksgiving: -8.4%
- Black Friday: -10%
- Small Business Saturday: -15.8%
- Cyber Sunday: -14.5%
- Cyber Monday: -17.3%
38. Black Friday traffic was 3x that of a normal October day in 2022.
39. 53% of all Cyber Week traffic came from mobile in 2022.
40. Bots and data center traffic accounts for 23% of all Cyber Week web traffic.
- 17% came from data centers
- 6% came from bots
41. Cyber Monday was the biggest day for data center traffic, with 21% of all Cyber Monday traffic coming from data centers.
42. Mobile shopping spikes on key holidays, with 60% of revenue coming from mobile purchases on Christmas day.
43. 47% of all U.S. holiday season online sales came from mobile in 2022—up from 43% in 2021.
44. During Cyber Week, 51% of all sales came from mobile—up from 46% in 2021.
45. 76% of all Cyber Week ecommerce traffic came from mobile devices in 2022.
46. 60% of consumers said they’d bought a sale item on Black Friday, only to regret it later.
47. The average price of items consumers regret buying is $233.
48. The rate of cart abandonment dropped 5% globally during Cyber Week 2022 compared to the previous three weeks as consumers took advantage of big discounts.
49. 13% of all orders purchased during the holiday season were returned in 2022.
50. The 1.39 billion holiday season returns represents a 63% YoY increase in 2022.
Holiday season returns increased 63% YoY
51. Returns spiked in the six days following Christmas, with 16% of all orders returned during that week—a 5% increase YoY.
52. 48% of U.S. Cyber Week shoppers planned to use credit cards for purchases in 2022, up from 35% in 2021.
53. 19% of U.S. consumers said they’d shop Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday in 2022.
54. On average, U.S. consumers say that they are 47% finished with their holiday shopping by the end of Cyber Week.
55. 56% of U.S. consumers said they took advantage of early deals before Thanksgiving in 2022.
56. 24% made these purchases before Nov. 16 2022.
57. And 36% shopped in the week leading up to Thanksgiving in 2022.
58. 68% of U.S. holiday shoppers started shopping before the end of October in 2022.
59. 73% of men say they think Black Friday is a great chance to score a deal, compared to 67% for women.
60. Almost a quarter (23%) of women say they suspect retailer inflate their prices ahead of Black Friday, only to “discount them” on the day.
61. 75% of Gen Z planned to shop Black Friday sales in 2022, compared to 53% for all people surveyed.
62. 84% of Gen Z consumers say Black Friday sales are good value.
63. 86% of U.S. Gen Z consumers planned to shop on Cyber Week 2022.
64. 89% of U.S. millennials planned to shop on Cyber Week 2022.
65. 60% of German consumers intended to do most of their Black Friday shopping online in 2022.
66. 58% of U.K. and U.S. consumers intended to do most of their Black Friday shopping online.
67. Among 17 countries surveyed, Austrians were the least likely to do most of their shopping online during Black Friday.
68. Sweden and Italy were the countries most likely to do most of their Black Friday shopping online.
69. 74% of French millennials planned to shop online more during Black Friday 2022 than in previous years.
70. 70% of French Gen Z consumers said the same.
71. More than half (53%) of men in France planned to shop exclusively online during Black Friday.
Out of 17 countries surveyed, Swedes & Italians were the most likely to do their Black Friday shopping online
72. 44% of French women planned to shop exclusively online during Black Friday.
73. Both hybrid (in-store and online) and in-store only shopping were more popular among French women than men.
74. 74% of German consumers said they wanted to buy Christmas gifts at a cheaper price on Black Friday 2022.
75. 56% of German consumers in 2022 said their financial position had worsened and they were reliant on Black Friday discounts for Christmas shopping.
76. 66% of German consumers said they wanted to save money to pay electricity bills and for any other possible expenditure, rather than shop on Black Friday 2022.
77. U.K. consumers were expected to spend £8.71 billion on Black Friday 2022.
78. 55% of this spend (£4.81B) was expected to take place online.
79. 43% of global consumers planned to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales when shopping for the holiday season, according to a survey of 17 countries—Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands were the least likely to participate in Black Friday sales.
80. 40% of U.K. shoppers planned to reduce their Black Friday and Christmas spending in 2022.
81. Only 30% of U.K. consumers said they would not cut back on their holiday spending.
82. 70% of U.K consumers said they planned to shop on Black Friday because it offers better deals and prices for gifts.
83. Men in the U.K planned to spend £205 across Cyber Five in 2022, compared to £174 for women.
84. U.K. millennials planned to spend £209 on Black Friday 2022, compared to £217 for Gen X consumers.
85. One third of British consumers who didn’t plan to shop on Black Friday 2022 said it was because the deals weren’t good—a quarter said they were trying to buy fewer gifts.
86. 40% of Gen Z Italian consumers said they’d shop Cyber Week sales, compared to just 11% for Baby Boomers.
87. 70% of Italian consumers said they usually purchase electronics on Black Friday.
88. Nearly 60% of Dutch consumers planned to do most of their Black Friday electronics shopping online in 2022.
89. 30% of Dutch consumers said they’d like to see more stores participate in Black Friday sales in 2022.
90. 40% of Belgian consumers intended to buy apparel or shoes as a gift to themselves on Black Friday 2022.
Break Black Friday sales records without breaking your site
91. Buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) grew 9% globally across Cyber Five 2022 compared to the first three weeks of November.
92. Among retailers who offered BOPIS, 21% of all orders used this fulfillment method—down slightly from 23% in 2021.
93. Retailers in the U.S. that offered BOPIS grew online revenue by 38% more than those without this creative fulfillment option throughout Cyber Week.
94. BOPIS orders peaked from December 22 to 23, representing 42% of all orders (among participating retailers) in the U.S.
95. Use of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services across Cyber Week grew 5% in 2022.
96. But the average order value of BNPL orders in the U.S. shrunk by 5%—indicating shoppers financed lower-priced goods this year compared to 2021.
97. BNPL as a share of total revenue across the holiday season grew 9.2% YoY in the U.S.
98. Use of BNPL peaked the week before Christmas at 7% of all orders.
99. The top three reasons consumers say they use BNPL for holiday season purchases are:
- Freeing up more cash
- Purchasing items they couldn’t normally afford
- Purchasing large-ticket items
100. Consumers were 15% more likely to encounter “out of stock” messages in 2022 than in 2021.
101. Discount rates spiked above pre-pandemic levels during Cyber Week 2022, with discounts averaging 27% globally and 30% in the U.S.
102. The top discount categories globally during Cyber Week were:
- General Apparel (34%)
- Makeup and Skincare (32%)
- Luxury Handbags and Apparel (26%)
103. Across the entire holiday season, discounts averaged 21%—a 10.5% increase YoY.
104. Discounts by category in 2022 (compared with 2021):
- Toys: 34% (vs. 19% in 2021)
- Electronics: 25% (vs. 8%)
- Computers: 20% (vs. 10%)
- Apparel: 19% (vs. 13%)
- Televisions: 17% (vs. 11%)
- Appliances: 15% (vs. 4%)
- Sporting goods: 10% (vs. 6%)
- Furniture: 8% (vs. 2%)
105. In 2022, social media referred nearly 12% of all mobile Holiday Season traffic, representing a 23% YoY increase.
106. Chatbot messages globally increased 57% on Black Friday YoY.
Chatbot messages on Black Friday increased 57% YoY
107. Marketing tactics drove massive traffic across Cyber Week, including:
- Paid Search: 28% (+2% YoY)
- Affiliates/Partners: 18% (+6% YoY)
- Email: 17% (+10% YoY)
108. These marketing tactics not only drew traffic in 2022, but also revenue:
- 29% of online sales were attributable to paid search.
- 19% were attributable to direct web visits
- 17% to organic search
- 16% to affiliates/partners
- 15% to email
- 3% to social media
109. While only 3% of sales were attributable to social media, this represents 24% YoY growth.
RELATED: How to Use Scarcity Marketing & Product Drops for Black Friday Success
110. Toys, gift cards, and jewelry were the top categories across the holiday season, with the biggest lifts compared the rest of the year.
111. Adobe Analytics’ top products of the Holiday Season include: Legos, gaming consoles, speakers and headphones, and gift cards and air fryers.
112. 70% of U.S. shoppers that planned to visit physical stores on Black Friday in 2022 specifically intended to buy electronics.
113. The most popular product category for U.S. women in 2022 was clothing and accessories.
114. 85% of U.S. women said they planned to purchase clothing and/or accessories in-store during Black Friday.
115. According to a National Retail Federation survey, the top gifts purchased in the U.S. in 2022 were:
- Clothing and accessories (bought by 50% of those surveyed)
- Toys (31%)
- Gift cards (27%)
- Books/video games/other media (24%)
- Food and candy (23%)
- Electronics (23%)
- Cyber Week (also known as Cyber Five) describes the five days from Thanksgiving in the U.S. (Thursday), through to Cyber Monday. It’s made up of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Sunday (which doesn’t have a name), and Cyber Monday.
- The Holiday Season shopping period is generally defined as the period from Nov. 1 through to Dec. 31.
- The statistics in this article come from a wide range of sources including (but not limited to) Adobe Analytics, Salesforce, Mastercard, the National Retail Federation, and Queue-it. Each of these organizations has different data sources, so exact numbers may differ in some instances.