Consumers spent a total of $14.25 billion online for Cyber Monday, up 7.1% YoY, and above the initial projection of $14.2 billion (up 6.3% YoY), according to Adobe Analytics.
In the peak hours of 8 pm to 10 pm, consumers spent $16 million every minute. And while these numbers are impressive, there’s one big thing to consider. Tariffs by the Trump administration have raised prices for goods in the U.S., so one factor consider in the numbers that are above last year is inflation. Check out Adobe’s response below.
Cyber Monday remains the biggest online shopping day of all time, as shoppers took advantage of competitive discounts in categories such as electronics (peaking at 31% off listed price), toys (28%), apparel (25%), computers (23%), television (22%), furniture (19%), appliances (19%) and sporting goods (17%).
Deals are expected to linger in the days ahead, Adobe said. After Cyber Week, discounts will come down from their peaks, but shoppers can still find great bargains through the first week of December in toys (peaking at 23% off listed price), computers (20%), electronics (19%), televisions (19%), apparel (18%) sporting goods (15%), appliance (15%) and furniture (15%).
Based on Adobe Analytics data, Adobe provides a comprehensive view into U.S. ecommerce by analyzing direct commerce transactions online, covering over 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs, and 18 product categories.
Cyber Week (the 5-day period from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday) brought in $44.2 billion online overall (up 7.7% YoY), bolstered by record spend online during Black Friday ($11.8 billion, up 9.1% YoY). This is now the second holiday season in a row where Black Friday growth outpaced Cyber Monday (2024: Cyber Monday up 7.3% YoY, Black Friday up 10.2% YoY), as shoppers embraced early, competitive deals.
Earlier deals drove record spending over the weekend as well (Nov. 29 and Nov. 30) at $11.8 billion (up 8.7% YoY) and Thanksgiving at $6.4 billion (up 5.3% YoY). After a strong Cyber Week showing, Adobe expects the full 2025 holiday season (Nov. 1 to Dec. 31) to hit $253.4 billion online, up 5.3% YoY.
Buy now pay later crosses $1 billion milestone
Usage of the flexible payment method hit an all-time high on Cyber Monday, driving $1.03 billion in online spend (up 4.2% YoY), as consumers looked for greater flexibility in managing their holiday budgets. The vast majority of BNPL transactions are happening on a mobile device as well, at 79.4% share on Cyber Monday (vs. desktop). In an Adobe survey of over 1,000 U.S. consumers (conducted Nov. 2025), respondents said they were most likely to use BNPL for electronics, apparel, toys, and furniture purchases.
Online Shopping Propelled by AI and Social Media
Generative AI-powered chat services and browsers are making their mark on the holiday season, becoming a helpful tool for consumers to find deals and research products. On Cyber Monday, AI traffic to U.S. retail sites (measured by shoppers clicking on a link) increased by 670%. In the season so far (Nov. 1 to Dec. 1), AI traffic is up 760%. While the base of users remains modest, the uptick shows the value AI can deliver as a shopping assistant. These services were used most in categories including video games, appliances, electronics, toys, and personal care products.
Adobe also tracks the marketing channels that are driving consumers to hit buy on U.S. retail sites. Social media is the standout this season, with its share of revenue coming in at 3.6% on Cyber Monday, up a significant 56.5% YoY (2024: 2.3% share, up 4.5% YoY). In ‘affiliates and partners’, which includes social media influencers, revenue share came in at 21.8%, up 7.4% YoY (2024: 20.3% share, up 6.8% YoY). While major channels such as paid search and email continue to be reliable drivers of traffic and sales online, consumers are increasingly turning to social media to discover and learn about new products.
“U.S. retailers leaned heavily on discounts this holiday season to drive online demand. Competitive and persistent deals throughout Cyber Week pushed consumers to shop earlier, creating an environment where Black Friday now challenges the dominance of Cyber Monday,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights, in a statement. “Shoppers have also become increasingly savvy in finding the best deals and locating the right products, embracing generative AI-powered chat services and browser tools for the second season in a row.”
Additional Cyber Monday Insights
- Mobile cemented as preferred transaction channel: 57.5% of online sales came through a mobile device on Cyber Monday (vs. desktop), representing $8.2 billion in spend (up 8.0% YoY). Shopping on smaller screens has seen significant traction in recent years, where just 5 years ago (2020), mobile share came in at 41.4% for Cyber Monday. On Thanksgiving this year, mobile share crossed 60% for the first time as well (at 61.6% share). This is driving more impulse shopping and boosting holiday season growth as a result.
- Electronics, apparel, and furniture continue to dominate e-commerce: On Cyber Monday, over half of online spend (57%) was driven by just three categories including electronics ($3.7 billion, up 12.8% YoY), apparel ($2.6 billion, up 5.2% YoY), and furniture ($1.8 billion, up 5.4% YoY). Other standout categories included cosmetics ($0.5 billion, up 7.0% YoY), and sporting goods ($0.6 billion, up 6.0% YoY).
- What consumers are buying: Online sales of Bluetooth headphones and speakers were up 1,850% on Cyber Monday (compared to average spending levels in October 2025). Other categories with strong demand included video game consoles (up 1,800%), refrigerators and freezers (up 1,700%), home security systems (up 1,500%), smart home products (up 1,450%), smartwatches and fitness trackers (up 1,400%), vacuum cleaners (up 1,300%), small kitchen appliances (up 1,250%), computers (up 1,200%), earrings (up 950%), cookware (up 950%), power tools (up 900%), and outerwear (up 850%).
- Hot sellers on Cyber Monday included toys such Fisher Price Little People, Manga Tiles, DIY craft kits, Play-Doh sets, Ms. Rachel learning toys, board and card games, Nerf guns, KPOP Demon Hunters toys and action figures, Paw Patrol toys, and stuffed animals and toys. Top selling gaming consoles included Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation Portal, and top games included Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokémon Legends, Legends of Zelda games, and MLB The Show 25.
- Other hot sellers on Cyber Monday included digital cameras, luggage sets, fitness trackers, televisions, robot and cordless vacuums, massage guns, countertop ice machines, active wear and athleisure, and heated blankets.
2025 holiday season off to a strong start
Season-to-date (Nov. 1 to Dec. 1), consumers have spent a total of $137.4 billion online, up 7.2% YoY.. Mobile shopping has driven a 52.8% share of online sales so far (vs. desktop), representing $73.7 billion in spend and up 7.2% YoY. Additionally, Buy Now Pay Later has driven $10.1 billion in spend, up 9.0% YoY.
Strong discounts this season have also driven shoppers to purchase higher-ticket items in categories such as electronics, sporting goods, and appliances—propelling e-commerce growth as a result. So far this season (Nov. 1 to Dec. 1), the ‘share-of-units-sold’ for the most expensive goods has increased by 19%. Across categories, this figure was up 54% in electronics, up 52% in sporting goods, up 41% in appliances, up 30% in personal care products, and up 26% in tools and home improvement.
I asked about the inflation question. A spokesperson for Adobe said:
Adobe’s figures are not adjusted for inflation, but if online deflation were factored in, growth in consumer spend would be even stronger.
The Digital Price Index provides the most comprehensive view into how much consumers pay for goods online. Powered by Adobe Analytics, it analyzes one trillion visits to retail sites and over 100 million SKUs across 18 product categories: electronics, apparel, appliances, books, toys, computers, groceries, furniture/bedding, tools/home improvement, home/garden, pet products, jewelry, medical equipment/supplies, sporting goods, personal care products, flowers/related gifts, non-prescription drugs and office supplies. Adobe uses a combination of Adobe’s AI and machine learning framework and manual effort to segment products into the categories defined by the CPI manual.
The DPI is also the most comprehensive measure of inflation in the digital economy based on data and usable insights from Adobe Analytics. It is modeled after the Consumer Price Index, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and uses the Fisher Price Index to track online prices. The Fisher Price Index uses quantities of matched products purchased in the current period (month) and a previous period (previous month) to calculate the price changes by category. Adobe’s analysis is weighted by the real quantities of the products purchased in the two adjacent months.