Adobe Analytics: Online holiday sales grew 6.8% to $257.8 billion

Consumers spent a record $257.8 billion online between Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025, up 6.8% from 2024, according to Adobe Analytics data that tracked more than 1 million U.S. retail site visits during the period.

Adobe found 25 days in the holiday period that recorded $4 billion or more in online sales, compared to 18 days in the year-ago period. Consumers shopped on their phones, which accounted for 56.4% of the total online transactions. The report also found that Christmas Day had the highest share of mobile shopping at 66.5%. Thanksgiving Day recorded 61.6% of the online sales, up slightly from a year ago.

Cyber week, the five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, brought in $44.2 billion in online sales, up 7.7% from a year ago. The biggest single day for online shopping was Cyber Monday, garnering $14.25 billion, up 7.1% year over year.  Black Friday raked in $11.8 billion in online sales, up 9.1% from a year ago. Consumers also spent $6.4 billion online during Thanksgiving Day, up 5.3% from the prior year.

Adobe data indicates that consumers were drawn to discounts offered online. The biggest discounts were found in electronics at 30.9%. Toy prices were discounted 29.8% and apparel was discounted 25.1% from list prices.

Adobe also found that more consumers used deferred billing for online purchases, which contributed $20 billion of the total e-commerce sales during the holiday season. Buy now, pay later transactions increased 9.8% from a year ago.

Generative AI also shaped the online shopping journey, according to the report.

“This 2025 holiday season, consumers embraced generative AI more than ever as a shopping assistant in their purchasing decisions,” said Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights. “Competitive discounts and flexible payment options like Buy Now Pay Later also contributed to driving record spend of $257.8 billion throughout this holiday season.”

Traffic to retail sites from generative AI tools — shoppers clicking on a link to a retail site — increased by 693.4% compared to the year prior. On Cyber Monday, AI traffic to U.S. retail sites increased by 670%. While the base of users remains modest, the uptick shows the value AI can deliver as a shopping assistant, Pandya said. The services were used most in categories including video games, toys, appliances, electronics and personal care products.

Adobe said three categories drove 54% of e-commerce sales growth from a year ago. Of the $257.8 billion, $59.8 billion was spent online on electronics, up 8.2% from the previous year. Online apparel sales reached $49 billion, representing a 7.4% year-over-year increase. Furniture sales totaled $31.1 billion, up 6.6% from last year.

Other categories that saw notable growth included cosmetics sales of $8.4 billion, up 9.3% from a year ago. Sporting goods sales totaled $8.4 billion, up 7.7% year over year, and toy sales grew 7.9% to $8.8 billion.