- Thanksgiving Day's online sales are set to reach $4.4 billion, up 20.2% year-over-year, according to Adobe Analytics.
- Nearly half of online sales as of 5 p.m. ET on Thursday were placed via smartphone.
- According to Adobe, Facebook and Instagram outages did not negatively impact online sales.
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People are spending more than ever on Thanksgiving Day. And, it is due in part to people shopping on their phones during Thanksgiving gatherings.
This Thanksgiving Day is set to be the first time ever that online sales surpass $4 billion in the US, with Adobe Analytics expecting sales to reach $4.4 billion by the end of the day, representing 20.2% year-over-year growth. As of 5 p.m. ET, online sales in the US had already hit $2.1 billion.
Nearly half of these sales were placed via smartphone, with mobile making up 46.4% of all online sales as of 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, compared to 33.5% last year. In 2017, smartphone sales made up just 29.1% of Thanksgiving Day online sales.
"[I]t's clear that shoppers are devoting more time to shopping on Thanksgiving than ever," Vivek Pandya, Adobe's lead digital analyst, said in a statement. "Expect to see a surge in retail sales in the afternoon and into the evening, as shoppers step away from their dinner tables and divert more attention to shopping for the best deals."
According to Adobe, Facebook and Instagram outages did not negatively impact online sales.
Many retailers now kick off Black Friday sales in stores and online before Friday even begins. According to an Adobe survey, one in 4 consumers plan to visit a physical store on Thanksgiving Day.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are also set to increase significantly this year. Adobe Analytics predicts Black Friday online sales will grow 20.5% year-over-year, to $7.5 billion, and Cyber Monday sales will grow 19.1% year-over-year, reaching $9.4 billion.
- Read more about Black Friday:
- Here's when stores will open their doors for Black Friday sales
- 11 red flags Black Friday shoppers should watch out for
- The best Black Friday store sales of 2019 — from big-box retailers like Best Buy and Target to startups like Casper and Brooklinen
- Black Friday is dying, and the rise of Cyber Monday may be to blame
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