Black Friday Retains Lead Over Cyber Monday Amid Record-High Weekend Sales

A record number of consumers shopped during the five days from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, with Black Friday remaining the most popular day, according to the National Retail Federation.

The number of consumers who shopped during that holiday weekend reached 202.9 million this year, up from 197 million in 2024 and 200.4 million in 2023, which was the previous record, the NRF said in a Tuesday (Dec. 2) press release.

Black Friday was the most popular shopping day, followed by Cyber Monday, according to the release. Black Friday saw 80.3 million consumers shop in store and 85.7 million shop online, while Cyber Monday saw 75.9 million consumers shop online.

Overall, during the five-day period, 129.5 million consumers shopped in-store and 134.9 million shopped online, per the release. Compared to 2024, those figures were up 3% and 9%, respectively.

“This year’s record turnout reflects a highly engaged consumer who is focused on value, responds to compelling promotions, and seizes upon the opportunity to make the winter holidays special and meaningful,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in the release.

Data and tech company Numerator also found that Black Friday remained the weekend’s most popular day for shopping during the long weekend, followed by Cyber Monday.

Among consumers who shopped over the five-day period, 76% said they shopped or planned to shop on Black Friday, while 59% said the same of Cyber Monday, the company said in a Tuesday press release.

“More consumers are choosing to shop from the comfort of their own homes,” Numerator said in the release. The company said the share of consumers who said they shopped mostly online rose from 52% last year to 56% this year, while the percentage who said they shopped mostly in-store declined from 18% to 16%.

Salesforce said in its Shopping Insights HQ that online shoppers globally spent $78.9 billion on Black Friday, up 6% year over year, and $53.0 billion on Cyber Monday, up 7% year over year.

“Retailers, take a bow on a record-breaking Cyber Monday,” the customer relationship management (CRM) technology provider said in a Tuesday (Dec. 2) post on LinkedIn. “Shoppers took advantage of the last day of deals, as global online sales grew 7% and U.S. online sales grew 6% YoY on Cyber Monday.”