According to local media, consumers have become more strategic in taking advantage of discounts on marquee shopping days.

The top-selling categories on Black Friday were smartwatches, televisions, toys, and gaming. Prior to Black Friday, Americans spent5.6 billion on online shopping on Thanksgiving Day, representing a 5.5 percent increase from the previous year.

According to a report from Adobe Analytics, e-commerce spending on Black Friday in the U.S. reached a record $9.8 billion, a 7.5

Vivek Pandya, a lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, noted that consumers are strategically taking advantage of marquee days like Black Friday to maximize discounts. The increase in spending reflects a consumer who is more willing to spend compared to the previous year, when high gas and food prices were a concern.

Pandya also mentioned that impulse purchases may have contributed to the growth in Black Friday spending, with $5.3 billion of online sales coming from mobile shopping. Influencers and social media advertising have made consumers more comfortable with spending on their mobile devices.

Despite this increase in spending, consumers are still price-sensitive due to last year's record inflation and interest rates. The Adobe survey found that $79 million of sales came from consumers using the 'Buy Now, Pay Later' flexible payment method, indicating a desire to stretch their budgets.

The best-selling categories on Black Friday were electronics, toys, and gaming, while home-repair tools underperformed. Adobe gathers its data by analyzing visits to U.S. retail websites and does not track brick-and-mortar retail transactions.

While spending is expected to remain strong over the weekend and through Cyber Monday, it may begin to taper off deeper into the holiday season. Cyber Monday could be the final spending spike on non-essential goods for the rest of the year.

Pandya noted that some gift-givers may procrastinate their holiday shopping, leading to continued spending late into December. However, the real growth surges are expected to occur in November and Thanksgiving week.

The holiday shopping season in the US begins with Thanksgiving Day, followed by Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. This period is crucial for the retail sector and extends through Christmas, ending with a grand finale on New Year's Eve.