• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, November 29, 2024

The early morning line on Cyber Week shopping is that sales are topping last year’s, Salesforce reports. 

Thanksgiving produced a 6% increase in global online sales YoY to $33.6 billion.

In the U.S., sales grew by 8% to $8.1 billion, showing that promotional emails may be doing their job. 

As for today -- Black Friday -- global sales should hit $71.5 billion and U.S. sales $17.7 billion as shoppers take advantage of holiday discounts, Salesforce projects. 

“Back in the spring of 2024, nearly two thirds of consumers reported that they were waiting for Cyber Week deals to make splurge purchases,” says Caila Schwartz, director of consumer insights, Salesforce. “The sales and order growth over the last few days implies that these shoppers stayed true to their word. This could be the strongest Cyber Week we’ve ever seen.”

A majority of U.S. consumers will shop online between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST. This period will account for 42% of all online Black Friday sales. 

On Thursday, mobile drove 72% of global online orders -- a 3% increase YoY -- and 80% of all online traffic, a 1% hike YoY.

Social media drove 13% of mobile traffic and 11% of ecommerce visitor volume.

Mobile wallet usage increased 41% globally YoY and 40% in the U.S. on Thanksgiving.

On another front, early data showed that 20% holiday purchases are being influenced by AI and agents.

Inflation seems somewhat tamed, with average global selling prices rising by only 2% YoY on Thanksgiving, one of the smallest increases since 2022.

The top verticals in terms of growth worldwide? They were:

• Home dining, art, and décor — 39%
• Makeup — 22%
• Health & beauty — 21%

The U.S. results were slightly different:

• Home appliances, dining, furniture — 20%
• General footwear & handbags — 18%
• Food & beverages — 14%

The average U.S. discount rates? They are in:

• All health & beauty (including makeup, skincare, and haircare — 38%
• General apparel — 33%
• Home appliances, dining, furniture — 30%