Key takeaways: BFCM 2025 at a glance
- Cyber Monday online sales hit a record $14.25 billion , the largest ever, while Black Friday reached $11.8 billion, up 9.1% YoY.
- 202.9 million shoppers participated over the five days, marking the biggest turnout since NRF began tracking.
- AI influenced $9.3 billion in global online sales, with mobile driving 57.5% of purchases and social commerce sales surging 152% YoY.
- Retailers that leaned into early deals, personalization, and member-only loyalty perks led performance.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have always been intense, unpredictable, and fascinating windows into consumer behavior. But 2025 pushed things to a new level. With advancements in AI, a stabilized supply chain, and shifting economic conditions shaping how people buy, this year’s holiday shopping week delivered fresh insights into the future of retail.
While the dust is still settling, we’re compiling data and post-event analysis to inform your 2026 strategy. Catch the most current numbers below, but continue to watch this page, we’ll update it with the latest figures as they’re released.
Results review: Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025
Here’s an overview of how this year’s shopping events panned out.
Total spending and growth patterns
An estimated 202.9 million US consumers shopped during the five-day stretch from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation. This marks the largest turnout since NRF began tracking the period in 2017, and surpasses last year’s 197 million shoppers, reflecting continued growth across both online and in-store engagement.
But it wasn’t just the number of shoppers that surpassed records. Adobe reported that:
- Cyber Monday hit $14.25 billion in online sales, up 7.1% year over year, making it the largest online shopping day in history.
- Black Friday also surged, reaching $11.8 billion in online spend—a 9.1% YoY increase.
Early indications suggest meaningful growth compared to 2024, though much of that momentum came from:
- The explosion of early deals
- Increased adoption of mobile and app-based shopping
- More strategic, value-conscious buying
Top-performing categories
Adobe data confirms that more than half of all Cyber Monday spend came from just three core categories:
- Electronics: $3.7 billion, up 12.8% YoY
- Apparel: $2.6 billion, up 5.2% YoY
- Furniture: $1.8 billion, up 5.4% YoY
Cosmetics and sporting goods also showed healthy growth. Within electronics, demand surged for smart home devices, fitness wearables, computers, gaming consoles, and audio accessories, all signaling continued consumer appetite for connected tech, home upgrades, and digital lifestyle products.
Online vs. physical shopping
Mobile commerce was expected to surge this year, and it did. On Cyber Monday, 57.5% of purchases happened on mobile, totaling $8.2 billion in spend and marking an 8% year-over-year increase.
Just five years ago, mobile accounted for only 41% of Cyber Monday spend. So what’s driven the shift to a majority in 2025? Faster apps, one-click checkout, AI-powered recommendations, and the simple ease of buying straight from the device already in hand.
Source
Surge in buy now, pay later (BNPL)
Analysts predicted BNPL usage to jump significantly due to tight budgets and rising interest in flexible payment tools, and the results proved them right.
US shoppers spent $1.03 billion through buy now, pay later on Cyber Monday 2025, a 4.2% increase over last year. Nearly all of it happened on mobile, with 79.4% of BNPL transactions coming from smartphones.
With tighter budgets and rising interest in flexible payments, BNPL became one of the strongest drivers of conversion this season.
Retailer strategies that worked in 2025
Despite the challenges, several strategies clearly shaped winners during this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These include:
1. Extended deal windows
The traditional Friday–Monday shopping window has now expanded into a multi-week cycle. Many shoppers started their holiday shopping well before Black Friday, as retailers increasingly pushed “Black November” campaigns. In fact, 59% of shoppers started their holiday shopping before the usual BFCM rush window.
Retailers offering “early access” or “month-long” deals captured:
- Higher traffic
- More deliberate shoppers
- Lower operational strain
Pre-November discounts and price guarantees reduced the intense one-day shopping rush of previous years.
2. AI-powered pricing and personalization
2025 was the first year that AI became a visible part of the shopping experience. Retailers using machine learning for a) personalized recommendations, b) dynamic deal timing, and c) interest-based bundles reported significant boosts in engagement and average order value (AOV).
Here’s what the stats tell us:
- Retail traffic from third-party AI agents (e.g., ChatGPT, Perplexity) tripled vs. 2024 (Salesforce).
- $9.3 billion in global online Cyber Monday sales were influenced by generative AI and digital agents, with $2 billion coming from the US (Salesforce).
- Generative AI platforms pushed a 670% YoY increase in Cyber Monday traffic to US retail sites (Adobe).
3. Social commerce and influencer deals
Short-form video platforms, such as TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts, continued to dominate product discovery, with retailers investing heavily in live shopping, creator-curated deal pages, and influencer bundles.
The payoff was clear: social channel sales on Black Friday increased by 152%.
Top-selling categories from social commerce included:
- Clothing, Shoes & Accessories
- Home & Garden
- Health & Beauty
- Business & Industrial
- Sporting Goods
Creators showcased products through livestreams, interactive posts, and authentic content, giving shoppers confidence and reducing friction. With built-in discovery tools and seamless checkout, buying directly through social became faster, easier, and more appealing than heading in-store.
4. Membership-driven loyalty programs
Retailers that prioritized members-only perks, such as early access, free shipping upgrades, or bonus points, saw stronger retention and higher spending. Amazon Prime, Walmart+, and Target Circle all used this strategy to boost traffic during the event.
3 key questions for the future of shopping
Taking all of the above into account, brands and retailers are left with a few big questions about where the industry is headed next. We took a shot at answering them… with more questions. 😉
- Which channels drove Black Friday success this year, and did they match where customers actually engaged?
Review the touchpoints you invested in during BFCM 2025. Did your approach align with shopper behavior across mobile, social, search, and in-store? Which channels delivered real impact, and which need rethinking for next year?
- How will you improve customer experiences in the coming weeks to turn seasonal shoppers into loyal fans?
Black Friday brings traffic, but retention happens afterward. What’s your plan for follow-up journeys, personalized recommendations, and loyalty-building touchpoints to keep new customers engaged?
- Which channels will you grow in 2026, and how will you create seamless, personalized journeys across them?
As you expand into new platforms and formats, how will you ensure each touchpoint feels consistent and customer-centric? What will you prioritize to meet rising expectations for personalization?
BFCM 2025 was a preview of the next era of retail. While early data suggests strong results, the full story will come into focus once final stats and industry reports are available. For now, we know the events were defined by smarter shoppers, more advanced technology, and retail strategies built around personalization and convenience. What’s next? Only time will tell…
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