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Cyber Monday breaks US records with $7.9 billion in online sales

It's now the largest online shopping day in US history, says Adobe Analytics.

Ben Fox Rubin Former senior reporter
Ben Fox Rubin was a senior reporter for CNET News in Manhattan, reporting on Amazon, e-commerce and mobile payments. He previously worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and got his start at newspapers in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Carrie Mihalcik Former Managing Editor / News
Carrie was a managing editor at CNET focused on breaking and trending news. She'd been reporting and editing for more than a decade, including at the National Journal and Current TV.
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Ben Fox Rubin
Carrie Mihalcik
2 min read
Online Retailers Offer Holiday Sales On "Cyber Monday"

Shoppers already spent billions online on Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

This year's Cyber Monday was a huge boon for retailers, with sales coming in even better than anticipated. And, yes, it shattered last year's record.

US online sales this Monday were $7.9 billion, just ahead of expectations of $7.8 billion and 19 percent above last year, Adobe Analytics reported Monday. Those massive numbers made this year's Cyber Monday the biggest online sales day in US history, keeping up the trend of a new record being minted that day every year.

In comparison, retail sales online in the country during an average day is $1.4 billion.

Amazon on Tuesday morning declared this year's Cyber Monday the biggest shopping day in its history, besting its record from this year's Prime Day.

The massive sales figures point to the solid growth of e-commerce, with more customers each year spending more online, threatening traditional retailers' networks of stores. The records also validate expectations this holiday shopping season would become one of the strongest in years, thanks to low unemployment, high consumer confidence and a robust economy.

Watch this: Cyber Monday deals on gaming and smart home tech

Adobe said Cyber Monday's growth this year was driven by strong mobile purchasing, which hit record levels at $2.2 billion in sales, and by "buy online, pickup in-store," which it calls BOPIS. Adobe says it tabulates its holiday stats by tracking 80 of the top 100 US online retailers, including analysis of over 1 trillion visits to retail sites and 55 million products.

Top sellers on Cyber Monday included the Nintendo Switch , Little Live Pets, Red Dead Redemption 2 , LG TVs , drones , Dell laptops , FurReal Pets and Amazon Echo smart speakers, Adobe said.

Online spending in the US also hit new highs on Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day. Online sales for Black Friday reached $6.22 billion in the US, up 24 percent from a year ago and a record high, according to Adobe. In 2017, Black Friday shoppers spent $5.03 billion online.

Adobe said 33.5 percent of online sales the Friday after Thanksgiving came from mobile devices, compared with 29.1 percent on last year. Black Friday was also the first day ever to see more than $2 billion in sales coming from phones alone, according to Adobe.

"Retailers have done their part to build better mobile experiences for consumers and turning nearly 10 percent more smartphone visitors into buyers this Black Friday versus last," said Schreiner.

Online spending on Thanksgiving Day hit $3.7 billion in the US, topping last year's record of $2.87 billion, according to Adobe. Since Nov. 1, US consumers have spent $50.6 billion online, Adobe said Monday.

The 40 best Cyber Monday 2018 deals still available

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First published Nov. 24 at 11:51 a.m. PT.
Update, 2:47 p.m. PT: Adds more information from Adobe.
Update, Nov. 26 at 9:02 a.m. PT: Adds Cyber Monday morning totals.
Update, Nov. 27 at 7:39 a.m. PT: Adds Cyber Monday final numbers.