Looking at some of the major retailersBlack Friday 2025 in the U.S. was characterized by a distinct split: while overall spending grew, the real story was the massive surge in online activity compared to a much quieter performance in physical stores.
Here is the breakdown of sales performance citing Mastercard SpendingPulse and other key data sources.
1. Mastercard SpendingPulse Data
Mastercard SpendingPulse tracks all forms of payment (cash, card, check) across both online and offline channels.
Total Retail Growth: Retail sales (excluding automotive) rose +4.1% year-over-year.
Online vs. In-Store:
E-commerce: surged +10.4%, driving the bulk of the growth.
In-Store: grew a modest +1.7%.
Top Categories:
Apparel:+5.7% (driven by colder weather in the Midwest/Northeast).
Restaurants:+4.5% (indicating people were out, but prioritizing dining/experiences).
Jewelry: +2.8%.
2. Adobe Analytics (Online Specifics)
Adobe Analytics tracks transactions at the largest U.S. online retailers and provides the most cited "online-only" figures.
Total Online Spend: A record-breaking $11.8 billion was spent online in 24 hours.
Growth: This represents a 9.1% increase compared to 2024.
Mobile Dominance: For the first time, more than 50% of online purchases were made on smartphones, confirming the shift to "couch commerce."
3. Salesforce (AI & Global Context)
Salesforce data is broader and often includes different merchant networks, offering a slightly higher total figure.
US Online Sales: Estimated at $18 billion for the day.
Global Impact: Reported global online sales of approximately $79 billion.
AI Influence: Noted that shoppers heavily utilized AI chatbots and price-comparison tools to find deals, making them more price-sensitive and efficient.
4. RetailNext (Foot Traffic)
While sales dollars were up slightly in stores (due to inflation and higher prices), the actual number of people visiting stores dropped.
Foot Traffic: Dropped -3.6% compared to 2024.
Implication: Fewer people went to the mall, but those who did spent slightly more per visit.
The major retail stocks are seeing mixed pre-market trading. Investors are weighing record-breaking online Black Friday sales against a broader market dip (Nasdaq futures are down over 200 points) and lackluster in-store foot traffic.
Target (TGT): Trading down -0.50% (around $90.17 vs $90.62 close).
Walmart (WMT): Trading up ~0.31% (around $110.82). The world's largest retailer continues to be a defensive favorite for investors, showing steady strength as it captures budget-conscious holiday spending.
Best Buy (BBY): Trading down -0.95% (around $78.53 vs $79.28).
Amazon (AMZN): Trading down ~0.03% (around $233.07). Despite reports of record-breaking online sales ($11.8 billion total for the industry), Amazon is dipping slightly, tracking with the wider tech/Nasdaq sell-off this morning.
Macy's (M): Trading down ~0.33% (around $22.03). The department store continues to face pressure as data confirmed a 3.6% drop in physical foot traffic over the holiday weekend, which hurts mall-based anchors the most.
Nike (NKE): Trading down -1.18% (around $63.86 vs $64.63 close on Friday).
Lululemon (LULU): Trading down -0.83% at $182.65 vs $184.18 close on Friday)
