For online sales, Cyber Monday still tops the list

NEW YORK — Consumers were expected to spend $10.2 billion to $11.3 billion Monday, making it once again the biggest online shopping day of the year, according to Adobe Digital Economy Index.

Still, spending on what’s known as Cyber Monday could have dropped from last year’s level of $10.8 billion as Americans are spreading out their deals more in response to discounting in October by retailers, according to Adobe, which analyzes more than one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites.

Both Black Friday and Thanksgiving online shopping came in below Adobe’s prediction.

On Black Friday, online sales reached $8.9 billion, down from the $9 billion in 2020, the second largest day of the year. On Thanksgiving, online sales reached $5.1 billion, even from the year-ago period.

Adobe says it is the first time it has seen decreased spending on the big shopping days, which have seen healthy growth rates since Adobe first began reporting on e-commerce in 2012.

For the first time, discounts compared with a year ago were expected to be weaker on Cyber Monday, a big theme this season given how supply chain clogs are creating challenges for retailers in bringing merchandise to stores.

Online shopping remains huge, and sales are expected to rise 7% for the week ended Sunday after the massive 46% gain a year ago, when many shoppers stayed home, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks shopping across all types of payments.

For the overall holiday season, online sales should increase 10% from a year ago, compared with a 33% increase last year, according to Adobe.