Eleven Consecutive Billion-Dollar Days of Online Desktop Spending from Thanksgiving through Cyber Week Mark the Longest Streak Ever

Staff Report

Friday, December 9th, 2016

comScore reported holiday season U.S. retail e-commerce spending from desktop computers for the first 34 days of the November-December 2016 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, $38.0 billion has been spent online, marking a 12-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year.

Cyber Week, the week beginning with Cyber Monday, posted strong growth online, raking in $11.0 billion in desktop spending for an increase of 13 percent compared to the same week last year. This marked the first time ever that a full Monday through Sunday week boasted the accomplishment of having all seven days surpass a billion dollars in spending, while both Cyber Monday and the Tuesday following it eclipsed $2 billion in desktop sales. These seven days continued an even longer stretch beginning on Thanksgiving of eleven consecutive billion-dollar desktop spending days, marking the longest streak of days reaching that milestone in history. Also noteworthy is that sales growth has picked up significantly since Thanksgiving, with online spending on desktop up a strong 14-percent year-over-year, compared to an increase of 11 percent for the period of November that preceded Thanksgiving.

2016 Holiday Season To Date vs. Corresponding Days* in 2015

Non-Travel (Retail) E-Commerce Spending

Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. – Home & Work Desktop Computers

Source: comScore, Inc.

 

Millions ($)

2015

2016

Percent
Change

Season to Date (Nov. 1-Dec. 4, 2016)

$33,872

$37,986

12%

Pre-Thanksgiving (Nov. 1-23, 2016)

$19,206

$21,263

11%

Thanksgiving thru Cyber Week (Nov. 24-Dec. 4)

$14,665

$16,723

14%

Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24)

$1,096

$1,287

17%

Black Friday (Nov. 25)

$1,656

$1,970

19%

Holiday Weekend (Nov. 26-27)

$2,169

$2,486

15%

Cyber Monday (Nov. 28)

$2,280

$2,671

17%

Thanksgiving thru Cyber Monday

$7,201

$8,414

17%

Cyber Week (Nov. 28-Dec. 4)

$9,745

$10,980

13%

  Cyber Week Mon-Fri (Nov. 28-Dec. 2)

$7,815

$8,802

13%

  Cyber Weekend (Dec. 3-4)

$1,929

$2,178

13%

*Corresponding days based on corresponding shopping days (November 3 thru December 6, 2015)

"Online holiday commerce continues to perform very well through the week following Cyber Monday. We're seeing billion-dollar shopping days become the new norm, with eleven consecutive days eclipsing that milestone on desktop – a trend we expect to continue through the current week and beyond," said comScore CEO Gian Fulgoni.

Mobile Drives Total Digital Spending Growth Over 20 Percent for Key Holiday Shopping Days

Recently compiled mobile commerce data for key shopping days highlights the channel's increasing importance in driving digital commerce. Mobile buying on smartphones and tablets accounted for $597 million of spending on Thanksgiving (up 26 percent year-over-year), $797 million on Black Friday (up 41 percent) and more than $1 billion on Cyber Monday (up 29 percent). The success of mobile drove total digital spending growth to surpass 20 percent on all three days, while Cyber Monday 2016 solidified itself as the largest spending day on record with an astounding $3.7 billion in total digital commerce.

Key Shopping Days in 2016 Holiday Season vs. 2015: Desktop and Mobile Spending

Non-Travel (Retail) Total Digital Commerce Spending

Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. – Home & Work Desktop Computers, Smartphones, Tablets

Source: comScore E-Commerce and M-Commerce Measurement

 

Millions ($)

2015

2016

Percent
Change

Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24)

     

    Desktop

$1,096

$1,287

17%

    Mobile

$474

$597

26%

    Total Digital

$1,570

$1,884

20%

Black Friday (Nov. 25)

     

    Desktop

$1,656

$1,970

19%

    Mobile

$567

$797

41%

    Total Digital

$2,223

$2,767

24%

Cyber Monday (Nov. 28)

     

    Desktop

$2,280

$2,671

17%

    Mobile

$782

$1,009

29%

    Total Digital

$3,062

$3,680

20%

Fulgoni added, "The key shopping days of Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday all experienced strong growth rates of buying using mobile devices, giving a boost to total digital sales, with mobile accounting for more than a quarter of online spending on those days. While mobile continues to have more friction points and therefore lower conversion than desktop, it's clear that many consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable transacting over these devices."