Criteo Data Shows Black Friday Off to A Big Start: +12.1% in the US | Criteo
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Criteo Data Shows Black Friday Off to A Big Start: +12.1% in the US
Criteo’s analysis of shopping data from some of the world’s largest retailers shows that US shoppers are increasingly shopping online.
Updated on November 17, 2025
Criteo’s analysis of shopping data from some of the world’s largest retailers indicates that in the US, shoppers are increasingly turning online for their holiday gifting. For Black Friday by 11AM EST, there was a:
- +4.9% year over year increase in Shoppers
- +12.1% increase in the number of Purchasers
While Black Friday will be the biggest day in the history of ecommerce, purchasing for the holidays is occurring earlier and earlier each year, influenced by major retailers like Walmart and Target triggering Black Friday deals in advance of the official day. This chart below shows the increases in purchasing by day for the month:
The data comes from Criteo’s Sponsored Products retail network, which in the US includes: Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Wayfair, Kohl’s, and Macy’s. The numbers Criteo is seeing align with spending projections from sources like eMarketer, which has estimated that holiday ecommerce spending will increase 16.7% this year over last.
It’s Now Black Thanksgiving
With shoppers home with family and friends, and some major retailers deciding to treat their employees to a day off, Thanksgiving has become an enormous day for ecommerce.
- +7.9% year over year increase in Shoppers
- +26.2% increase in the number of Purchasers
- $180 average cart size: The biggest so far of the season
- There is a post Turkey pop: The biggest hour of the day for purchasing was 9 PM EST. Shoppers had finished eating and gotten back to gifting.
- 46% of all purchases were made on mobile phones: with shoppers at home – and likely not in front of their computers – they turned to the nearest available shopping device, the phone. This is the strongest day for mobile commerce Criteo has yet seen in the US.
November Breakout Gifts: Gotta Get a Non-Fake Fingerling and 12 Days of Socks
Criteo assesses retail site search term data throughout the year to determine breakout products. A flatulent robotic monkey called a Fingerling first appeared on the top 1000 terms list in August at #385.
By November, the term had become the top searched toy, outpacing Christmas trees and televisions. The products spawned an entire marketplace centered around Amazon in fake monkeys. Media outlets like Forbes began to cover where to get real ones: hint, the real ones are from WowWee Toys.
Hot gifts rising in interest on the list in November include:
- 12 Days of Socks: a smartly packaged way to deliver a gift everyone can use that comes in various editions including Star Wars and Harry Potter.
- Christmas Pajamas for the whole family: the term is now #8 on the most searched product list and has risen 122 places in less than a month.
- Our Generation vs Barbie: Our Generation has been a top searched toy throughout Q3 and has risen 5 places in the last month. However, Barbie is rocketing up the list rising 29 places in one month.
Happy Black Friday, and stay tuned for Criteo’s updates throughout the weekend. The NRF projects that 164.6 million shoppers will make a purchase either in a store or online. We can’t wait.