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Smartphone sales push pre-Black Friday sales up big

An illustration of a sales tag
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

U.S. shoppers spent $1.75 billion online on Thanksgiving as of 5 p.m.. and were predicted to spend a record $3.7 billion by midnight, up 29% from 2017, according to Adobe Analytics figures cited by Business Insider.

Why it matters: "The skyrocketing sales represent an increase in online shopping more generally, as well as a Black Friday sales 'day' that is shifting earlier and earlier," per BI.

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The state of play: "Much of the growth has come from smartphones," which accounted for 37% of sales, up from 29% last year.

  • This is a trend ... Here are two Business Insider headlines from a year ago: "Smartphones are killing Black Friday ... Photos of shockingly empty stores prove that Black Friday as we know it is dead."
  • Experts say surging online sales could lead to calmer bricks-and-mortar shopping.
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