Summer discount spree lifts U.S. online sales to $24.1 bn, Adobe says

U.S. shoppers spent a record $24.1 billion online between 8 and 11 July as deep “Black Friday-in-summer” discounts—centred on a lengthened Amazon Prime Day—sparked a 30 % year-on-year jump, according to Adobe Analytics.

Cut-price offers on everything from school uniforms to laptops pushed web sales far beyond Adobe’s own 28 % growth forecast and easily eclipsed the $14.2 billion rung up over the same four-day spell in 2024. Mobile phones accounted for 53.2 % of transactions, the data group said, underscoring consumers’ shift to handheld shopping.

Amazon extended its flagship Prime promotion to 96 hours—double its usual window—while rivals Walmart, Target and Best Buy rolled out parallel events to lure bargain-hunters. Overall online markdowns ranged from 11 % to 24 %; apparel led the pack with average reductions of 24 %, four percentage points steeper than a year ago, while electronics held steady at 23 %.

Retail analysts noted that the spending spree coincided with heightened trade uncertainty: President Donald Trump’s new 30 % tariffs on the European Union and Mexico, and an 1 August deadline for other partners to renegotiate terms, have unsettled import-reliant retailers. Even so, Adobe’s figures suggest consumers are seizing hefty price cuts to “trade up” to higher-ticket goods before back-to-school demand peaks.

Online sales now account for about 15 % of total U.S. retail turnover, Census Bureau data show, a share that has doubled in a decade. If July’s pace holds, Adobe estimates, e-commerce revenues could top $1.4 trillion for the full year—roughly the size of Spain’s GDP—despite tighter household budgets and rising interest rates.

Whether the July burst heralds sustained momentum will depend on autumn discount cycles and any retaliation against the latest U.S. tariffs, economists caution, but the early signal is clear: price-conscious consumers will still click “buy” when deals are deep enough.

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