Consumer Behavior

Online holiday spend hit $257.8B, sets new e-commerce record

Photo: Adobe Stock

January 14, 2026

Consumers spent $257.8 billion online, from November through December, reflecting a 6.8% jump year over year and set a new e-commerce record.

Those are findings from Adobe's online shopping data for the 2025 holiday season.

There were 25 days that saw $4 billion or more in spend in the 2025 holiday season, up from the 18 days in 2024, according to a press release on the data findings. Mobile shopping hit a new milestone -- with the majority of online transactions (56.4%) taking place through a smartphone this season (up from 54.5% in 2024).

Mobile shopping was highest on Christmas Day, driving 66.5% of online sales (vs. 65% in 2024), followed by Thanksgiving Day at 61.6% mobile share (vs. 59.3% in 2024).

Usage of buy now pay later hit an all-time high this holiday season, contributing $20 billion in online spend, up 9.8% YoY and representing $1.8 billion more than the last season.

"This 2025 holiday season, consumers embraced generative AI more than ever as a shopping assistant in their purchasing decisions," Vivek Pandya, lead analyst, Adobe Digital Insights, said in the release. "Competitive discounts and flexible payment options like Buy Now Pay Later also contributed to driving record spend of $257.8 billion throughout this holiday season."