2024 Black Friday Recap: Sales Trends from Around the Globe

Black Friday 2024 is in the books. Retailers and shoppers around the world came together for one of the year’s most anticipated shopping events. But how did it all shake out? What do this year’s results say about the rest of the holiday season? 

With access to commerce data from thousands of retailers and tens of thousands of advertisers worldwide, we’ve got the most comprehensive view of what unfolded from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. Here’s your need-to-know roundup of the key trends across the US, Europe, and beyond. 

In the US, Cyber Monday outshined Black Friday 

While online transactions in the US saw a 2% year-over-year (YoY) increase on Black Friday, Cyber Monday showed significantly stronger performance. Online transactions surged by 9% YoY, with unit sales experiencing double-digit growth across multiple verticals.  

Americans showed strong spending power on Black Friday 

Consumer spend was up 4%, and average order values were up 3% YoY, indicating that consumers’ spending power was stronger in the US than in Europe (where average order values were lower) compared to last year. Almost every product category saw triple digit sales increases on Black Friday 2024, though lower than in 2023.  

A range of discounts were offered, but even non-discounted items attracted shoppers 

Across product categories, Black Friday discounts ranged from 11% to 23%. Apparel and accessories offered the biggest deals, while higher priced electronics like TVs and laptops offered more moderate discounts.

Discounted items saw tremendous sales uplift, but so did non-discounted items. With an 11% discount compared to average during the first week of November, TVs captured a 693% sales uplift. Without a discount, TVs still captured a 463% sales increase, showing that Black Friday puts consumers in a mood to shop, including for full–price items. 

Black Friday in Europe recorded more online transactions, but on lower priced goods 

In Europe, online transactions were up 10% YoY on Black Friday this year, compared to Black Friday 2023, with significant disparities between markets. Despite more transactions, consumers’ spend was down 4% compared to last year, indicating the purchase of lower priced goods. This finding was consistent in Germany, in the UK, in France and on average in Europe, looking at data from 28 countries.

Across Europe, product categories recorded triple digit increases on Black Friday, though lower spikes than last year. Here’s the breakdown by vertical and by country: 

In Japan, Black Friday saw higher YoY spend and more retailers participating  

The number of online transactions was stable in Japan on Black Friday in 2024 (+0%), based on organic data from over a thousand retailers and brands. Average order value and consumer spend were both up 12% YoY, indicating that consumers might be waiting to purchase more expensive items on Black Friday. 

This year, the share of retailers with a sales increase of 20% or more on Black Friday was 35% (+3 pts YoY). In 2023, retailers who appeared to participate in Black Friday not only observed a 104% sales increase during the commercial event (compared to the average between October 1 and October 28), but also sustained higher overall sales throughout December (+28% on average in December), while other retailers were down 5% during the last month of Q4. We’ll be watching closely to see if this trend continues this year.  

Keep the momentum going 

As Black Friday 2024 fades into the rearview mirror, it’s clear that the event changes year over year in fascinating ways. From the surge in Cyber Monday sales in the US to Japan’s growing participation in the event, this year’s trends show a shift toward both opportunistic spending and broader participation from retailers globally, setting the stage for an exciting end to the year. For tips on how to finish out the year strong, read Black Friday strategies to win the season.