NEW YORK, Dec 1 — Online sales on Black Friday in the United States hit a record US$7.4 billion this year, with a jump in the number of transactions made from smartphones, according to data released yesterday by Adobe Analytics.

The figure was a 19.6 per cent increase over last year and the second biggest day of online sales ever, the company said, just below the US$7.9 billion consumers spent on last year’s Cyber Monday, which follows Black Friday.

Adobe Analytics measures transactions from 80 of the 100 largest US online retailers.

This year, 39 per cent of online purchases were made from smartphones, a 21 per cent increase from last year.

"With Christmas now rapidly approaching, consumers increasingly jumped on their phones rather than standing in line,” said Taylor Schreiner, principal analyst and head of Adobe Digital Insights.

The hottest toys included L.O.L. Surprise dolls and items featuring Disney’s "Frozen 2.” In the video game category, the top sellers were FIFA 20, Madden 20 and Nintendo Switch.

The most popular electronics were Apple laptops, AirPods and Samsung TVs.

Adobe Analytics estimates Cyber Monday will see a record US$9.4 billion in sales, a nearly 19 per cent increase over last year.

Shoppers spent US$4.2 billion online during the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, the company said. — AFP