Cyber Monday 2021 fell on November 29. Adobe Analytics’ final estimate put U.S. online spending that day at $10.7 billion, down 1.4% from 2020. That total is a measure of online transactions—not all retail sales—and Adobe’s report page headline says $10.8 billion while its body gives $10.7 billion as the final result.
How much was spent on Cyber Monday 2021?
Adobe Analytics estimated $10.7 billion in U.S. online spending on November 29, 2021, a 1.4% year-over-year decline. Adobe’s final report has a headline that says $10.8 billion, but the report body identifies $10.7 billion as the final figure and compares it with $10.8 billion in 2020. The body figure is the appropriate one to use when describing Adobe’s final result.
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Adobe’s October forecast had projected $11.3 billion for Cyber Monday. The forecast was not the final outcome: the reported total came in lower. Adobe said early deals, product availability concerns, and spending spread across October and November helped shift purchases away from the traditional peak shopping days. Its forecast had also projected $36 billion for Cyber Week, compared with the final $33.9 billion.
How did Cyber Monday fit into Cyber Week?
Adobe defines Cyber Week in this report as Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. Across those five days in 2021, it estimated $33.9 billion in U.S. online spending, down 1.4% year over year. Black Friday accounted for $8.9 billion and Thanksgiving Day for $5.1 billion. These are Adobe estimates of online spending, not totals for all in-store and online retail activity.
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For a broader seasonal comparison, the National Retail Federation reported that U.S. November–December 2021 holiday retail sales reached $886.7 billion, 14.1% more than in 2020. That measure includes $218.9 billion in online and other non-store sales and excludes auto dealers, gasoline stations, and restaurants. It covers two months of holiday sales, so it should not be treated as a competing estimate of Cyber Monday. See the NRF’s final holiday sales report.
Which products and categories sold well?
Adobe identified Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite, Xbox Series S, AirPods, Apple Watches, laptops, Hot Wheels, and Nerf toys among Cyber Monday 2021’s top sellers. These are historical sales examples, not current buying recommendations or evidence that a 2021 deal is still available.
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Compared with Adobe’s September 2021 pre-season baseline, Cyber Monday sales were nearly 11 times higher for toys, seven times higher for gift cards and books, and six times higher for video games and baby and toddler products. These ratios describe Adobe’s reported category movement against that specific baseline, not year-over-year growth or the performance of every retailer or product.
Did shoppers get better discounts?
Not necessarily. Adobe reported weaker discount levels than in 2020 in several tracked categories, so the high spending and strong category activity do not establish that shoppers broadly received deeper bargains. Adobe also found that out-of-stock messages in November 2021 were 169% above January 2020 pre-pandemic levels and 258% above November 2019. Those are Adobe Analytics measures; they do not mean every retailer or item was unavailable.
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How Adobe measured the results
Adobe said its analysis covered more than one trillion visits to U.S. retail sites, 100 million SKUs, and 18 product categories. Its figures represent estimated online spending within that measurement scope. They are not a census of every transaction and should not be combined indiscriminately with broader retail measures such as the NRF’s November–December total.
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