Shopify Merchants Hit Record Black Friday Sales of Nearly $2.9 Billion

Shopify said it had a record-breaking Black Friday with nearly $2.9 billion in sales from its over 1.7 million small business and direct-to-consumer brands around the world, from New Zealand to California.

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This is a 21% increase over Black Friday in 2020 when Shopify merchants’ sales surged 75% over 2019 during COVID-19 lockdowns and it is more than double their sales on Black Friday in 2019.

Collectively, Shopify merchants crossed the $1 billion mark in sales by 4:00 am EST, four hours earlier than Black Friday in 2020, with peak sales reaching nearly $3.1 million per minute at 12:02 PM EST.

“Every year, Black Friday represents one of the largest single-day sales moments for entrepreneurs around the world, and this year it was bigger than ever. From in-store retailers, to online, and even viral TikTok must-haves, these Black Friday sales show that independent businesses are having a massive impact on global commerce. Consumer support of independent brands is at an all-time high.”

Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify

Shopify 2021 Black Friday Global Highlights

• $2.9 billion USD: Total sales during Black Friday, an 21% increase from 2020
• $3.1M USD: peak sales per minute, occurring at 12:02 PM EST
• Top Selling Countries: United States, United Kingdom, Canada
• Top Selling Cities: London (UK), New York (USA), Los Angeles (USA) 
• $101.20 USD: average cart price, an 11.6% increase from 2020 Black Friday
• Apparel & Accessories: top product category
• 15%: percentage of cross-border orders
• 23K+: tonnes of carbon emissions offset – learn more about how Shopify is eliminating the climate impact of merchant shipments here

2021 Highlights from Shopify Merchants in The US

• 12:00 PM EST: peak sales hour in the US
• Top Selling Cities: New York, Los Angeles, Brooklyn
• $107.88 USD: average cart price
• Apparel & Accessories: top product category
• 6%: percentage of cross-border orders
• Top Cities (Curbside Pickup): Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston
• Top Cities (Local Delivery): New York, Miami, Los Angeles
• 109%: increase in POS sales made by Shopify merchants since Black Friday last year

Shopify’s 2021 Black Friday data was collected from sales by its 1.7+ million businesses in approximately 175 countries around the world from Nov 25th 11:00 to Nov 27th 08:00 UTC. The data is unaudited and subject to adjustment. A live dashboard can be found here.