# US Online Holiday Shopping Hits $9.86 Billion During October Sales Event

- URL: https://stocks.freetheai.org/news/us-online-holiday-shopping-hits-9-86-billion-during-october-sales-event-a0ecff
- Published: 2026-10-12T10:57:29Z
- Category: company_news; sentiment: bullish; impact: medium
- Symbols: [NASDAQ:AMZN](https://stocks.freetheai.org/symbols/NASDAQ-AMZN)
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U.S. online shoppers spent $9.86 billion across major e-commerce promotions during the October 6–7 discount period, marking an 8.5% increase from $9.09 billion last year. The total landed just shy of pre-event expectations of $9.9 billion. Shares of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) rose 3.29% to $262.40 following the strong sales figures, which reflect direct digital transactions across domestic retail sites holding concurrent promotional events.

Deep markdowns peaking near 20% motivated consumers to shop early and select higher-tier items. Spending on the most expensive products within each category climbed 21% compared to year-to-date averages. Discounting spurred significant activity in discretionary categories, with toy sales surging 158% over September daily averages and electronics rising 85%. Consumers also used the event to stock up on everyday household goods, driving gains in paper products, personal care items, and pet supplies.

The early promotional push appears to be shifting the traditional holiday calendar. With more than a third of shoppers completing at least half of their holiday purchases during the two-day event, consumer intent to shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday dropped compared to last year. Retailers will monitor whether this early spending tempers consumer demand during peak late-November shopping events.

## Key points

- U.S. e-commerce sales reached $9.86 billion during the October 6–7 promotional period, an 8.5% increase compared to last year.
- Discounts averaging up to 20% encouraged buyers to select higher-priced merchandise, raising the spending share on premium goods by 21%.
- Toy sales jumped 158% and video games rose 90% over September daily averages, while basic household essentials saw steady annual growth.
- More than one-third of surveyed shoppers completed over half of their holiday shopping, reducing stated plans for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

## Questions and answers

### How much did shoppers spend during the October sales event?

U.S. consumers spent $9.86 billion online during the October 6–7 shopping days, an 8.5% increase from $9.09 billion during the same event last year.

### Which retail categories experienced the largest sales increases?

Toys saw the largest surge with sales rising 158% over September daily averages. Video games increased 90%, electronics gained 85%, and personal care products grew 73%.

### How are October sales impacting traditional holiday shopping days?

Over a third of shoppers finished at least half of their holiday purchases during the October event, leading to reduced consumer plans for Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping.