Shopify merchants generate $5.1 billion USD over Black Friday, Cyber Monday weekend

Shopify merchants generated over $5.1 billion USD in sales worldwide during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to data collected by the e-commerce company. The dollar amount is up 76 percent from 2019’s figure of $2.9 billion over the same period.

Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver rounded out the top three cities for sales in Canada.

The Ottawa-based startup pulled its data results from the start of Black Friday in New Zealand on November 27, until the end of Cyber Monday in California on November 30. That period saw over 44 million consumers make a purchase from a Shopify merchant, a 50 percent increase from the same period in 2019.

While Shopify didn’t acknowledge the COVID-19 pandemic in a statement regarding Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales on its website, it is notable that Toronto, Canada’s top market for sales during this period, is currently in ‘Grey’ lockdown, with non-essential stores closed – increasing the need for e-commerce.

“This is big for our team, but the real winners are the entrepreneurs and independent businesses,” said Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke in a tweet on December 1. “To our merchants who are weathering the winds of change, and to shoppers who are voting with their dollars: well done.”

New York was the top-selling city internationally, with Los Angeles, and London rounding out the top three. Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver rounded out the top three cities for sales in Canada, as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada were amongst the top-selling countries worldwide.

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Sales reached their per-minute peak of $919,000 USD at 4:35 pm on US Thanksgiving Day, with 69 percent of buyers opting for mobile over desktop. The average cart price internationally was $89.20 USD globally, while in Canada the average cart price was $134.55, up from $96.30 in 2019. In terms of shopping categories, Canadians greatest category for purchases was apparel and accessories, with health and beauty, and home and garden rounding out the top three.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Shopify has had a strong year given the shift to e-commerce. According to its third-quarter financial results, the company beat analysts’ predictions by a wide margin as the Canadian e-commerce company more than doubled gross merchandise value (GMV) and saw its largest quarterly profit yet.

According to its website, Shopify offset all carbon emissions from the delivery of every order placed on Shopify’s platform during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. This resulted in nearly 62,000 tonnes of carbon emissions offset in 2020.

UPDATE: 01/12/2020: This article previously incorrectly stated that Los Angeles was the top-selling city internationally when in fact it was New York. This has been corrected in the article.

Scott McLean

Scott McLean

Former public affairs professional. Retired amateur comedian. Vegetarian. Journalist.

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