Cyber Monday breaks sales records with 12% increase from last year

The online shopping bonanza known as Cyber Monday was a huge hit in the United States this year, with consumers racking up a record $3.45bn in sales.

Shoppers avail of deals available via e-commerce websites on the final day of the Thanksgiving shopping weekend, and total sales grew 12.1% compared with the same figures in 2015, according to Adobe Digital Insights.

The sales figures surpassed that of Black Friday, in which total products and services sold were worth $3.34bn.

"Cyber Monday is on track to be the biggest online shopping day ever, surpassing our forecast by almost $27 million or 0.8%," said Adobe analyst Tamara Gaffney.

"This indicates that consumers still had more appetite for online shopping despite the incredible volume of online sales on Black Friday," she added. "Prices are expected to start climbing after today as retailers shift attention to extend the season late into December with quick shipping deals and the option to click and collect in store."

Shoppers are increasingly shifting their consumer habits towards online platforms such as Amazon, as well as the websites and apps of traditional retailers, who have had to adapt to the shift.

An even newer trend emerging is the preference for shoppers of conducting their transactions via a mobile device, rather than traditional desktops or laptops. The National Retail Federation said that 23% of those shopping on Cyber Monday expected to do their browsing from their mobile gadgets, roughly the same number as in 2015.