Retail apps paid 45% more per install last cyber 5, and saw first-week revenue jump 155%
The app economy bulletin is a Liftoff series on the events, moments, and cultural triggers that move the app economy.
With Black Friday around the corner, we looked back at how the 2025 Cyber 5 rippled across the app economy and found that U.S. shopping apps paid a steep premium to win new shoppers, and got more valuable buyers for it: the cost to acquire each new app user rose 45%, while first-week revenue per install jumped 155%.
Key insights:
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For five days every fall, the phone in everyone’s pocket becomes the register. In 2025, U.S. shoppers spent a record $11.8 billion online on Black Friday, up 9.1% year over year, and $14.25 billion on Cyber Monday, bringing the five days from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday to $44.2 billion, according to Adobe Analytics. Mobile drove 52.8% of online holiday sales through Cyber Monday, and on Thanksgiving Day it crossed 60% of online sales for the first time.
This year, Black Friday falls on November 27 and Cyber Monday on November 30. Here’s what Liftoff’s data showed during the 2025 Cyber 5, and what it means for marketers planning their 2026 push.
Shopping apps: Paying more for shoppers ready to buy
In the U.S., shopping app installs rose 13% during the 2025 Cyber 5 versus the October baseline, while cost per install (CPI), what advertisers pay to win each new app user, climbed 45% and peaked on Cyber Monday.
- Ad prices doubled: the cost to reach 1,000 potential shoppers (CPM) rose 124% across the five days, reaching nearly 3x October levels by Cyber Monday.
- Demand built all weekend: daily installs rose every day, from just below the October average on Thanksgiving to 25% above it on Cyber Monday.
- Early shoppers were worth more: Thanksgiving-day installs generated 75% more first-week revenue than Sunday’s.
- Saturday was the bargain: it was the cheapest day to win a new shopping app user, with CPI 38% below Cyber Monday’s peak.
Global view: A buyer’s market
Worldwide, the Cyber 5 played out very differently. Global shopping app installs jumped 67% versus October, while CPI fell 36%, even as retailers’ daily ad spend rose just 7%.
- Sunday was the peak: global downloads ran 81% above October levels on Sunday, November 30.
- Saturday was the bargain: CPI dropped to 48% below October, the low point of the weekend.
- Thanksgiving shoppers were worth the most: Thanksgiving-day installs generated 18% more first-week revenue than Cyber Monday’s.
- iPhone installs doubled at no extra cost: iOS shopping app installs more than doubled (+109%) with flat CPI, while Android installs rose 60% as CPI fell 42%.
Where retailers found shoppers
Mobile games were the biggest stage for shopping apps’ holiday push in the U.S. Retailers more than doubled their daily ad spend inside games versus October (+138%), and shoppers found there generated 362% more first-week revenue per install.
- Entertainment apps punched above their weight: first-week revenue per install from shoppers found there rose 420%, on smaller volume.
- Full-screen ads dominated: full-screen (interstitial) ads drove 694% more shopping app installs than native ads, growing to 82% of all installs, up from 75% in October.
- And they converted: first-week revenue per install from full-screen ads rose 164% versus October.
Audience: Who was in buying mode
Black Friday puts more than just shoppers in the spending mood, but not everyone. Across all U.S. app categories, shopping apps saw the biggest jump in in-app purchases during the Cyber 5, with first-week revenue per install up 155% versus October, and up 159% on Black Friday alone.
- Finance apps came next: first-week revenue per install rose 91% across the Cyber 5 (64% on Black Friday), led by iOS, where it more than doubled (+126%).
- Games and entertainment cooled: in gaming, entertainment, and social apps, first-week revenue per install dipped 12% to 18%. Holiday wallets went to carts and cards more than coins.
- Except on Black Friday: gaming’s first-week revenue per install rose 16% on the day itself.
Ad formats: What converted, and what paid off
Across all U.S. app categories, full-screen ads drove the most installs during the Cyber 5 while native ads won on volume.
- Full-screen ads won on volume: they delivered 297% more daily installs than banner ads, and 13% more than in October.
- Native ads won on value: first-week revenue per install from native ads, which blend into the app’s content, rose 110% versus October, to nearly 4x that of full-screen ads.
- Medium rectangle ads held their own: first-week revenue per install from medium rectangle (MREC) ads rose 30%.
| “The holiday shopping weekend has become a global moment, and that’s a real opportunity for retailers ready to meet it. But timing still decides who gets the most for their money. Last year, Thanksgiving installs generated 75% more first-week revenue than Sunday’s, while waiting for Cyber Monday meant paying the highest prices of the weekend.” – Jessica Dudley, VP Analytics and Operations |
The takeaway for 2026: Invest in both U.S. and global shoppers
Black Friday is no longer a one-day sprint, or just a retail story. With this year’s window opening a day earlier, the apps that win will:
- Start early: Thanksgiving-day shoppers were the most valuable of the weekend, in the U.S. and worldwide.
- Budget for the peak, and the lull: plan for costs to top out on Cyber Monday, and stay live through the cheaper Saturday.
- Match the moment to the category: shopping and finance apps should lean into all five days; games and entertainment should concentrate offers around Black Friday.
- Set separate goals by platform: use Android for efficient growth, and judge iOS on the revenue it brings in, not CPI alone.
- Pair volume with value: run full-screen ads for scale alongside native and medium rectangle ads to find spenders, then plan December campaigns to win back one-deal holiday shoppers.