(CNN Business) Americans with a hearty appetite for online deals pulled out their smartphones and, for the first time, shelled out more than $4 billion on Thanksgiving to kick off the holiday shopping season.

Thanksgiving Day's record online sales of $4.2 billion — about half of which occurred before the pumpkin pies even hit the table — set the stage for a busy Black Friday and potentially another blockbuster holiday season for retailers, according to Adobe Analytics data

"We've got a shorter holiday selling season," Jason Woosley, Adobe's vice president of commerce product and platform, said in an interview with CNN Business. "That's creating a compression effect."

With Thanksgiving landing six days later than last year, retailers amped up their advertising and served up deep discounts on items such as appliances, sporting goods, televisions, consumers and toys, Woosley said.

And consumers ate up those deals.

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