Forget about the turkey. Shopping online is becoming a new Thanksgiving tradition in many American homes.

Adobe Analytics expects online sales to reach $US4.4 billion by the end of Thanksgiving Day this year, which would mark the first time ever that online sales surpass $US4 billion in the US on the holiday. The projected number also represents a 20.2% year-over-year growth.

As of 5 p.m. ET, online sales in the US had already hit $US2.1 billion.

Many major retailers begin their Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving. And some even begin their sales online days before the shopping holidays start.

“[I]t’s clear that shoppers are devoting more time to shopping on Thanksgiving than ever,” Vivek Pandya, Adobe’s lead digital analyst, said in a statement. “Expect to see a surge in retail sales in the afternoon and into the evening, as shoppers step away from their dinner tables and divert more attention to shopping for the best deals.”

Black Friday, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the holiday season, is also becoming increasingly overshadowed by the online deals on Cyber Monday.

Business Insider analysed the holiday shopping behaviours of more than 2,300 adult Americans in a survey with global technology company Morning Consult. Among the published results, one of the largest takeaways was that shoppers prefer to make purchases on Cyber Monday across nearly all demographics including age, sex, race, gender, and household income.

Read more:

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.