Amazon says Black Friday was its busiest day ever with consumers buying 5.5 million items at a rate of 64 per second.

The online retailer says its peak time for shopping was 8:29am.

Stores are also hoping for a weekend of strong sales after price cuts yesterday led to huge demand from shoppers.

The retailer says its bestselling offers have included the Kindle Fire HDX 7" range, the Dolce Gusto Mini Me coffee capsule machine and Toy Story ultimate action Buzz Lightyear.

It says more than 3,000 deals have been available throughout Black Friday deals week.

The discount shopping day known as Black Friday falls immediately after the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.

Last year, the number of products sold on Amazon.co.uk on Black Friday was over 160% higher than on Black Friday 2010.