In 2024, holiday retail sales in the United States were forecast to reach about 979.5 billion U.S. dollars. This figure was given as a conservative value; retail sales over the holiday season was projected to be between 979.5 billion U.S. dollars to 989 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Holiday retail sales have risen substantially since the turn of the century, with holiday retail sales amounting to approximately 416 billion U.S. dollars back in 2002. Holiday retail sales are a fraction of total retail sales in the United States which were around seven trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. Holiday season e-commerce is also on the rise, with increasing numbers of retailers and consumers going digital. What makes up the winter holiday season in the United States? The winter holiday season includes shopping occasions such as Thanksgiving weekend - which is made up of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday, Super Saturday – the last Saturday before Christmas, and Christmas itself. Thanksgiving weekend is a very popular time for consumers to partake in holiday shopping. In 2022, over 100 million U.S. consumers shopped on Black Friday. Leading companies in U.S. retail The domestic retail market in the United States is very competitive, with many companies recording substantial retail sales. Walmart, a retail chain offering low prices and a wide selection of products, is the leading retailer in the United States. Amazon, The Kroger Co., Costco, and Target are a selection of other leading U.S. retailers.

This statistic shows the year-over-year growth of holiday retail sales in the United States from 2000 to 2024. In 2024, holiday retail sales were forecast to grow by approximately 2.5 percent compared to the previous year. This was given as a conservative value. Forecast holiday season retail growth was expected to be within 2.5 and 3.5 percent range. Holiday season in the United States The holiday season is just around the corner and it’s truly the best time of the year for both consumers and retailers of all shapes and sizes. Since the recession in 2008, Christmas holiday retail sales in the United States have grown steadily. In 2022, Christmas retail sales reached 929.5 billion U.S. dollars. Furthermore, the amount of money that U.S. consumers plan to spend on gifts has fluctuated year to year. Gift shopping In the United States, consumers were more likely to select online stores when shopping for gifts for their loved ones. More than half of consumers in 2022 said that they were more likely to visit online retailers for holiday gifts. Mass retailers were also popular with half of respondents to the same survey. Most U.S. consumers would already begin their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. Only a small fraction of consumers (nine percent) said they would start their holiday shopping in December.

In 2024, most U.S. shoppers preferred to shop primarily online for the holidays. In-store shopping was only forecast to dominate online channels during the weekend after Thanksgiving and after Christmas until the New Year.

According to the results of a recent survey conducted among U.S. consumers, getting the best bang for your buck was the most important factor when shopping during the holiday season in the United States. Quality ranked third, valued the most by just under 10 percent of respondents.

Based on Statista estimates, the total value of retail sales over the holiday shopping season is forecast to reach 973 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. This marks a 4.8 percent increase on the previous year's value, which accounted to about 929 billion U.S. dollars.

In 2023, holiday shopping season will start a little later for many consumers in the United States. According to the findings of a recent survey, half of U.S. consumers were intending to start their holiday shopping in October in 2023. This share was at 56 percent the previous year.

Holiday season in the United States The holiday season is just around the corner and it’s truly the best time of the year for both consumers and retailers of all shapes and sizes. Since the recession in 2008, Christmas holiday retail sales in the United States have grown steadily. The amount of money that U.S. consumers plan to spend on gifts has, however, fluctuated. A 2022 survey revealed that U.S. consumers expected to spend, on average, 867 U.S. dollars in 2022; an increase from 794 dollars in 2018.

Black Friday For millions of people, Black Friday is the time to do some serious Christmas shopping — even before the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone. It is the Friday after Thanksgiving, and it's one of the major shopping days of the year in the United States, falling anywhere between November 23 and 29. While it's not recognized as an official US holiday, many employees have the day off — except those working in retail. Ever since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the Friday after Thanksgiving has been known as the unofficial start to a bustling holiday shopping season.

In 2024, consumers in the United States planned to spend an average of just under six weeks shopping during the holiday season. This is about the same as the previous two years, but a decrease compared to 2019, for example. That year, Americans expected to complete their holiday shopping in about seven and a half weeks on average.

In 2023, 34 percent of online shoppers in the United States reported that they expected to spend the most money for the holiday season at online-only retailer sites like Amazon. Another 14 percent reported they would spend the most money for the holidays at big-box stores like Walmart and Target.

In the United States, holiday season online retail sales grew by 8.8 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. Forecasts suggested that this growth would increase in 2024 to 9.5 percent. The new normal in holiday shopping In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted many U.S. consumers to do their holiday shopping online. A year later, although the situation once again allows for physical shopping, e-commerce is still gaining relevance. According to estimates, holiday season online retail sales in the United States were to reach new heights in 2023, amounting to 254 billion dollars. As in previous years, Cyber Monday and Black Friday would remain the most relevant holiday shopping days in 2023, expected to generate approximately 12 billion and 9.6 billion U.S. dollars in sales, respectively. A preference for online With Cyber Monday expected to generate 2.4 billion dollars more than Black Friday in 2023, it comes as no surprise that most holiday shoppers reported that their preferred type of retailer for holiday gifts were online-only retailers. Over six in ten consumers prefered to buy holiday gifts from e-commerce only merchants, while department stores only only preferred by about 24 percent of seasonal shoppers.

As of September 2024, survey respondents in America expect to spend approximately 735 U.S. dollars on gifting experiences for the holiday season, such as restaurant meals and concert tickets. They prioritize these experiences over retail purchases, including nongift purchases such as home furnishings and holiday decorations.

Between November 1 and December 31, 2022, online shoppers globally are expected to spend an estimated 209.7 billion U.S. dollars on holiday shopping. Cyber Monday alone is forecast to generate approximately 11.2 billion dollars in online sales.

The effect of economic uncertainty on holiday shopping

In 2022, the twin evils of inflation and economic stagnation threaten to affect consumer demand during this year's festivities. In a survey conducted in August 2022, nearly a third of consumers worldwide stated that galloping inflation was their  prime concern this holiday season. Other issues like uncertainty about the global economy and lack of savings also came up as areas of concern. Since many people wait for the holidays to buy big-ticket items, these categories are forecast to witness the highest rates of e-commerce discounts, with e-retailers anticipating grim consumer sentiment to affect this year's peak season sales. Categories like computers and electronics could see double-digit discount rates that online shoppers can benefit from.

Impact of inflation on e-commerce

During the holiday season and beyond, the global macroeconomic outlook for 2022 is spelling bad news for e-commerce businesses across the globe. In the United States, that rapidly grew and thrived during the pandemic got hit by a wave of e-commerce layoffs that dealt a blow to the industry. One way consumers are dealing with rising inflation and economic uncertainty is by resorting to recommerce: In a May 2022 survey, around 93 percent of U.S. shoppers reported that inflation impacted their decision to buy and sell secondhand products online in the past twelve months. The recommerce market in the U.S. is set to reach nearly 180 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.

Most people in the United States planned to start their 2024 Christmas shopping sooner rather than later. 15 percent of respondents had even already started their shopping when surveyed in August. With two-thirds of responses, most people said they would start in October and/or November.

In 2024, the biggest benefit of shopping for holiday gifts online was saving time, according to 74 percent of surveyed online holiday shoppers in the United States. Another 68 percent reported that product variety found online was another benefit.

In 2024, consumers in the United States expected to spend over one thousand U.S. dollars on holiday gifts on average. This is the first time the projected spending estimate reached that one thousand-dollar-mark. Holiday shopping The Christmas, or holiday season, is the single most critical sales period of the year for many retailers: this period includes days, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and an increasing amount of Americans also shop online during this busy time. An incredible shopping hubbub is produced during this period, with a staggering 95 percent of U.S. consumers having said they intended to buy something during the Christmas season in 2024. Gift cards and vouchers Christmas is a public holiday in the United States and is celebrated on December 25th each year. It is known as a big economic stimulus for many people to purchase Christmas gifts for their beloved family and friends. After Christmas and New Year’s Eve, retail sales often peak again in January as many people redeem their received Christmas gift cards and vouchers. In fact, over half of U.S. consumers planned to buy gift cards or gift certificates for others. It is a popular gifting option, with many Americans indicating that it can be very convenient.

According to the study, more than nine in ten U.S. Americans surveyed in 2023 said they planned to use Amazon for their online holiday shopping that year. A total 68 percent of surveyed respondents reported that they would be using the specific website of a brand.

In 2023, consumers from the United States are expected to shop more online for holidays that involve gift giving. According to the survey, Christmas is the biggest holiday for e-commerce. Roughly 75 percent of shoppers intend to do their Christmas shopping online. Another major online shopping holiday is Hanukkah, with around 57 percent of consumers planning to shop online for the festival.

In 2024, mobile devices were responsible for the majority of revenue (53.2 percent) generated during the U.S. holiday sales season. However, the percentage generated by desktop and other devices remained close, reaching 46.8 percent.

After Black Friday weekend in 2024, nearly 60 percent of consumers in Canada intended to do most of their holiday season shopping in stores. Less than 30 percent of shoppers intended to focus their efforts on the web after this point. What is striking about the results is that online channels were more popular options before and during Black Friday, and less so once these sales events passed.

After a shift in shopping behavior in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, in-store shopping was set to pick up steam in the following years. According to a survey, in both 2021 and 2022, about 57 percent of U.S. consumers intended to shop online during the holiday season. In contrast, 43 percent of shoppers in the North American country planned to go to stores.

Social media has played an increasingly important role in holiday shopping in the United States in recent years. A survey revealed that, in 2023, approximately 34 percent of shoppers planned to use these platforms to search for or purchase holiday products.

Social media as a source of inspiration With roughly nine out of ten internet users on social media, these platforms have become an increasingly powerful channel of communication and inspiration in the United States. That is especially true when seeking gift ideas for friends and family during the holiday season. In a 2021 survey, 70 percent of U.S. consumers reported using at least one social network for holiday shopping inspiration, with this usage proving particularly strong among younger generations of shoppers. While YouTube was the most influential social network among male-identifying shoppers, two platforms from Meta (formerly Facebook Inc.) - Facebook and Instagram - were a leading source of inspiration and information in U.S. consumers' holiday purchase process regardless of gender.

A trend transcending the holiday season Beyond the euphoria of year-end shopping, the use of social media as a source of inspiration and shopping platform has recently taken off. China has led the way in adopting this trend, but the United States is now following in its footsteps. In 2021, an estimated 32 percent of U.S. internet users engaged in social media shopping, which translates to about 90 million people buying on at least one of these platforms. Prospects look bright for social commerce in the U.S., as its growing popularity is forecast to see the number of social shoppers hit the 100 million mark by 2023.