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.

In a survey conducted in August 2020, around a quarter of respondents (24 percent) in the United States expected their shopping habits during the Christmas season in 2020 to look very different from the previous year.

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.

This statistic shows the change in holiday spending behavior among U.S. consumers in 2023. That year, about 43 percent of shoppers in the United States claimed they would spend more on holiday purchases than they did one year before. Many of these survey respondents have said that inflation is the reason why they would be spending more than usual.

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.

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 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.

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.

In 2022, shoppers in Sweden planned to do roughly 22 percent of their holiday shopping on Black Friday. Around 15 percent of Finnish consumers' holiday shopping was planned for Black Friday that same year.

According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in Taiwan in November 2023 on consumer holiday shopping behavior, around 93 percent of respondents between 16 and 24 years old answered their reason for holiday shopping was that a lot of sales take place during that time. People in the same age group were also slightly more prone to being tempted to shop because others did so.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way many consumers do their shopping. E-Commerce in particular has been a popular avenue for shoppers. This trend seems to grow popular among German consumers as about 40 percent of German consumers stated they were more interested in shopping online this upcoming holiday season in comparison to last year. Furthermore, 30 percent of German survey respondents also stated they are more interested in shopping in-app this holiday season compared to last year.

According to a survey carried out during the coronavirus pandemic in the United States in 2020, some 60 percent of respondents planned to start their holiday shopping in October or earlier. In comparison to previous years' habits, shoppers are starting to make holiday purchases earlier in 2020.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

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.

During 2022's holiday season, over 70 percent of consumers in Spain stated that the price of a product was one of the primary factors influencing their purchase decision when holiday shopping. Many also found sustainability and the newest trends important when making purchases.

During 2023's holiday season in the United States, 37 percent of Hispanic Americans said they expected to spend more during this holiday season than the previous one. On the other hand, only 21 percent of non-Hispanic Americans planned to spend more during the 2023 holiday season compared to the previous year.

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.

In 2021, over 40 percent of holiday shoppers in Canada stated they avoid the use of plastic and single-use materials where possible due to concerns surrounding sustainability. Many Canadians also said they try to be environmentally responsible by buying items with less packaging in general.

For the 2024 holiday season, about a third of U.S. consumers, who planned to buy themselves a present, planned to spend less than 100 U.S. dollars. Over 15 percent of shoppers planned to spend 500 U.S. dollars or more on gifts for themselves.

In 2023, about 35 percent of French shoppers taking part in a survey stated that they would start their holiday shopping before October. December was the least popular month, with only 13 percent of consumers saying they would start shopping that month.

Millennials were planning to spend the most on themselves and others during the holiday season in the United States in 2024. The generational cohort was expecting to spend more than 2,200 U.S. dollars on average, with their younger counterparts, Generation Z, planning to spend under 1,800 U.S. dollars on the festive period.