Dive Brief:
- About 157.2 million people are expected to do holiday shopping in stores, online or both this weekend on the final Saturday before Christmas, according to the results of an annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics released Monday. That’s up from 141.9 million people last year.
- The survey found that 44% of those polled plan to shop both in-store and online, up from 41% last year. About 31% expect to shop exclusively in-store, down from 37% last year, while 24% plan to shop online only. That’s up from 22% last year.
- Thirty-seven percent of people with at least half of their shopping left to do said they were still figuring out what to buy, while 27% reported having other financial priorities before December. Twenty-four percent said they were still waiting on family or friends to tell them what gifts they wanted.
Dive Insight:
Dec. 25 is just days away and shoppers are expected to engage multiple channels to complete holiday purchases before then, according to the NRF.
“Whether shoppers have planned out their shopping list or are waiting until the last minute, most shoppers still have purchases left to make before December 25,” Phil Rist, Prosper’s executive vice president of strategy, said. “As with last year, over half of consumers expect they will complete their shopping in the week leading up to the Christmas holiday.”
Nearly half of those surveyed said they plan to finish shopping online; 37% will visit department stores, 27% will go to a discount store and 25% plan to patronize a clothing and accessory store. Apparel or accessories comprise the top gifts people have bought so far, with 50% of consumers making a purchase in the category. Toys at 32% and gift cards at 26% round out the top three categories.
The predictions for Super Saturday come after a robust Thanksgiving weekend. The NRF and Prosper estimated that 197 million people shopped between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. While that’s down from 200.4 million people last year, this year's performance beat the NRF’s initial estimate of 183.4 million shoppers during that five-day window.
November and December’s retail sales are expected to rise between 2.5% to 3.5% from a year ago, reaching $979.5 billion to $989 billion, the NRF forecast in October. Shoppers reported they’re likely to spend $902 this year; of that amount, $641 will be spent on gifts for family, friends or coworkers.
Most consumers — 71% — are also likely to shop the week after Christmas too. Nearly half of respondents said they want to take advantage of holiday sales and promotions that week, while 26% said they want to use gift cards. Sixteen percent said they’ll exchange or return unwanted gifts or holiday items.
The NRF and Prosper obtained their data by surveying 7,861 adults from Dec. 2 through Dec. 9.
