Holiday shoppers will be looking for deals in record numbers from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to the newest survey by the National Retail Federation.
A record 183.4 million people are planning to shop in-store and online during the five-day period, according to the annual survey released Thursday by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics. That number is up from a previous record 182 million shoppers in 2023 and 18.1 million people more than five years ago in 2019.
“Even though holiday shopping continues to pull forward, some of the busiest shopping days of the year are during the five-day Thanksgiving weekend,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said in a press release. “Consumers are prioritizing gift-giving for the most important people in their lives, and retailers are prepared to help customers find everything on their shopping lists at great prices throughout the season.”
Shoppers are looking for deals in store and online
Consumers said among the top reasons they plan to shop from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday are because the deals are too good to pass up (57%), it is tradition (28%) and they like to start holiday shopping over Thanksgiving weekend (24%), according to the survey.
Consumers said they would do their shopping both in person and online through the holiday weekend, but Black Friday remains the most popular day to browse and buy, with 72% (131.7 million) planning to head out to stores or shop online. Nearly two-thirds, or 65%, of Black Friday shoppers expect to specifically shop in stores that day. Cyber Monday is the second most popular day, attracting 39% (72.3 million) of those planning to shop, according to the survey.
Adobe has forecast that online shoppers are expected to spend a record amount this holiday season, with a larger chunk being spent on mobile devices, USA TODAY previously reported.
In its online shopping forecast for the 2024 holiday season from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, Adobe forecasts U.S. online sales will hit a record $240.8 billion. That is an 8.4% increase over last year.
Shopping on mobile devices is expected to exceed purchases made on desktop or laptop devices with a new milestone of $128.1 billion in sales, a 12.8% increase over last year. The mobile transactions will represent 53.2% of online purchases for the holiday season, Adobe said.
Holiday shopping started early
The trend of early holiday shopping continues with 58% of consumers having already started their holiday shopping as of early November, according to the survey. On average, holiday shoppers have completed one-quarter (25%) of their planned purchases.