57 Essential Christmas Shopping Statistics: 2024 Market Share Analysis & Data

The holiday season of 2020 has definitely changed for both businesses and consumers. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of shoppers have opted to purchase online, prompting retailers to offer ecommerce services. What is more, holiday retail sales statistics show that Christmas shopping began quite early in 2020, with brands offering promos as early as November.

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of Christmas shopping statistics to help you learn more about the topic. Through this data, you can figure out who’s shopping, what they’re shopping for, and how much they’re willing to spend. There’s also data on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the retail industry during the Christmas season of 2020.

Holiday Retail Sales Statistics

American consumers have been consistently spending more money on Christmas gifts each year since 2008. Holiday retail sales statistics for the previous year prove just how much Americans love the tradition of Christmas gift-giving.

The numbers also indicate that a significant portion of holiday retail sales can be attributed to online and non-store channels. With the right shopping cart software in place, you can make sure that your online store is ready for the influx of customers this Christmas season.

• Total holiday retail sales in 2020 reached $789.4 billion despite the pandemic. (National Retail Federation, 2020)
• This figure was well beyond the initial forecasted holiday sales of between $755.3 billion and $766.7 billion. (National Retail Federation, 2020)
• Online and other non-store sales account for $209 billion of these sales. (National Retail Federation, 2020)
• US households spent an average of $1,387 during the previous Christmas holiday season. (Deloitte, 2020)
• In 2020, holiday retail sales grew by 8.3% compared to 2019. (CNBC, 2021)
• Holiday shopping can account for up to 30% of all retail sales. (MuchNeeded, 2021)
• The period between December 15 and 24 was predicted to account for 40% of all Christmas sales in 2020. (MuchNeeded, 2021)
• US shoppers spent $201.32 billion online during the holiday season. (Digital Commerce 360, 2021)
• In 2021, experts predict that online retail sales will make up 16.3% of total retail sales. It will hit 18.3% in 2023 and 19.9% by 2025. (GlobeSt, 2020)
• By 2022, retail sales from e-commerce will comprise 16.3% of total retail sales. (eMarketer, 2020)
• Holiday retail sales in the US grew by 3% during the expanded holiday season in 2020. (Mastercard, 2020)
• Home furniture and furnishings posted a growth of 16.2% compared to 2019, the highest among all sectors. (Mastercard, 2020)
• In contrast, the apparel sector experienced a decline of 19.1% of year-over-year retail sales. (Mastercard, 2020)

Cyber Monday statistics

Along with Black Friday, Cyber Monday is one of the most profitable days of the Christmas shopping season. This year’s Cyber Monday revenue has proven to be the highest so far, with most of the online sales coming from smartphones.

• US online sales for Cyber Monday 2019 amounted to $10.84 billion, up 15.1% from the previous year’s total sales. (Adobe, 2020)
• Cyber Monday conversion rates were at 2.47% in 2020, which is 37.9% higher than the global average. (Barilliance, 2020)
• At $74.6 billion, online sales from smartphones account for 39% of sales made from November 1 to December 31. (Adobe, 2020)
• Moreover, laptops and other devices had the highest conversion rate at 7.2%, while smartphones at 3.31%. (Adobe, 2020)
• Ecommerce giants continue to outperform smaller businesses, with the former seeing a 110% boost in revenue and the latter seeing a growth of 104%. (Adobe, 2021)
• The number of orders picked up curbside increased by 30% compared to 2019. (CNBC, 2020)
• E-commerce retailers saw a 74% increase in gross merchandise value year-over-year during Cyber Week 2020. (BigCommerce, 2020)
• 34% of shoppers in the US said they are very likely to shop on Cyber Monday. (Statista, 2020)
• On Cyber Monday, American consumers enjoyed the steepest discounts on computers (28%), sporting goods (20%), toys (19%), appliances (20%), and electronics (27%). (Adobe, 2020)

Shopper Profile Statistics

With competition in retail being as fierce as it is these days, you’ll need every advantage you can get. Knowing the demographics of Christmas shoppers can give you an edge. You can use the data with marketing software to create more personalized campaigns that can encourage sales and boost conversion.

• Men shop just as much as women, but men tend to spend more, with an average spend of over $725 for men and $609 for women in the US and over £410 for men and £373 for women in the UK. (MuchNeeded, 2021)
• Gen Xers account for the highest Christmas spending with an average of $782 in the US and £425 in the UK. (MuchNeeded, 2021)
• Gen X is the most likely generation to buy clothing or accessories (68%) and entertainment items (44%). Gen Xers also have a higher likelihood of shopping at mass merchants (51%) and online pure-plays (77%). (NPD, 2019)
• Millennials have the second-highest holiday spending: $609 in the US and £416 in the UK. (MuchNeeded, 2021)
• Millennials are more than likely to do more than half of their holiday shopping online. 81% of US adults aged 26 to 30 were more likely to shop this way, as well as 82% of US adults aged 31 to 38. (eMarketer, 2020)
• 24% of millennials in the US and the UK expect delivery in 24 hours or less, the most demanding of all demographics. (PFS, 2020)
• Baby boomers are more likely than other generations to shop at department stores (24%) and national chains (27%). (NPD, 2019)
• 48% of holiday shoppers with an average spend of $1,652 are aged 55 years old or older. (Deloitte, 2020)
• Bing searchers outspend the average Internet searcher by 34%. (WordStream, 2019)

Shoppers’ Buying Habits Statistics

Statistics say that most consumers do their shopping early. With the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems shopping season may have come earlier than ever as many retailers offered earlier sales in 2020 (Forbes, 2020). Moreover, plenty of them now prefer to shop online to avoid the risk of being infected with the virus. As such, businesses who want to keep up are forced to set up online stores to cater to their customers.

Online shopping statistics also indicate the growing popularity of ecommerce, and research on Christmas shopping habits corroborates this. It’s all the more reason to ensure that your online store is in top shape for the holiday season. One way to do that is to evaluate your website’s performance against KPIs like SEO and UX. This way, you can be sure that customers can find your website and enjoy a smooth, secure shopping experience.

• 60% of US consumers start their Christmas shopping before December. (Statista, 2020)
• 62% of US shoppers buy gifts in the week before Christmas. (Fortunly, 2021)
• 60% of shoppers in the US prefer to shop online. (Deloitte, 2020)
• What is more, roughly half of American shoppers reported feeling anxious about shopping in-store during the holiday season of 2020. (Raconteur, 2020)
• The number of shoppers that went to brick-and-mortar stores on the Saturday before Christmas 2020 dropped by 40.9% from a year ago. (CNBC, 2020)
• 66% of American shoppers do research online but ultimately shop at brick-and-mortar stores. (Deloitte, 2020)
• 60% of consumers said that they would buy from a website that offered a chatbot concierge. (LivePerson, 2020)
• 47% of shoppers don’t want to pay for shipping. (MuchNeeded, 2021)
• 85% of shoppers prefer free shipping while only 15% prefer fast shipping. (Deloitte, 2020)
• In 2020, 65% of holiday shoppers shopped online rather than in-store to avoid crowds. (Deloitte, 2020)
• As a result, the average spending for in-store channels decreased by 28% while the average spending for online channels increased by 64%. (Deloitte, 2020)
• In 2020, only 25% of US adults have expressed interest in shopping in-store for the holidays. (eMarketer, 2020)
• 68% of shoppers pay more attention to emails from companies during the holiday season. (Salesforce, 2019)
• In 2019, 47% of shoppers say that their only purchases in the holiday season will be items on sale. (Salesforce, 2019)
• 23% of Christmas shoppers in the US rely on social media for making decisions. (Fortunly, 2021)
• 20% of holiday shoppers get their shopping inspiration from Instagram. (Salesforce, 2019)
• 37% of Gen Zers prefer to use Instagram for holiday shopping inspiration. (Salesforce, 2019)
• 62% of US consumers said that better prices will convince them to try a new store or retailer for holiday shopping. 44% said unique products will make them do so. (Deloitte, 2020)
• In 2020, Americans reported they expected to spend around $850 on average on Christmas gifts. This is roughly the same amount as the $846 they predicted to spend in 2019 for the holidays. (Gallup, 2020)
• Over half of Americans (57%) said that they will spend the same amount on gifts. On the other hand, 28% said they will spend less and only 15% said they will spend more. (Gallup, 2020)
• 24% of parents said they planned to spend $50 to $100 per child for Christmas gifts. Meanwhile, 18% of parents had a budget of $150 to $200 per child, and 17% planned to allot more than $200 per child. (Statista, 2020)

Most Popular Shopping Cart Software

If you need to reinforce your online shopping business this holiday, there’s no shortage of affordable shopping cart platforms that scale to seasonal highs. Consider the following solutions:

1. Wix. Wix lets you customize your own online store even without using code. Product galleries and configurators also make shopping more convenient for customers. Learn more details in our Wix review.
2. X-Cart. X-Cart offers flexible plans to support solo entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes. The platform is designed to easily handle up to 1M SKUs, too. You can learn more about this enterprise-ready platform through our X-Cart review.
3. Bigcommerce. Bigcommerce is a scalable platform that offers fully customizable storefront templates. Plus, the platform lets you sell digital goods, too. For more details, check out our Bigcommerce review.
4. Shopify. Shopify offers easy setup, plus managed hosting, so that’s one less thing for you to worry about. The platform also has features for abandoned cart recovery. Check out our Shopify review for more information on the platform.
5. 3dcart. 3dcart gives you complete control through an intuitive administration interface. The platform also offers built-in integrations for social media and email marketing. Learn more about the software through our 3dcart review.

What are shoppers buying?

Getting insights on what shoppers are buying can help you figure out which items to put the spotlight on. Research indicates that people will most likely purchase clothing and accessories, whether as gifts or for themselves. You can highlight these products in your marketing efforts to bump up your revenue for this holiday season.

For instance, with statistics saying that shoppers pay more attention to emails at this time of year, you can focus your email newsletters on these products and categories.

• 56% of all shoppers buy gift cards. (MuchNeeded, 2021)
• 71% of Christmas shoppers will prefer to shop at retailers who implement sustainable practices. (Deloitte, 2020)
• The three retail categories with the highest share of total holiday spending are clothing and accessories (21%), gift cards and other (19%), and food and beverage (14%). (Deloitte, 2020)
• The top five items people plan to buy for themselves are alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages (33%), food including meal prep kits (30%), clothing (30%), shoes (23%), and books (17%). (Deloitte, 2020)

Most Popular Christmas Shopping Days

Shoppers tend to focus on specific days during the holiday season to find the best deals. Here are the top shopping days for Christmas gifts:

• Black Friday: Black Friday remains one of the busiest shopping days, with in-store and online retailers offering deep discounts. Popular items on this day include electronics, clothing, and toys, attracting crowds eager to kick-start their holiday shopping.
• Cyber Monday: Cyber Monday has become the go-to day for online deals, especially on tech products. With a surge in e-commerce shopping, Cyber Monday often surpasses Black Friday in online sales, catering to shoppers who prefer to avoid in-store crowds.
• Thanksgiving Day: Thanksgiving Day has gained traction recently as some stores open early, capturing holiday spenders before Black Friday. Limited-time deals on Thanksgiving encourage early shopping, making it a popular day for those wanting to beat the Friday rush.
• Early November Deals: Many retailers now start holiday discounts in early November, spreading promotions across the month. This helps shoppers find bargains ahead of time and avoid the last-minute holiday scramble.

Make the Most of the Holiday Shopping Rush

The holiday season is always a profitable time of the year for retailers, and, with the upswing in consumer purchasing parity, this year’s holiday spending statistics look to be bigger. Brick-and-mortar stores may not be as preferred by shoppers now due to the pandemic, but this has paved the way for the growth of ecommerce sales. As such, businesses looking to attract more customers may see this as an opportunity to explore the creation of an online store for their company.

If you’re interested in more wide-ranging data about shopping and retail in general, we’ve also compiled some retail statistics that you can gain insights from.

References:

1. Sherman, J. C. (2021, January 15). NRF says 2020 holiday sales grew 8.3 percent despite pandemic. NRF.
2. Deloitte. (2020). 2020 Deloitte holiday retail survey: Reimagining traditions. Deloitte.
3. Repko, M. (2021, January 15). Holiday sales rose stronger-than-expected 8.3% as consumers bought gifts to lighten mood during pandemic. CNBC.
4. MuchNeeded. (2020, July 16). Christmas spending statistics 2020: Trends from US & UK. MuchNeeded.
5. Young, J. (2021, January 18). Online holiday sales grow north of 45% in 2020. Digital Commerce 360.
6. Borland, K. M. (2020, December 11). Online retail sales projected to fall in 2021 as in-store sales rise. GlobeSt.
7. eMarketer Editors. (2020, October 12). US ecommerce growth jumps to more than 30%, accelerating online shopping shift by nearly 2 years. eMarketer.
8. Mastercard. (2020, December 26). Mastercard SpendingPulse: U.S. retail sales* grew 3.0% this holiday season. Mastercard.
9. Adobe. (2020). Adobe 2020 holiday shopping trends data and insights. Adobe.
10. Serrano, S. (2020, December 2). Cyber Monday 2020 statistics (including cart abandonment & conversion rate). Barilliance.
11. Abramovich, G. (2021, January 12). 5 e-Commerce trends for 2021: What we learned from the 2020 holiday season. Adobe.
12. Repko, M., & Thomas, L. (2020, December 1). Online sales reach $10.8 billion on Cyber Monday, the biggest U.S. e-Commerce day ever, Adobe says. CNBC.
13. Estay, B. (2020, December 4). 2020 cyber week report: A record-setting year for holiday ecommerce. BigCommerce.
14. Abramovich, G. (2020, December 1). A record-breaking cyber week 2020: Online shopping steals the show. Adobe.
15. Thomann, Z. (2020, June 18). A look at how us and UK shoppers are responding to COVID-19. PFS.
16. NPD. (2019, November 11). Each generation’s holiday 2019 shopping plan looks different. NPD.
17. Whitney, M. (2019, October 9). 13 holiday shopping stats to help you plan in 2019. WordStream.
18. Taylor, C. (2020, December 8). Has Covid-19 changed holiday shopping patterns? Forbes.
19. Statista Research Department. (2020, April 24). Topic: Holiday season e-Commerce in the United States. Statista.
20. Dautovic, G. (2021, January 8). Christmas spending statistics: Deck the halls with boughs of money. Fortunly.
21. Brickner, T. (2020, November 27). Frugal or frivolous? Raconteur.
22. Thomas, L. (2020, December 21). Shoppers head to malls in final runup to Christmas. But Covid hot spots threaten last-minute boost. CNBC.
23. LivePerson. (2020). Simple, intelligent, modern content sending. LivePerson.
24. Kats, R. (2020, August 11). Majority of US shoppers will turn to digital for holiday shopping needs this year. eMarketer.
25. Schwartz, C. (2020, September 25). Data-driven holiday shopping predictions for 2019. Salesforce.
26. Saad, L. (2020, November 25). Americans’ holiday spending intentions strengthen in November. Gallup.
27. Kunst, A. (2020, December 2). Spending on Christmas gifts for children in the U.S. 2020. Statista.

By Astrid Eira

Astrid Eira is a resident B2B expert of FinancesOnline, focusing on the SaaS niche. She specializes in accounting and human resource management software, writing honest and straightforward reviews of some of the most popular systems around. Being a small business owner herself, Astrid uses her expertise to help educate business owners and entrepreneurs on how new technology can help them run their operations. She's an avid fan of the outdoors, where you'll find her when she's not crunching numbers or testing out new software.