With a few days left before Christmas, the National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates just over 157 million people will shop on the last Saturday before Christmas, according to their annual survey. That number is up from 142 million from last year.
The survey of 7,861 adult consumers found that multiple channels shoppers will embrace wrapping up their holiday shopping.
This year, 69.5 million (44%) people plan to shop both in-store and online, up from 58.3 million (41%) in 2023. Approximately 49.4 million (31%) expect to shop exclusively in-store, down from 52.8 million (37%) last year, while 38.2 million (24%) plan to shop online only, which is up from 30.8 million (22%) in 2023.
As of early December, consumers had purchased half (50%) of the items on their shopping list, on average, while only 10% were completely done. Those with at least half of their shopping left to finish said they were waiting because they were still trying to figure out what to buy (37%), had other financial priorities before December (27%), or were waiting for family members and friends to let them know what gifts they want (24%).
The leading destinations consumers plan to finish their shopping are online (49%), department stores (37%), discount stores (27%) and clothing and accessory stores (25%). The top gifts shoppers have purchased so far include clothing and accessories (50%), toys (32%), gift cards (26%), books, video games and other media (24%) and personal care or beauty items (24%).
Like last year, most consumers (71%) plan to shop the week following December 25. The top reasons consumers plan to shop during the week are to take advantage of holiday sales and promotions (48%), use gift cards (26%), and return or exchange unwanted gifts and holiday items (16%).
NRF defines the holiday season as Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 and has forecast that holiday spending is expected to reach record levels and will grow between 2.5% and 3.5% over 2023, totaling $979.5 billion to $989 billion.
