32 Surprising Holiday Shopping Stats Marketers Need to See

The holiday shopping season is the final test for many retailers.

Will they overstock their shelves, miss deliveries, or fail to lure consumers to their online or brick-and-mortar store? Or, will they come out on top with full cash registers and a sparkling reputation?

We're not all dreaming of dancing sugar plums and sparkling white snowflakes.

To help you get a handle on this year's retail race, we pulled together some surprising stats and forecasts for the holiday shopping season.

1) Thanksgiving will be most mobile shopping day of year — with 31% of online sales generated via smartphones and tablets. In 2013, mobile and tablet shopping accounted for 21% of sales. [Adobe ]

2) Holiday sales are expected to increase by 20% in China, Russia, Brazil, and Thailand. [Adobe ]

3) Black Friday will become fastest growing online sales day of year, accounting for $2.48 billion in sales, which is 28% year-over-year growth. [Adobe ]

4) Thanksgiving Day will see $1.35 billion in sales, which is a 27% year-over-year growth. [Adobe ]

5) Prices on Thanksgiving Day will be at their lowest point with an average 24% discount. [Adobe ]

6) November and December are expected to drive more than 27% of total annual online sales. [Adobe ]

7) The average U.S. consumer will spend $248 online; $8 on Cyber Monday. [Adobe ]

8) Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the most popular days for online shopping. [Google ]

9) Fridays and Saturdays are the top days overall for in-store holiday shopping. [Google ]

10) December 21 and December 23 are the next two biggest shopping days after Black Friday. [Google ]

11) Free shipping was deemed the second-most important factor for shoppers when purchasing online. [Google ]

12) While foot traffic to retail locations has decreased, sales for those who shopped in-store increased. [Google ]

13) 52% of online smartphone shoppers used their phones throughout the shopping process during the 2013 holidays. [Google ]

14) In 2013, December sales on smartphones and tablets were up threefold from 2011 to 19.1%. [Google ]

15) 75% of smartphone shoppers plan to use their phones in-store this holiday season. [Google ]

16) In 2013, shoppers consulted at least 12 sources before purchasing. In 2010, they consulted five. [Google ]

17) 26% of shoppers started holiday shopping research prior to Halloween. [Google ]

18) 40% of annual sales are concentrated in the last two months of the year. [Yahoo ]

19) Mobile shopping before or during an in-store trip will influence between a quarter and a half of all sales. [eMarketer ]

20) In 2013, 33% of major retailer missed deliveries. [eMarketer ]

21) 46% of people will look elsewhere after a late delivery from a retailer. [eMarketer ]

22) 48% of shoppers were always or frequently influenced by online ratings and reviews. [Invesp ]

23) 70 percent of brands are allocating more than half of their digital marketing budgets to search and social this holiday season. [Kenshoo ]

24) 19% of marketers are using social to generate qualified leads this holiday season. [Offerpop ]

25) 62% of marketers primary goal for social is driving sales and extending brand reach. [Offerpop ]

26) U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $646 on gifts -- an increase of 11% from 2012. [RetailNext ]

27) 20% of people plan to increase their spending this holiday season. Of this, 21% will increase their budgets by more than $500, and 55% will increase their budgets by $100 to $499. [RetailNext ]

28) 52% of people plan to used funds they saved to buy presents. [RetailNext ]

29) 38% of people who will shop on Black Friday plan to visit four or more stores. [RetailNext ]

30) 58% of holiday spending will be on gift cards. [PwC ]

31) Cart completion rates increase by 10% when digital wallet payment options are available. [Adobe ]

32) 55% of people find beacons useful for receiving promotions on their mobile devices while in a physical store. [Adobe ]