32 Surprising Holiday Shopping Stats Marketers Need to See

Jami Oetting
Jami Oetting

Updated:

Published:

holiday-shoppingThe 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]

Online_Sales_by_Day

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]

2014-holiday-sales

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]

2014-holiday-shopper-research-shopping-never-sleeps_articles_02

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]

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