What Percentage of Holiday Shopping Do Consumers Complete Online?
The year-end holiday season ranks among the United States’ busiest shopping events of the year, and industry experts forecast that holiday retail sales will exceed $950 billion in 2023, setting a new record.
What these numbers show is that the winter holiday is one of the most lucrative seasons for business owners, and understanding how and where buyers carry out their purchases can spur revenue. Bearing in mind the rising market share of ecommerce sales, one key question business owners need to ask when planning for year-end sales is: What percentage of holiday shopping do consumers complete online versus in-store?
What percentage of holiday shopping do consumers complete online?
According to results from a recent survey of consumers’ holiday shopping plans, nearly one out of every 10 shoppers (9%) plan to do all of their winter shopping online. Another 31% say they will do most of it online and the rest in brick-and-mortar stores, while 37% intend to split it 50-50. In other words, 77%—or more than three-quarters—of shoppers plan to carry out at least half of their holiday shopping online.
As an ecommerce store owner, simply knowing the answer to “What percentage of holiday shopping do consumers complete online?” isn’t enough to craft an effective online marketing strategy. You also need to know how and where these online purchases are being carried out.
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The same survey shows that phones are shoppers’ favorite devices to use when shopping online for the winter season—67% of them say they plan to use phones to buy holiday gifts. This is followed by desktops and laptops, with 62%, and tablets, with 27%.
When it comes to consumers’ preferred websites for their online holiday shopping, Amazon tops the charts. More than four in five (82%) holiday shoppers intend to purchase holiday gifts on the ecommerce giant’s website. Walmart’s online store is also a popular choice, as 58% of shoppers plan to shop there. Target rounds out the top three, with 42%. Incidentally, these three companies rank among the largest retailers in the US.
What percentage of holiday shopping do consumers complete in-store?
Concerning in-store holiday shopping, just 6% of consumers say they intend to purchase holiday gifts exclusively in physical stores—three percentage points lower than those who plan to do so exclusively online. Another 17% say they will do most of their holiday shopping in-store and the rest online.