US Holiday Shopping 2024

Amid shifting consumer priorities, competitive promotional activity, and an unusual calendar, brands and retailers must fine-tune their holiday 2024 marketing strategies to maximize sales during this critical period.

Topics

Holiday & Seasonal Shopping

Consumer Behavior

Ecommerce Sales

United States

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Holiday season sales growth will accelerate in 2024

Timing will take on greater importance during the 2024 holiday shopping season

Holiday shoppers will prioritize essentials and modest splurges

Retailers will battle to help consumers stretch their budgets

How can brands and retailers set themselves up to win the holiday season?

EMARKETER Interviews

Sources

Media Gallery

US retail sales are set to accelerate as 2024 draws to a close, as holiday shoppers step up purchases in stores and on mobile phones during the make-or-break season for brands and retailers. Marketers should prepare for an extended and atypical retail calendar, heightened demand for deals, and a surge of interest in social and video channels.

Key Question: How will US consumers spend during the 2024 holiday season?

US Ecommerce, Physical, and Total Retail Holiday Season Sales Growth, 2018-2024 (% change)

Key Stat: Total US retail sales for November and December 2024 will increase by a healthy 4.8% YoY to reach $1.353 trillion, with ecommerce growing at nearly twice that rate.

Here’s what’s in the full report

3files

Exportable files for easy reading, analysis and sharing.

14charts

Reliable data in simple displays for presentations and quick decision making.

1expert perspective

Insights from industry and company leaders.

Executive Summary
Holiday season sales growth will accelerate in 2024
Timing will take on greater importance during the 2024 holiday shopping season

Holiday shoppers will prioritize essentials and modest splurges
Retailers will battle to help consumers stretch their budgets
How can brands and retailers set themselves up to win the holiday season?

EMARKETER Interviews
Sources
Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

US Ecommerce, Physical, and Total Retail Holiday Season Sales Growth, 2018-2024 (% change)More Than Half of Consumers Expect to Maintain Holiday Spending and Over a Third Anticipate Increases (% of US internet users, May 2024)

Nearly Three-Quarters of Holiday Shoppers Will Buy Gifts In-Store (% US consumers, May 2024)US Retail Ecommerce Holiday Season Sales, 2018-2024 (billions, % change, and % of total retail holiday season sales)

US Retail Mcommerce Holiday Season Sales, 2020-2024 (billions, % change, and % of total retail ecommerce holiday season sales)Stores and Mcommerce Will Power Holiday Retail Growth in 2024 (billions in US retail holiday season sales and growth, % change, and % of total growth, by channel, 2023 & 2024)

Half of Holiday Shoppers Now Plan to Start Shopping Before Thanksgiving (% of US holiday shoppers, June 2024)Monthly Share of US Holiday Digital Consumer Spending, 2018-2023 (% of total)

US Cyber Five Retail Ecommerce Sales, 2018-2024 (billions, % change, and % of total retail ecommerce holiday season sales)US Cyber Five Retail Ecommerce Holiday Season Sales, by Shopping Day, 2024 (billions and % change vs. prior year)

Sales of Essential Items and Fashion Goods Will Propel 2024 Holiday Ecommerce Growth (% change YoY in US retail ecommerce holiday season sales, by category, Nov-Dec 2024)Amazon Captures the Lion’s Share of Ecommerce Growth Among Key Retailers We Track (billions in US retail ecommerce holiday season sales, % of total, and % change, by top 6 companies, 2024)

China-Based Ecommerce Marketplaces Where US Adults Have Shopped, April 2024 (% of respondents)Gen Zers Are Twice As Likely As Average to Buy Holiday Gifts Via Social Commerce This Year (% of US internet users, by generation, May 2024)

Interviewed for This Report

Dave Bruno

Aptos

Director of Retail Industry Insights

Interviewed July 25, 2024

Access full deck

View a slide-show representation of this report’s key insights, where carefully vetted data is combined with industry trend analysis, included at no extra cost.

Gain Access to EMARKETER →

Download PPTX

Access All Charts and Data

Gain access to reliable data presented in clear and intelligible displays for quick understanding and decision making on the most important topics related to your industry, included at no extra cost.

Gain Access to EMARKETER →

US Ecommerce, Physical, and Total Retail Holiday Season Sales Growth, 2018-2024 (% change)