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 reach $989 billion in 2024, 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?
Breakdown of online vs. in-store holiday shopping (2024)
|
How consumers plan to shop for the holidays in 2024 |
Percentage of respondents |
|
Exclusively online |
7% |
|
Majority online, some in store |
34% |
|
Equally in store and online |
30% |
|
Majority in store, some online |
20% |
|
Exclusively in store |
9% |
What percentage of holiday shopping do consumers complete online?
According to results from a recent survey of consumers’ holiday shopping plans, as many as 7% of shoppers plan to do all of their winter shopping online. Another 34% say they will do most of it online and the rest in brick-and-mortar stores, while 30% intend to split it 50-50. In other words, 71%—or close to 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 where consumers are getting shopping inspiration from.
The same survey shows social media is the top product discovery platform for consumers during the 2024 holiday shopping season—38% of them say they plan to purchase gifts they discovered on social media over the past year. However, this behavior varies significantly across generations: nearly two-thirds (64%) of Generation Z shoppers plan to buy gifts they found on social media, compared to just 19% of boomers.
Other popular gift discovery sources include television (34%) and in-store displays (27%). Online marketplaces appeal to 25% of consumers, but like social media, it shows a notable generational gap, attracting 38% of Gen Z but only 19% of boomers. Search engines influence 21% of shoppers overall.
What percentage of holiday shopping do consumers complete in-store?
Concerning in-store holiday shopping, 9% of consumers say they intend to purchase holiday gifts exclusively in physical stores—two percentage points higher than those who plan to do so exclusively online. Another 20% say they will do most of their holiday shopping in-store and the rest online.