The number of U.S. shoppers headed out on Super Saturday – the last such day before Christmas – is expected to edge up to 158.9 million consumers, up from 157.2 million for the equivalent date last year. Those numbers are from a survey of just over 8000 adult consumers conducted Dec. 1-10 by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
This year’s number, if hit, would outpace the record of 158.5 million shoppers out on Super Saturday in 2022.
“As the final Saturday before Dec. 25, Super Saturday is a significant shopping event for both consumers and retailers,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said. “This year’s event falls only five days before the Christmas holiday, and consumers will shop across retailers and channels in search of the final gifts on their lists and other holiday items they need to complete a memorable holiday season.”
Findings of the survey include:
- Super Saturday shoppers are expected to embrace multiple channels this year, with nearly half, or 71.6 million (45%), planning to shop both in-store and online, up from 69.5 million (44%) in 2024. For the remainder who are planning to shop a single channel, 46.2 million people (29%) will do so exclusively in-store, while 41.1 million (26%) will shop online only.
- The top destinations where consumers plan to finish their shopping include online (46%), department stores (33%) and discount stores (26%). The top gifts shoppers have picked up so far include clothing and accessories (48%), toys (30%), gift cards (27%), books, music, movies, video games and other media (25%) and personal care or beauty items (23%).
“Along with tangible items, gifts of experience continue to be a popular choice for people looking to create memories with loved ones,” Prosper Insights & Analytics EVP of Strategy Phil Rist said. “Three in 10 shoppers (31%) plan to give an experience this year, such as art classes or tickets to an event. This figure has grown in popularity over the past 10 years, when only 22% of shoppers expected to give an experience in 2015.”
Looking ahead to the end of the year, 70% of consumers plan to shop the week immediately after Dec. 25. The top reasons include taking advantage of holiday sales and promotions (45%) and using gift cards (26%).
NRF defines the holiday season as Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 and has forecast that holiday spending will surpass $1 trillion for the first time with growth between 3.7% and 4.2% over 2024.
Click here for more from the NRF/Prosper Insights & Analytics survey.