NRF: A Record 159 Million Consumers Expected to Shop on Super Saturday
An estimated 158.9 million consumers plan to shop on the last Saturday before Christmas, known as Super Saturday, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure is up from 157.2 million shoppers last year and surpasses the previous record of 158.5 million in 2022.
Super Saturday shoppers are expected to embrace multiple channels this year, with 45 percent planning to shop both in-store and online, up from 69.5 million (44 percent) in 2024. For the remainder who are planning to shop a single channel, 46.2 million people (29 percent) will do so exclusively in-store, while 41.1 million (26 percent) will shop online only.
Where do consumers plan to finish their shopping? The top destinations include online (46 percent), department stores (33 percent) and discount stores (26 percent). E-commerce and logistics teams will be in for a challenge to deliver goods in under four days for consumers to gift on Christmas.
The top gifts shoppers have picked up so far include clothing and accessories, toys, gift cards, books, music, movies, video games and other media, and personal care or beauty items. Gifts of experience continue to be a popular choice as well, said Prosper Insights & Analytics Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist. “Three in 10 shoppers (31 percent) 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 percent of shoppers expected to give an experience in 2015.”
Total Retail's Take: Retailers are in for a shopping blitz right before Christmas thanks to the timing of this season's Super Saturday. “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,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said. As of early December, consumers had completed just over half (51 percent) of their holiday shopping on average.
The final gift-purchasing push expected on Saturday, Dec. 20 follows a series of record-breaking shopping holidays this season. Consumers spent a record $11.8 billion online on Black Friday, up 9.1 percent year-over-year (YoY), and a total of $14.25 billion online for Cyber Monday, up 7.1 percent YoY.
Looking ahead to the end of the year, 70 percent of consumers plan to shop the week immediately after Dec. 25. The top reasons include taking advantage of holiday sales and promotions (45 percent) and using gift cards (26 percent). 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 percent and 4.2 percent over 2024.
Kristina Stidham is the digital content director at Total Retail and sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality at NAPCO Media. She is passionate about digital media and handles video, podcast and virtual event production for all brands. You can often find her at WIRLC, TR, WLT&H or industry events with her camera and podcasting equipment—or at home on Zoom—recording interviews with thought leaders and business executives.
Kristina holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production from the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication in Philadelphia. Go Owls! When she's not in the office, she loves to go on long walks, sing around the house, hangout with her family and two pet guinea pigs, and travel to new places.
