A surge of last-minute holiday shoppers is expected this Super Saturday, the final Saturday before Christmas. According to a new survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics, an estimated 157.2 million consumers plan to hit stores and online retailers on December 21st, 2024. This figure marks a significant increase from last year’s 141.9 million and represents the second-highest number of Super Saturday shoppers on record, just shy of 2022’s 158.5 million.
“Super Saturday is one of the last opportunities during the holiday season for consumers to get the remaining items on their shopping list,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said. “With a shortened window between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, consumers will be hitting stores and shopping online to get those final gifts and to take advantage of special promotions and deals.”
The survey reveals a growing trend of omnichannel shopping. This year, 69.5 million shoppers (44%) plan to shop both in-store and online, up from 58.3 million (41%) in 2023. While in-store-only shopping is expected to decline slightly to 49.4 million (31%), online-only shopping is projected to rise to 38.2 million (24%).
As of early December, consumers had completed an average of 50% of their holiday shopping, with only 10% finished entirely. Reasons for the remaining shopping included indecision about gifts (37%), other financial priorities (27%), and waiting for gift requests from family and friends (24%).
“Whether shoppers have planned out their shopping list or are waiting until the last minute, most shoppers still have purchases left to make before December 25,” Prosper Insights & Analytics Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “As with last year, over half of consumers expect they will complete their shopping in the week leading up to the Christmas holiday.”
Online retailers (49%), department stores (37%), discount stores (27%), and clothing and accessory stores (25%) are expected to be the primary destinations for these final purchases. Top gifts purchased so far include clothing and accessories (50%), toys (32%), gift cards (26%), books, video games, and other media (24%), personal care or beauty items (24%), and jewellery (20%).