Small Business
142 Million Americans Expected to Shop on Saturday Before Christmas: ‘Super Saturday’
The number of expected shoppers is up significantly from the last time Super Saturday fell on Dec. 23, when 126 million consumers were expected to shop on that day in 2017.
Dec. 18, 2023
Nearly 142 million consumers plan to shop on the last Saturday before Christmas, according to the latest survey from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The number of expected shoppers is up significantly from the last time Super Saturday fell on Dec. 23, when 126 million consumers were expected to shop on that day in 2017.
“Traditionally, Super Saturday marks the final major shopping holiday of the year,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “While most consumers still have plenty of shopping left to do, retailers are prepared both online and in stores with gifts, decorations and other items that people need to make this season fun and memorable.”
With Super Saturday taking place only two days before the Christmas holiday this year, more consumers are planning to purchase last-minute gifts and other holiday items in-person. Approximately 53 million (37%) Super Saturday shoppers expect they will shop exclusively in stores this year, up from about 44 million (28%) last year, and 58 million (41%) plan to shop both online and in stores. Around 31 million (22%) plan to shop exclusively online.
As of early December, holiday shoppers have picked up about half (49%) of the items on their lists. For those who still have more than half of their shopping remaining, over one-third (36%) say they are still figuring out what to buy. And consumers may also be waiting for the best deals. In November, 85% of Thanksgiving weekend shoppers said they expected the deals during the rest of the holiday season to be the same or better than Thanksgiving weekend.
“This year Super Saturday is truly aligned for last-minute shoppers,” Prosper Insights & Analytics Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “A majority of consumers also plan on purchasing their last gift in the week leading up to Christmas.”
Popular destinations where consumers will finish their shopping include online (49%), department stores (38%), discount stores (28%), clothing and accessories stores (26%), and grocery stores (19%). So far, the top gifts consumers have purchased include clothing (50%), toys (34%), gift cards (27%), books and other media (24%), and personal care or beauty items (23%).
Holiday shopping will continue through the end of December and into early January. Most consumers (70%) say they plan to shop in the week following Dec. 25. The top reasons consumers shop then are to take advantage of holiday sales and promotions (48%), use gift cards (26%), and return or exchange unwanted gifts and holiday items (16%).
The survey asked 7,973 adult consumers about their holiday shopping plans. It was conducted Dec. 1-6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.
NRF expects holiday spending will reach record levels during November and December and will grow between 3% and 4% over 2022, totaling $957.3 billion to $966.6 billion, according to NRF’s holiday forecast. By comparison, last year holiday sales totaled $929.5 billion.
As the leading authority and voice for the retail industry, NRF provides data on consumer behavior and spending for key periods such as holidays throughout the year.