IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
An estimated 157 million people are expected to shop on Dec. 21, the last Saturday before Christmas, according to the National Retail Federation.
That estimate is up from 141.9 million “Super Saturday” shoppers in 2023 and it’s the second-highest number after 2022’s 158.5 million shoppers on that day, the Washington, D.C.-based trade association reported.
“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,” said Katherine Cullen, association spokeswoman, in a statement.
During the last four shopping days before Christmas, 69.5 million people say they expect to shop in stores and on the internet, up from 58.3 million last year.
Approximately 49.4 million expect to shop exclusively in-store, down from 52.8 million last year, while 38.2 million say they will shop exclusively online, up from 30.8 million in 2023.
As of early December, consumers surveyed said they had purchased half of the items on their shopping list, while 10 percent said they had completed their holiday shopping, the federation reported.
