Thanksgiving weekend sees 44% more online-only shoppers: NRF

NEW YORK: The number of online-only shoppers jumped 44 per cent during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in the United States to 95.7 million, the National Retail Federation said on Tuesday (Dec 1), even as the overall number of shoppers dropped.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in online demand as people avoid going out to shop. To meet the rush, retail chains have been investing heavily in e-commerce and delivery services, such as curbside pickup.

Still the NRF's survey, conducted by research firm Prosper Insights & Analytics, showed only 186.4 million people made purchases between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday, down from 189.6 million last year.

The number of in-store shoppers more than halved from a year earlier on Thanksgiving Day, while that on Black Friday dropped by 37 per cent, the NRF said. It added people spent less on holiday-related purchases such as gifts or decorations over the five-day period.

Adobe Digital Insights, meanwhile, cut its estimates for US online holiday sales to US$184 billion, implying a 30 per cent increase compared to its previous forecast of a 33 per cent jump.

However, NRF stuck to its overall holiday season sales forecast of a 3.6 per cent to 5.2 per cent jump from a year earlier.