150M Last-Minute Shoppers Plan to Hit E-Commerce Sites, Stores in Next Week

More than 150 million U.S. consumers plan to shop online or in stores on the last Saturday before Christmas, up from 147.8 million last year, said the National Retail Federation Thursday. Of those, 42% plan to shop online only, said a survey of 8,092 consumers fielded by Prosper Insights Nov. 25-Dec. 4.

For those with at least half their shopping left, 37% were still deciding what to buy, 26% were waiting for family and friends to tell them what they wanted, and 23% were waiting for the best deals. Just over half planned to buy their last gift in the week before Christmas, NRF said. Some 52% plan to finish their shopping online. Last year, Super Saturday occurred four days before Christmas, giving 2020 shoppers two more days to complete holiday purchases, it noted.

Among those venturing to brick-and-mortar locations, 30% of respondents planned to shop department stores, 20% discount stores, 20% clothing and accessories stores, and 17% electronics stores, said the survey. Top gift purchases have been clothing and accessories (45%), toys (29%), gift cards (28%), books and other media (27%) and electronics (23%). Just 21% of holiday shoppers plan to give an “experience” gift this year, down from 25% last year and the lowest since NRF first asked the question five years ago. “It’s clear that the pandemic has impacted ‘gifts of experience’ this year,” said Prosper Executive Vice President-Strategy Phil Rist.

Two-thirds of holiday shoppers plan to shop in the week after Christmas to take advantage of sales and promotions (45%) and use gift cards (27%). About half of those purchases will be made online, said the survey.

NRF predicts Nov. 1-Dec. 31 holiday sales will increase 3.6-5.2% over 2019 to $755.3 billion-$766.7 billion. Online and other non-store sales, included in the total, will rise 20-30% percent, it forecast. Consumers plan to spend $997.79 on gifts, holiday items and additional "non-gift" purchases for themselves and their families this year, according to NRF’s October survey.

Shippers, which warned consumers to buy and ship early due to COVID-19 issues, had above-90% on-time delivery rates Nov. 22-Dec. 5, according to the most recent ShipMatrix figures posted on the UPS website, despite widespread reports of delays. Rates were 94.9% for FedEx, 96.3% for UPS and 92.8% for the U.S. Postal Service. Holiday shipments were further challenged by shippers’ commitments to deliver COVID-19 vaccines beginning in December.

Walmart said Tuesday it added “thousands more items” for curbside pickup and delivery through the Walmart app, encouraging customers to book slots through Christmas Eve “pending availability.” Customers can order by 1 p.m. local time through Dec. 24 for delivery in two hours or less with a minimum $35 order, it said. Free two-day delivery is available on eligible items until Saturday at 2 p.m.; free next day delivery until Monday at 2 p.m. At Target.com, customers can order through Sunday at noon CST for delivery on or by Christmas Eve, said the retailer.