In its annual survey, the National Retail Federation shared insights into the five-day holiday weekend shopping period.
Washington, D.C.—A record-breaking 202.9 million consumers shopped over the five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).
The NRF, alongside Prosper Insights & Analytics, released the annual survey Tuesday, tallying up who hit the stores, who shopped online, what they bought, and more.
This year’s turnout exceeded the 197 million shoppers last year and surpassed the previous record of 200.4 million set in 2023.
It also beat the NRF’s initial expectations of 186.9 million shoppers over the holiday weekend.
“This year’s record turnout reflects a highly engaged consumer who is focused on value, responds to compelling promotions, and seizes upon the opportunity to make the winter holidays special and meaningful,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.
On a media call Tuesday, Shay was joined by Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategy at Prosper Insights & Analytics, to discuss the results.
Online shopping was the most popular option, with 134.9 million shoppers, up 9 percent year-over-year, while 129.5 million consumers shopped in stores, up 3 percent year-over-year.
An NRF chart outlining the number of Thanksgiving weekend shoppers through the years
Black Friday is still the most popular shopping day, both in-store and online, though it drew a slightly smaller crowd than last year.
In-store shoppers totaled 80.3 million on Friday, below the 81.7 million shoppers last year, while 85.7 million shopped online, below the 87.3 million last year.
Small Business Saturday drew more shoppers than last year, up to 62.7 million in-store compared with 61.1 million last year. Online shoppers totaled 63 million, up from 53.9 million last year.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving drew a record 32.6 million in-store shoppers, up from 25.6 million last year, while 38.7 million shopped online, up from 32.8 million last year.
Cyber Monday, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, was once again the second-most popular day for online shopping.
This Cyber Monday, there were 75.9 million online shoppers compared with 64.4 million in 2024.
Mobile is the most popular way for online shoppers to browse and buy on Cyber Monday for the second year in a row, with 46.9 million consumers shopping online on their mobile device, up from 40.4 million last year.
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It was a “very, very solid” start to the holiday season, said Shay, and the record turnout reflects the ongoing importance of the five-day period.
While shoppers are looking for deals around the holidays, the weekend also serves as a social experience and a holiday tradition for many, he said.
“One of the key drivers here is that for many Americans, holiday spending and holiday shopping are an essential part of the budget,” said Shay.
“It gives us what we think is a very accurate pulse check on the health of our consumers but also the health of our economy in general.”
As for where consumers were shopping over Thanksgiving weekend, supermarkets took the top spot at 47 percent, followed by online (45 percent), department stores (40 percent), clothing stores (37 percent), and discount stores (30 percent).
The turnout both in stores and online “reinforces for all of us the importance of seamless commerce [and] the way in which consumers behave across channels in a channel agnostic way,” said Shay.
Nearly everyone shopping over the weekend (96 percent) made a holiday-related purchase.
Early promotions jumpstarted the season, said Shay, with 54 percent of shoppers taking advantage of early deals and promotions.
Rist added that many shoppers said free shipping or limited time sales and promotions convinced them to complete a purchase they were initially hesitant about making.
Shoppers spent $337.86 on average on gifts, holiday apparel, decorations, and other seasonal purchases, up from $315.56 last year, marking the highest amount since 2019’s record of $361.90.
Of the money spent that weekend, 67 percent ($225.74) was spent on gifts.
Gen Z consumers were most likely to purchase gifts over the weekend, said Shay.
“Younger consumers are engaged and participating in and do embrace the holiday weekend,” he said.
The most popular gifts purchased were clothing and accessories at 51 percent, followed by toys (32 percent), books and media (28 percent), and gift cards (26 percent).
As of Thanksgiving weekend, 84 percent of consumers said they had already begun their holiday shopping.
There’s still more shopping to be done with consumers stating they have more than half (53 percent) of their holiday shopping remaining.
The NRF, which defines the holiday season as Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, forecast last month that holiday spending will grow between 3.7 and 4.2 percent, exceeding $1 trillion for the first time.
“We still believe we’re on track to meet that forecast. We feel very confident based on the results of this weekend,” said Shay.
The holiday weekend survey reached out to 3,099 adult consumers between Nov. 26-30.
