The last Saturday before Christmas can mean super crowds. Around 157.2 million U.S. shoppers are expected to go online or hit retail stores for their last-minute holiday purchases. That’s roughly 46% of the U.S. population.
Super Saturday is one of the last weekend opportunities Christmas shoppers have to snag their gifts, making it a busy time for retailers every year. The National Retail Federation estimated a near 11% increase in total shoppers year-over-year, though they won’t all be leaving their homes to get buy their gifts.
“Whether shoppers have planned out their shopping list or are waiting until the last minute, most shoppers still have purchases left to make before Dec. 25,” Prosper Insights & Analytics executive vice president of strategy Phil Rist said in the NRF’s news release. “As with last year, over half of consumers expect they will complete their shopping in the week leading up to the Christmas holiday.”
In the past eight years, the NRF has estimated a larger crowd only once: 158.5 million in 2022. This year, 49.4 million (nearly a third of all anticipated shoppers) are expected to make their purchases exclusively in-store. One in 4 will exclusively shop online. Combined, U.S. spenders might drop up to $989 billion this holiday season.
“Super Saturday is one of the last opportunities during the holiday season for consumers to get the remaining items on their shopping list,” NRF vice president of industry and consumer insights Katherine Cullen said in the federation’s report. “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.”
So how will shoppers be spending their hard-earned money on Super Saturday? In the NRF’s 2024 December Holiday Consumer Survey, 50% of respondents said they plan on buying clothes. Around 32% will be getting toys, and 26% are buying gift cards.
