The five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday saw an estimated 197 million shoppers, according to an annual survey released this week by the National Retail Federation — surpassing NRF’s initial expectations of 183.4 million shoppers.
This figure ranks as the second highest total in the survey’s history, after last year’s record of 200.4 million shoppers.
“Kentucky retailers were excited to provide strong selection, value and service during the very popular Thanksgiving shopping weekend,” said Kentucky Retail Federation (KRF) president Tod Griffin. “From Main Street to the mall, our dedicated retailers are proud to help Kentuckians find the special gifts for everyone on their Christmas list.”
The NRF survey found that Black Friday remains the most popular day for both in-store and online shopping — with 81.7 million consumers shopping in-store (the highest number since the pandemic) and 87.3 million consumers shopping online.
Cyber Monday continues to be the second most popular day for online shopping, attracting 64.4 million consumers this year. Approximately 63% of these shoppers utilized their mobile devices this year (up from 55% last year), representing the highest percentage since NRF began tracking this data.
Survey respondents were evenly split regarding in-store vs. online shopping — with 126 million shopping in-store (up from 121.4 million in 2023) and 124.3 million shopping online (down from 134.2 million in 2023).
Participants listed their top shopping destinations during Thanksgiving weekend as: department stores (42%), online (42%), grocery stores and supermarkets (40%), clothing and accessories stores (37%) and discount stores (32%).
The most popular gifts purchased during this period included: clothing and accessories (49%), toys (31%), gift cards (27%), food and candy (23%) and personal care or beauty items (23%).
Respondents reported spending an average of $235 on holiday gifts over the long weekend — an increase of approximately $8 from last year.
Conducted Nov. 27-Dec. 1, the NRF survey polled 3,055 adult consumers about their holiday shopping habits.
Earlier this year, NRF forecast that 2024 holiday spending is also expected to reach record levels during November and December — increasing as much as 3.5% from last year, for a total of $989 billion.
“Please remember to support your local community retailers this holiday season,” added Griffin. “And when shopping online, be sure to take into account the six fewer calendar days between Black Friday and Christmas Eve this year to ensure your orders arrive in time for gift giving.”
The Kentucky Retail Federation is a non-profit trade association representing more than 6,000 diverse members across the Commonwealth — from department and drug stores to hardware, apparel and building supply retailers.
