As the 2021 holiday season approaches, retail merchants are preparing for another year of increased online sales. Growth in online revenue has been a dominant trend among B2C businesses over the past five Christmas seasons, with e-commerce sales accounting for a larger percentage of total holiday shopping revenue each year since 2016. This is particularly true during the five-day sales period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday now commonly referred to as the Cyber 5. Early projections show that Cyber 5 shopping will continue to rise in 2021, with an estimated 57% of U.S holiday shoppers expected to make online purchases over the extended Thanksgiving Weekend.
The e-commerce industry continues to have a staggering effect on holiday shopping trends. Here are some compelling statistics on the transformation of holiday retail shopping in the United States:
2020 U.S. Statistics
Online shopping accounted for more than $185 billion in holiday retail sales
Online sales made up 17.5% of all holiday retail sales
Online sales posted a 32.5% year-over-year revenue increase over 2019, a number likely inflated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history with a reported $10.8 billion in sales
Cyber Monday had the highest ecommerce conversion rate of any holiday shopping day, regardless of the device used for shopping
2021 U.S. Projections
Online shopping is expected to account for more than $200 billion in holiday retail sales
Online sales are predicted to make up 18.9% of holiday retail sales
Online sales are forecasted to increase by 11.3% over 2020 sales figures
Cyber Monday sales are projected over $12.12 billion, which would make it the new biggest online shopping day in U.S. history
28% of holiday shoppers plan to use social media to search for or purchase products
