Holiday Shoppers Continue to Outpace 2024 Spending Levels, With Fewer Returns

Online shoppers are spending more this holiday shopping season compared to a year ago, while returning fewer items, according to Adobe Analytics.

Holiday shoppers spent $187.3 billion between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12, up 6.1% from the same period a year ago. Adobe is projecting online sales for the entire holiday season will total $253.4 billion, up 5.3%.

Adobe Analytics tracks more than 1 trillion visits to retail sites in the United States, 100 million stock-keeping units, and 18 product categories.  

Mobile is the preferred channel for online shoppers, accounting for 52.4% of overall online spend between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12. On Cyber Monday, 57.5% of online sales came through a mobile device, representing $8.2 billion in spending, an 8% increase from the same period a year ago. By comparison, sales through mobile devices in 2020 on Cyber Monday totaled 41.4% of online sales, Adobe says.

Sales through mobile devices crossed the 60% threshold on Thanksgiving Day, accounting for 61.6% of online sales. Online shoppers’ preference to purchase using mobile devices is helping to drive more impulse shopping, which boosts overall spending, Adobe says.

Buy now, pay later loans remain a popular payment option online, totaling $13.9 billion in spending between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12, a 6% increase from the same period a year ago. In a survey of more than 1,000 consumers in November, respondents said they were most likely to use BNPL to purchase electronics, apparel, toys, and furniture.

Hot-selling items between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12 include refrigerators and freezers, up fourfold from average spending levels in October, as well as home security products, washers and dryers, and holiday décor, all up more than threefold from October.

While online shoppers are spending more, they are returning fewer items. Returns between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12 were down 2.5% compared to a year ago. In the seven days following Cyber Week, returns were down 0.1%. This is the first year Adobe has tracked returns.

As is the case when purchasing, online holiday shoppers prefer to initiate returns through a mobile device. Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12, more than 39% of returns took place via mobile.

Returns are expected to increase after Christmas Day and through Dec. 31, rising by 25% to 35% compared to returns between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12. Adobe projects the highest concentration of returns is expected the last week of December. In 2024, one out of every eight returns occurred between Dec. 26 and Dec. 31, a trend Adobe expects to continue this year.

Adobe also projects returns to be 8% to 15% higher through the first two weeks of January than between Nov. 1 and Dec. 12.