Shoppers complete a majority of their holiday ecommerce purchases during November and December, and since all of those orders need to be delivered, it follows that these months are also peak ecommerce fulfillment months.

Each year, advancements in technology, supply chains, and consumer expectations require brands and retailers to adjust their fulfillment strategies, so we put together an infographic that points out current U.S. ecommerce trends and how consumer habits differ during the holiday season. You can also visit our Forward Logistics page to learn more about our solutions.

*Ecommerce Trends

• Ecommerce holiday sales are growing year-over-year, rising by over 16%.
• With an increased online shopping, Cyber Monday has surpassed Black Friday in ecommerce sales. In 2018, Cyber Monday’s combined desktop and mobile commerce sales amounted to $6 billion USD, up from $4.7 billion USD the previous year, representing a 28% year-over-year growth.
• Free shipping is important! In 2018, during the weeks between Thanksgiving and the end of December, approximately 87% of desktop ecommerce transactions included free shipping.
• 88% of brands expect to see an increase in sales this holiday season.
• Online holiday sales promotions are expected to influence more than 80% of consumers this season.

*Consumer Profile and Spending Habits

• The average U.S. household will spend approximately $1,500 while shopping this holiday season.
• “High spender” consumers are those who plan to spend more than $2,100 this holiday season. Gen X leads the market in highest holiday spending (35%), followed by Baby Boomers (31%), Millennials (27%), Seniors (4%) and GenZ (3%).
• 54% of holiday shoppers will make a majority of their purchases online instead of in-store.
• Shoppers are using their smartphones to make purchases more with more frequency. There has been a 19% increase in holiday purchases on smartphones from 2017 to 2019.
• 69% of holiday shoppers start checking off their shopping lists early and begin shopping before Thanksgiving.
• The Top 10 Holiday Gift Items | % shoppers planning to purchase
  1. Clothing | 55%
  2. Gift cards | 53%
  3. Games & toys | 46%
  4. Books | 43%
  5. Food/liquor | 43%
  6. Health and beauty products | 35%
  7. Jewelry | 32%
  8. Money | 31%
  9. Homemade or craft item | 27%
  10. Computer or video games | 25%

*Information from Deloitte, Statista and PwC was used to create this infographic on U.S. Holiday Ecommerce Trends.