This statistic shows the year-over-year growth of holiday retail sales in the United States from 2000 to 2021. In 2021, holiday retail sales were forecast to grow by approximately 8.5 percent compared to the previous year. This was given as a conservative value. Forecast holiday season retail growth was expected to be within the 8.5 and 10.5 percent range.
Holiday season in the United States
The holiday season is just around the corner and it’s truly the best time of the year for both consumers and retailers of all shapes and sizes. Since the recession in 2008, Christmas holiday retail sales in the United States have grown steadily. In 2021, Christmas retail sales were forecast to grow to about 843.4 billion U.S. dollars. The amount of money that U.S. consumers plan to spend on gifts has fluctuated year to year.
Gift shopping
In the United States, consumers were more likely to select online stores when shopping for gifts for their loved ones. More than half of consumers in 2021 said that they were more likely to visit online retailers for holiday gifts. Mass retailers were also popular with half of respondents to the same survey. Most U.S. consumers would already begin their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. Only a small fraction of consumers (12 percent) said they would start their holiday shopping in December.
Year-over-year growth of Christmas holiday retail sales in the United States from 2002 to 2021
* Projected figures. The source provided the forecasted growth figures for 2021 as a range between 8.5 to 10.5 percent. In this statistic, conservative value is given.
The holiday season is defined by the NRF as sales in the months of November and December. Figures exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants.
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National Retail Federation. (October 27, 2021). Year-over-year growth of Christmas holiday retail sales in the United States from 2002 to 2021 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/209299/year-to-year-percentage-of-change-in-holiday-retail-sales-in-the-us-since-2000/
National Retail Federation. "Year-over-year growth of Christmas holiday retail sales in the United States from 2002 to 2021." Chart. October 27, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 25, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/209299/year-to-year-percentage-of-change-in-holiday-retail-sales-in-the-us-since-2000/
National Retail Federation. (2021). Year-over-year growth of Christmas holiday retail sales in the United States from 2002 to 2021. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 25, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/209299/year-to-year-percentage-of-change-in-holiday-retail-sales-in-the-us-since-2000/
National Retail Federation. "Year-over-year Growth of Christmas Holiday Retail Sales in The United States from 2002 to 2021." Statista, Statista Inc., 27 Oct 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/209299/year-to-year-percentage-of-change-in-holiday-retail-sales-in-the-us-since-2000/
National Retail Federation, Year-over-year growth of Christmas holiday retail sales in the United States from 2002 to 2021 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/209299/year-to-year-percentage-of-change-in-holiday-retail-sales-in-the-us-since-2000/ (last visited May 25, 2022)