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According to a survey by the National Retail Federation and
Prosper Insights and Analytics, 197 million shoppers headed out
to stores and online, the second highest number ever. That is
slightly lower than last year’s record of over 200 million.
“Thanksgiving weekend retains its prominence among holiday
spending events and continues to play a significant role in the
holiday season for both consumers and retailers,” NRF President
and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Even with this year’s shortened
shopping period and the multitude of early sales promotions from
retailers, this past weekend exceeded expectations in terms of
the sheer volume of shoppers.”
A total of 126 million consumers shopped in-store, up from 121.4
million in 2023. Online shoppers totaled 124.3 million, down
from 134.2 million shoppers last year.
The top gifts purchased during this period included clothing and
accessories (bought by 49% of those surveyed), toys (31%), gift
cards (27%), food and candy (23%) and personal care or beauty
items (23%).
Black Friday remains the most popular day for both in-store and
online shopping: 81.7 million consumers shopped in stores on
Black Friday, up from 76.2 million last year and the highest
level since the pandemic.
On Black Friday, the Village of Schaumburg, Illinois, announced
that the Woodfield Mall had to temporarily close due to
excessive traffic congestion in the area.
Cyber Monday remains the second most popular day for online
shopping, attracting just over 64 million consumers. It is also
an opportunity for scammers. The Illinois Department of Revenue
sent out an advisory, urging Illinoisans to remain vigilant
against potential online threats.
The agency advises consumers to refrain from revealing too much
personal information, use strong passwords, and enable
multi-factor authentication.
“This time of year, as holiday shopping begins and Black Friday
and Cyber Monday online sales tend to hit record highs, there is
often an increased risk of cybercriminals taking advantage of
unsuspecting shoppers,” said IDOR director David Harris.
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