To emerge profitable this holiday sales season, retailers need to keep up with shoppers’ evolving expectations and trends.Yet, finding what shoppers want can be a challenge. So to shed light on the latest holiday shopping stats, we’ve compiled the top most-famous holidays across the globe and their statistics. This will help keep retailers abreast with shoppers’ preferences in 2022 and enhance their holiday sales campaigns.

Latest Holiday Shopping Statistics

The global eCommerce landscape is evolving rapidly as holiday sales in November and December rose 5% YOY worldwide to $1.14 trillion in 2021. Additionally, there was an 18% shopping surge worldwide during the two weeks leading up to Christmas. These numbers reveal what interests shoppers the most and how the eCommerce landscape is evolving. Thus, here are 28+ more such statistics that retailers should take into account when designing sales campaigns to meet growing customer demands, and boost sales.

1. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest shopping festivals in the U.S. and Canada and the latest statistics reveal that:

• In 2021, two-thirds of the U.S. shoppers planned to shop during Thanksgiving weekend.
• Consumers were expected to spend an average of $997.73.
• According to the latest survey conducted in the U.S. in August 2022, 19% had already begun holiday shopping and 70% plan to shop before thanksgiving.

2. Halloween

Halloween is one of the busiest shopping events besides Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. Trick-or-treating, and buying candies, and dressing up as one's favorite avatar are some of the most favorite things people enjoy every halloween. Moreover, just last year it was predicted that in the U.S.:

• Shoppers spend $10.14 billion on Halloween.
• An average shopper spends $103 on costumes, candy, decorations, and greeting cards.

Finally, shoppers made 34% of all purchases through eCommerce stores.

3. Father’s Day

This day honors fatherhood and parental bond and their contribution to the society. A survey in the U.S. showed that 54% of men and 45% of women plan to buy gifts for their Fathers. Furthermore:

• The same research highlighted the top 6 gifts considered in 2022 were greeting cards, clothing, special outfit, gift cards, personal care, electronics, and more.
• Customers in the U.S. planned to spend about $3.8 billion on a special outing in 2022. And expenditures were expected to reach $20 billion.

4. Mother’s day

This day cherishes motherhood and maternal bond and honors their vital role in their children’s lives. For retailers, Mother’s Day is one of the busiest shopping holidays of the year as statistics from the U.S. show that in 2022:

• A total of $31.7B was predicted to be spent.
• Top 3 Mother’s Day gifts included greeting cards, flowers, and special outings.
• 41% planned on gifting jewelry this year, rising from 34% in 2021.

5. Valentine's Day

February 14th is globally known as the day of love. People express their love for one another with gifts and greetings. Studies show that, the week is particularly lucrative for retailers in the U.S:

• Valentine's day spending soared to $23.9 billion in 2022, a step up from last year’s $21.8 billion spend.
• The top 3 gifting choices included candy (56%), greeting cards (40%), and flowers (37%).
• 22% of individuals preferred to buy jewelry for their loved ones. An estimated $6.2 billion was spent on buying the same

6. Easter

Easter, a Christian holiday, brings yet another opportunity for retailers to increase sales and boost brand awareness. Eggs, chocolates, and easter bunnies are a few things loved by people on this day.

• 80% of Americans planned Easter celebrations, and roughly 40% planned shopping online in 2022.
• Shoppers in the U.S. spent an average of $169.79 on Easter celebrations and gifts.
• The top 3 plans for 2022 were to cook a holiday meal (56%), visit family and friends in person (51%), and go to church in person (37%).
• Overall spending in the UK was projected at roughly £892 million, a 10% hike from the previous year.

7. Prime Day

Amazon's Prime Day is one of the most popular and much-awaited shopping events. Shoppers enjoy shopping during this sales frenzy and it’s noted that:

• Prime day sales in the U.S. reached about $12 billion in 2022, which makes it the most successful shopping event in Amazon’s history.
• It’s predicted that Amazon prime day sales worldwide will continue to break the record and soar up to one trillion dollars by 2026.

8. Click Frenzy

Click Frenzy is a centralized platform where retailers can not only participate and grow their sales but also capture a new set of customers. Retailers participating in Click Frenzy relished an average revenue uplift of 177% and 169% in the first two days of Click Frenzy Mayhem.Finally, the Click Frenzy event boasted 1.9 million visits in one of its events.

9. Melbourne Cup/strong>

Known as the “race that stops the nation,” Melbourne cup is a notable horse race where Aussies splurge on hats, accessories, and more. Studies show that females are likely to celebrate by adorning fancy hats. And, 60% of Australians planned on participating in Melbourne cup activities. This makes the Melbourne Cup a lucrative opportunity for retailers.

10. Sofa Sunday

Relaxing on the sofa on a Sunday and shopping online is real in Australia! It's also an ideal time for retailers to present great deals and offer and differentiate themselves from their competitors. A study shows that:

• 71% of shoppers search for amazing deals on this day and 66% look for Cyber Monday deals in advance.
• 45% of shoppers will look for shopping deals from the comfort of their sofas.

So whether retailers are aiming to boost sales on Sofa Sunday or Cyber Monday, displaying offers and deals in advance will only increase their chances of being in shoppers’ good books!

11. Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Numbers speak for themselves when it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Being two of the most famous holiday seasons, shoppers expect brands to spoil them with exceptional deals and discounts. According to stats:

• 88 million Americans shopped online during Black Friday 2021.
• 43% of Black Friday shopping happens from mobile devices.
• An average adult spends roughly $430 during this event.
• Black Friday 2021 saw a 68% increase in order volume, a 426% increase in GMV, and a 213% growth in AOV compared to Black Friday 2020.

12. End of Financial Season

The end of the financial year in Australia is celebrated as business owners wrap up their books for the year. It’s also a time when retailers try to sell old stock and offer a slashed price on the same.

• 6.2 million Australians plan on shopping on this occasion and spend an average of $1,420 each.

13. Afterpay Day

Afterpay day is yet another incredible addition to the list. This 4-day sales extravaganza not only offers significant offers on high-end luxury products but also allows shoppers to buy now and pay later, attracting a lot of interest. Stats show that:

• There was a 34% YoY surge in orders via this platform. BNPL (buy now pay later) was the leading influential factor.
• 11% more Gen Zers purchased this year, influenced by the BNPL option.

14. Diwali

Diwali is a festival of light that cherishes the triumph of light over darkness.This religious Indian festival has quickly made its mark across the globe. People shop for sweets, gold, and other festive-related products to make this day special. Studies show that:

• Diwali is rapidly being embraced across the globe and brought $8.3 billion worth of gross sales in 2020.
• Online shoppers will expectedly spend $9.2 billion this year.

15. Singles’ Day

The date 11.11 cherishes singles and is often known as anti-valentines day. People shop gifts for their friends and families but, most importantly—themselves. In 2021 alone, Alibaba’s sales soared to $139 billion of sales on China’s Singles Day. Thus this shopping event is as important as any other on this list, and retailers must make the most out of it.

16. Pre-Christmas and Christmas Eve

While Christmas is a famous holiday, pre-Christmas is getting embraced quickly. Research shows that in the U.S., in 2021, 49% of shoppers planned on browsing before November. Those buying in or before October, 47% say they wish to avoid last-minute stress and 36% do not want to miss out on important holiday items.

Furthermore, toys, apparel, and gift cards were shoppers' top 3 most popular Christmas gifts.

17. Back to School

Last but not least, back-to-school season is an essential sales season for retailers. Shoppers don’t compromise on shopping on this occasion as back-to-school products are essentials. Thus, retailers offering back to school deals will make the most out of this season.It’s expected that in 2022, the total expected spending will be $36.9 billion and $864 per household in the U.S..Observation and ConclusionSome of the highlights and emerging trends noticed are:

• Holiday spending has soared on every occasion which indicates higher customer expectations from retailers and willingness to seize the holiday deals.
• Shoppers are browsing and shopping earlier every year to avoid last-minute chaos.
• Online browsing and shopping are booming, making it essential for retailers to optimize their online stores.
• People are looking to meet in person, celebrate and exchange gifts as a fresh change after the pandemic.

These holiday statistics mirror the holiday eCommerce landscape, giving retailers a realistic idea of shopper’s expectations and trends. Thus, it’s vital that retailers plan in advance, optimize their website stores, and make the most out of this holiday season. While plenty of automation and marketing platforms enable retailers to automate their processes, Tagalys helps online retailers merchandise their online stores to arrange holiday collections effectively, delight customers, and drive more engagement. To know more about Tagalys, reach out to our sales team today.