Super Saturday Shopping Expected To Hit New High, NRF Survey Finds.

Retailers are bracing for record crowds on Super Saturday, the final Saturday before Christmas, as millions of consumers rush to finish their holiday shopping both in stores and online.

An estimated 158.9 million consumers plan to shop on Dec. 20, according to an annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure is up from 157.2 million shoppers last year and exceeds the previous record of 158.5 million set in 2022. Black Friday and Super Saturday are generally regarded as the two busiest shopping days of the holiday season.

Shoppers are expected to rely on multiple channels more than ever this year. Nearly half of Super Saturday shoppers, or 71.6 million people, said they plan to shop both in stores and online, accounting for 45% of those surveyed. That compares with 69.5 million shoppers, or 44%, who said the same in 2024. Among consumers who plan to use only one channel, 29% expect to shop exclusively in stores, while 26% plan to shop online only.

Online retailers remain the most popular destination for last-minute purchases, with 46% of shoppers saying they expect to complete their shopping digitally, according to the study. Department stores were cited by 33% of respondents, while 26% said they plan to shop at discount stores as they make final holiday purchases.

Gifts centered on experiences continue to grow in popularity, reflecting a longer-term shift in consumer preferences, said Phil Rist, executive vice president of strategy at Prosper Insights & Analytics.

“Three in 10 shoppers (31%) plan to give an experience this year, such as art classes or tickets to an event,” Rist said. “This figure has grown in popularity over the past 10 years, when only 22% of shoppers expected to give an experience in 2015.”

The survey also found that holiday shopping does not end when Christmas Day arrives. Seventy percent of consumers said they plan to shop during the week immediately following Dec. 25. The most common reasons cited include taking advantage of post-holiday sales and promotions, which was noted by 45% of respondents, and redeeming gift cards, cited by 26%.

As of early December, shoppers reported that they had completed just over half of their holiday purchases. On average, consumers said they had finished 51% of their shopping, suggesting a significant amount of spending is still expected in the final weeks of the season.

Clothing and accessories topped the list of gifts already purchased, with 48% of shoppers saying they had bought items in that category. Toys followed at 30%, while 27% reported purchasing gift cards. About a quarter of respondents said they had bought books, music, movies, video games or other media, and 23% said they had purchased personal care or beauty items.

The National Retail Federation defines the holiday shopping season as running from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. The organization has forecast that total holiday spending will surpass $1 trillion for the first time this year, with growth projected between 3.7% and 4.2% compared with 2024.

The survey was conducted Dec. 1 through Dec. 10 among 8,005 adult consumers and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.