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US Holiday 2021 Review and Holiday 2022 Preview

Preparing for a New Holiday Shopping Calendar

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About This Report
The 2021 holiday season saw the highest retail growth in 20 years, setting the stage for a solid 2022 holiday season.
Table of Contents

Executive Summary

The 2021 US holiday season posted the strongest retail growth in more than 20 years, bolstered by resurgent brick-and-mortar sales and healthy ecommerce growth. Our first look ahead to the 2022 holiday season forecasts healthy consumer spending patterns and a more stable supply chain.

How much did US consumers spend during the 2021 holiday season?

Total retail spending grew 16.1% year over year (YoY) to $1.221 trillion. Brick-and-mortar sales surged 17.3% to $1.017 trillion, while ecommerce rose 10.4% to $204.20 billion.

What were ecommerce sales on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday was the heaviest online spending day, climbing 1.1% to $10.90 billion. Black Friday sales inched up 0.3% to $9.03 billion, while Thanksgiving sales grew 2.3% to $5.17 billion.

Who were the retail winners and losers of the 2021 holiday season?

Amazon, Walmart, and eBay led the way on retail traffic, while Macy’s, Away, and Ticketmaster were among the year’s pandemic rebound stories. On the flipside, Wayfair and Kohl’s experienced notable declines in YoY traffic that also dropped them below 2019 levels.

What is the forecast for holiday sales in 2022?

We expect 2022 holiday retail sales to increase 3.3% to $1.262 trillion, with brick-and-mortar increasing 0.9% to $1.026 trillion and ecommerce climbing 15.5% to $235.86 billion.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? A review of the 2021 US holiday season and an early preview of the 2022 holidays, including our latest US retail and ecommerce spending forecast.

KEY STAT: The 2021 holiday season saw US retail sales grow by 16.1%, the fastest growth rate in more than 20 years.

Here’s what’s in the full report

3files

Exportable files for easy reading, analysis and sharing.

20charts

Reliable data in simple displays for presentations and quick decision making.

3expert perspectives

Insights from industry and company leaders.

    Table of Contents

    1. Executive Summary
    2. Key Points
    3. Holiday 2021 Review and Holiday 2022 Preview
    4. Holiday 2021 Review
    1. Holiday 2022 Preview
    2. Disruptive Factors for the 2022 Holiday Forecast
    3. Holiday 2022 Strategies for Success
    4. Insider Intelligence Interviews
    1. Read Next
    2. Sources
    3. Media Gallery

    Charts in This Report

    Interviewed for This Report

    Mike Black
    Profitero
    CMO
    Interviewed January 25, 2022
    Michael Klein
    Adobe
    Global Director, Industry Strategy and Marketing, Retail, Travel, and Consumer Goods
    Interviewed January 18, 2022
    Deborah Weinswig
    Coresight Research
    Founder and CEO
    Interviewed February 4, 2022

    authors

    Andrew Lipsman

    Contributors

    Whitney Birdsall
    Senior Forecasting Analyst
    Bianca Carasus
    Researcher
    Suzy Davidkhanian
    Principal Analyst, Retail & Ecommerce
    Blake Droesch
    Analyst
    Caroline Fulford
    Senior Researcher
    Brian Lau
    Digital Apprentice
    Amy Rotondo
    Director, US Research
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